**SOLD**
40”L x 24”H x 6”W
Between 1905 and 1934, the Cape Lookout Shoals Light Ship provided a twin-masted beacon along the 14-mile Lookout Shoals off the coast of North Carolina.
As seamarks, lightships satisfied multiple requirements. They could be moored in shallow water, even near shifting shoals where fixed structures could not be placed. They could just as easily be stationed in deep water many miles from shore, to serve as a landfall or a point of departure for trans-oceanic traffic. And being vessels, they could be readily repositioned to suit changing needs. In these roles, lightships served as day beacons, as light platforms by night, as sound signal stations in times of reduced visibility, and around the clock as transmitters of bearing- and distance-finding electronic signals. Outages or difficulties with any of their systems and equipment could be immediately detected and remedied on the spot by the crew. During their relatively brief era, U.S. lightships evolved into highly sophisticated and efficient aids to navigation.
The Cape Lookout Shoals Light Ship was retired in 1934. The radio beacon and electric lighting equipment was salvaged from the lightship and installed in the Cape Lookout lighthouse |
