Ambrose Light

Infobox Lighthouse


image_width = 180px
caption = Ambrose light station, rebuilt in 1999
location = Lower New York Bay; Ambrose Channel
coordinates = coord|40|27|00|N|73|48|00|W|region:US_type:landmark
yearlit = 1823
automated =
yeardeactivated =
foundation = Steel piles
construction = Steel
shape = Tower on red square worded AMBROSE
height = convert|76|ft|m|abbr=on
intensity = 60,000 candles
lens =
range = 18 nm
characteristic = Flashing White 5 seconds. Fog horn (2 s blast every 15 s)

Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, marks the convergence of several main shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay; Ambrose Channel, the main deep water shipping channel into New York Harbor, to its North; Nantucket-Ambrose Shipping Lane, the main shipping lane between Boston and New York, to its East; Hudson Canyon-Ambrose Shipping Lane, a major shipping lane into the North Atlantic, also to its East; and Barnegat-Ambrose Shipping Lane, another major domestic shipping lane, to its South.

The tower is owned and maintained by the United States Coast Guard. The tower structure is located at coord|40.46|N|73.83|W|type:landmark_region:US, the light sequence is white flashing and flashes every five seconds, and its RACON has a unique radar signature (−•) which helps distinguish it from other large objects using the shipping lanes.

Ambrose light station is an important navigation aid for all ships entering and leaving the Port of New York and New Jersey.

On July 25, 2008, the Coast Guard announced that Ambrose Light, which was severely damaged when a tanker struck it on November 3, 2007, will be deconstructed [U.S. Coast Guard (July 25, 2008). " [http://www.uscgnewyork.com/go/doc/802/218179/ Ambrose Light to be deconstructed after 41 years of service] ". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-07-25.] .

History

The original light station was put into operation on August 23, 1967, replacing the obsolete "Lightship Ambrose", and cost $2.4 million. The tower design was a Texas Tower, a very strong steel pipe structure based on the oil platforms built for use in the Gulf of Mexico. The structure was prefabricated in Norfolk, Virginia and shipped in sections on barges for assembly on-site. The tower station was situated about convert|7.5|mi|km off of the coast of Sandy Hook, New Jersey in approximately convert|70|ft|m of water and was supported by four convert|42|in|mm|sing=on steel pipes, sunk down about convert|245|ft|m to the bedrock. The light was about convert|136|ft|m above mean low water and the 10,000,000 candle-power light could be seen for convert|18|mi|km.

The lower deck was designed for fuel and water storage while the top deck served as living quarters for a 6 to 9 man crew. The roof of the platform also served as a flight deck for helicopters, the main mode of transport to and from the station for crew rotations. The tower was automated and the crew was removed from duty on October 15, 1988. Ambrose light station was controlled electronically by the United States Coast Guard station on Governor's Island until the island and base were transferred to New York State and City for $1 in 2003.

In October 1996, on a clear night the convert|754|ft|m|sing=on Greek oil tanker "Aegeo" struck the tower, causing severe damage. It was discovered that the light was not functioning when the tanker hit the tower. The "Aegeo's" captain was later found to be at fault. Three years later, in September 1999 after repairs were deemed insufficient, the old structure was razed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and replaced with a new tower. The new tower was built about convert|1.5|mi|km East of the old site, and is approximately convert|76|ft|m above mean low water, and the 60,000 candle-power light is visible for convert|18|mi|km.

In January 2001, the convert|492|ft|m|sing=on Maltese freighter "Kouros V" struck the new tower, shortly after the repairs from a previous incident had been completed.

On November 3, 2007, the tanker Axel Spirit struck the tower. No injuries or pollution were reported, however the tower suffered extensive damage and the light was rendered inoperable. A temporary lighted buoy was set by the Coast Guard on November 7.

On July 25, 2008, the Coast Guard announced the [http://www.uscgnewyork.com/go/doc/802/218179/ deconstruction of Ambrose Light] would begin on July 28, 2008.

"

Miscellanea

* The "Lightship Ambrose" held its station from 1823 until its replacement in 1967, and was only the fourth lightship designed and commissioned to serve a U.S. coastal port.
* The tower carries NOAA's National Data Buoy Center automated weather station ALSN6, which is of interest to scuba divers, fishermen, and other small craft users.
* The tower is a staging point for pilot ships; notably the [http://www.sandyhookpilots.com Sandy Hook Pilots] .

External links

* [http://www.lighthousedepot.com/digest/Storypage.cfm?storykey=653 Lighthouse Depot] - Story about destruction of original structure
* [http://www.nightbeacon.com/zlightships/LV613_(Ambrose_NantucketII)_Lightship.htm Night Beacon] - About lightships, including "Ambrose Lightship"
* [http://www.southstseaport.org/street/ambrose.shtm South Street Seaport Museum] - Current location of the "Ambrose Lightship"
* [http://njscuba.net/gear/misc_uscg3.html New Jersey Scuba Diver] - Information, charts, and history of Ambrose light station

References

* [http://www.lighthousedepot.com/database/uniquelighthouse.cfm?value=1589 Lighthouse Depot] - Reference article
* [http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pubs/LightLists/LightLists.htm USCG light list] - Ambrose Light is listed as number 720
* [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/WEBLIGHTHOUSES/LHNY.html U.S. Coast Guard] - Historic Light Station Information
* [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/LightshipIndex.html U.S. Coast Guard] - Information on lightships
* [http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=alsn6 National Data Buoy Center] - Station ALSN6 - Ambrose Light
* [http://205.156.4.52/cgi-bin/EyeSpy.dll?getbrww&D:/EyeSpy/images/Online_Chart_Viewer/12326.axs&650&500&4264&3420&32&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&buttons=/cgi-bin/EyeSpyResources/buttons&alig=0&contenttype=image/jpeg&325&250 New York Harbor Approaches] , NOAA Chart 12326 online.

Notes