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Point Vicente Lighthouse

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Coordinates: 33°44′31″N 118°24′39″W / 33.741867°N 118.410738°W / 33.741867; -118.410738
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Point Vicente Light
Point Vicente Lighthouse
Map
LocationPoint Vicente
Rancho Palos Verdes
California
United States
Coordinates33°44′31″N 118°24′39″W / 33.741867°N 118.410738°W / 33.741867; -118.410738
Tower
Constructed1926
Foundationconcrete base
Constructionreinforced concrete tower
Automated1973
Height67 feet (20 m)
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower,
black lantern
OperatorUnited States Coast Guard[1][2]
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Light
Focal height155 feet (47 m)
LensThird order Fresnel lens by Barbier, Bernard and Turenne
Range24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi)
CharacteristicFl (2) W 20s.
Point Vicente Lighthouse
Area17.8 acres (7.2 ha)
Built1926 (1926)
NRHP reference No.80000808[3]
Added to NRHPOctober 31, 1980
Sunset over the ocean near Point Vicente lighthouse

Point Vicente Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, United States, north of Los Angeles Harbor, which was built in 1926. It is 67 feet (20 m) tall and stands on a cliff with a height of 130 feet (40 m).[4] It is between Point Loma Lighthouse to the south and Point Conception Lighthouse to the north. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[4] The lighthouse is owned by the United States federal government and is managed by the United States Coast Guard. It is not currently open to the public.

History

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Point Vicente Lighthouse was built in 1926, following years of complaints from shipping about the dangerous waters around the Palos Verdes peninsula. It is situated just north of the entrances to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbors. The white cylindrical tower is 67 feet (20 m) tall,[5] and the masonry structure is built on the edge of a 130-foot (40 m) cliff. This places the center of the lantern 185 feet (56 m) above the ocean.

The lighthouse had a classical third-order rotating Parisian Fresnel lens with a width of 5 feet (1.5 m), which had been in use in Alaska since its construction in 1886[6] by Barbier, Benard, et Turenne, the oldest lens making company in the world. The lens is made up of hand-ground prisms held in place by a cast brass frame. When it was active, the 1.1 million candlepower-beam had a nominal (clear weather) visible range of 24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi).

In 1934 the Long Beach Radio Station opened in a neighboring building, which was used to monitor for distress signals.[4]

The lighthouse was operated and maintained by the United States Lighthouse Service prior to that Service being merged with the U.S. Coast Guard, which was delegated all aid-to-navigation responsibilities in 1939.

The light source was dimmed to just 25 watts during World War II to avoid aiding the enemy.[6] The lighthouse was manned until 1971 when it was automated by a remote electronic aids-to-navigation monitoring system, and the radio station was closed in 1980.[4] In 2015, the Coast Guard announced its intention to replace the original third order lens with an LED light with a 14 nm range, replacing the current light and lens.[7] In February 2019 the lens was removed from the light room.

The Coast Guard Light List[8] specifies its light characteristic as being a pair of two white flashes, repeating that pair every 20 seconds. An emergency light of reduced intensity operates if the main light is extinguished. Now removed from the lantern room, the lens is on display at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center.[9][10]

This lighthouse once incorporated a foghorn to warn ships during times of low visibility. The foghorn was dismantled in the early 2000s.

Keepers

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Head
  • George W. L'Hommedieu (1925–1930)
  • Anton Trittinger (1930–1945)
  • Joseph May (1945–1955)[11]

Modern day usage

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The Point Vicente Lighthouse and grounds are federal property owned and operated by the United States Coast Guard. The lighthouse is currently closed to the public.

The US Coast Guards Aids to Navigation Team Los Angeles/Long Beach (CG ANT LA/LB) is in charge of operation and maintenance of the lighthouse. Members of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary who are also members of the CG ANT LA/LB are in charge of the tours and open houses, assisted by the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps.

In addition to the lighthouse, the property includes a museum and three houses, former Coast Guard personnel residences.

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After World War II, a legend arose of a woman in a white gown seen pacing in the tower where the lens was located. Some said she was the widow of a lighthouse keeper, others that she was the spirit of a woman who had leaped off the cliff. The Coast Guard dispelled the rumors of the “Lady of the Light” by saying an extra coat of paint had been added to keep the light’s reflection from bothering nearby neighbors, which explained the so-called sightings.[4]

The lighthouse has been a popular filming location going back to the 1958 TV series Sea Hunt, and has been seen in episodes of The A-Team, Emergency!, Fantasy Island, and Wonder Woman in the 70s and 80s, and in episodes of The Amazing Race, CSI, Doll & Em, and NCIS in the 2010s and 2020s.[12][13][14]

The lighthouse has been used as a filming location in the 2001 film Pearl Harbor and 2017 film Dunkirk.[13]

[edit]
  • View from inside the lantern room
    View from inside the lantern room
  • USCG MH-65 flies by
    USCG MH-65 flies by
  • Historical USCG photo
    Historical USCG photo
  • The light sits on a 130-foot (40 m) cliff
    The light sits on a 130-foot (40 m) cliff
  • The cove beneath the lighthouse
    The cove beneath the lighthouse

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Northern California". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  2. ^ California Historic Light Station Information & Photography United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 15 June 2016
  3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e Sam Gnerre (16 October 2018). "South Bay History: The Point Vicente lighthouse has served as a beacon since 1926". Daily Breeze.
  5. ^ "Inventory of Historic Light Stations – California Lighthouses – Point Vicente Light". Archived from the original on 2006-10-11. Retrieved 2006-10-04.
  6. ^ a b "Point Vicente Lighthouse". City of Rancho Palos Verdes.
  7. ^ "Local Notice to Mariners" (PDF). p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  8. ^ Light List Vol VI, p. 36, retrieved July 2016
  9. ^ "PVIC-Phase II | Rancho Palos Verdes, CA - Official Website". Archived from the original on 2018-10-29.
  10. ^ Paul, Deborah (22 April 2019). "Looking like a giant C-3PO head, this mysterious lighthouse lens has a new home". Daily Breeze.
  11. ^ Point Vincente Lighthose friends. Retrieved 15 June 2016
  12. ^ "Filming Location Matching "Point Vicente Lighthouse, Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes, California, USA"". imdb.com. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  13. ^ a b Castrobran, Kim (3 February 2022). "The Hollywood Lighthouse Shines the Spotlight on Stars We Love". Palos Verdes Pulse.
  14. ^ "Waiting for the winning team". CBS. Retrieved 2 January 2020.

Notes

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Coast Guard

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Point Vicente Lighthouse.
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