Ram Island Ledge Light

Infobox_Lighthouse


caption = Undated photo of Ram Island Ledge Light
location = Portland harbor, Casco bay
coordinates = coord|43|37|54|N|70|11|12|W|region:US_type:landmark
yearbuilt =
yearlit = 1905
automated = 1959
yeardeactivated =
foundation =
construction = Granite blocks
shape = conical
marking = Natural (light gray) with black lantern
height = 77 feet
elevation =
lens = Third order
currentlens =
intensity =
range = 8 nm
characteristic = Flashing (2) White 6s with the following pattern: 1s flashing 1s eclipse. 1s flashing 3s eclipse. Emergency light of reduced intensity when main light is extinguished. HORN: 1 blast ev 10s (1s bl).

Ram Island Ledge Light is a lighthouse in Casco Bay, Maine, United States.

History

In 1855 an iron spindle was erected to protect sailors from dangerous underwater ledges surrounding Ram Island Ledge. The ledge continued to be the site of repeated shipwrecks. On February 24, 1900 the Allan Line steamship "Californian" (formerly named the "State of California") ran aground on the ledge while en route from Portland to Glasgow, Scotland via Halifax, Nova Scotia. As a result of that accident, the United States Congress appropriated funds to build a lighthouse.

Construction began on May 1, 1903 and was completed in 1905. The lighthouse was built of granite quarried from Vinalhaven, Maine. The lighthouse originally included a third-order Fresnel lens. The lighthouse was electrified in 1958, and then automated in 1959. The light was converted to solar power in January 2001, and remains operational to this day.