Alligator Reef Light
Encyclopedia
Alligator Reef Light is located four nautical miles (7 kilometers) east of Indian Key, near the Matecumbe Keys of Florida
in the United States
, north of Alligator Reef
itself. The station was established in 1873. It was automated in 1963 and is still operational. The structure is an iron-pile
skeleton
with a platform. The light is 136 feet (41 m) above the water. It is a white octagonal pyramid skeleton framework on black pile foundation, enclosing a square dwelling and a stair-cylinder. The lantern is black. The original lens was a first order bivalve Fresnel lens
. The light characteristic is: flashing white and red, every third flash red, from SW by W 1/2 W through southward to NE 1/8 E, and from NE by E 3/4 E through northward to SW 3/8 S; flashing red throughout the intervening sectors; interval between flashes 5 seconds. It has a nominal range of 14 nautical miles (26 km) in the white sectors and 11 nautical miles (20 km) in the red sectors.
It is listed as number 980 in the USCG light lists.
The name honors the U.S. Navy
schooner
Alligator
, part of the U. S. Navy Anti-Piracy Squadron that had recently been established in Key West
, which went aground at this location in 1822. The Alligator was blown up after removing as much as possible from it to prevent it from being used by pirates. Countless vessels have also sunk here on the reef's jagged coral
. This lighthouse cost $
185,000 to build at that time. To support the tower, a 2,000 lb
(900 kg) hammer was used to drive the 12" (300 mm) iron pilings ten feet (3 m) into the coral.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, north of Alligator Reef
Alligator Reef
Alligator Reef is a coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It lies to the southeast of Upper Matecumbe Key. This reef lies within a Sanctuary Preservation Area ....
itself. The station was established in 1873. It was automated in 1963 and is still operational. The structure is an iron-pile
Pile lighthouse
A pile lighthouse is a type of lighthouse used primarily in Florida, including on open reefs adjacent to the Florida Keys. Another place in which pile lights are prevalent is Australia....
skeleton
Skeletal tower
Skeletal Frame Light Towers are lighthouse towers that have only an open frame. They are commonly built as aids to navigation; most of them are not considered to be lighthouses. However, during the late nineteenth century and the first years of the twentieth, larger skeletal towers were installed...
with a platform. The light is 136 feet (41 m) above the water. It is a white octagonal pyramid skeleton framework on black pile foundation, enclosing a square dwelling and a stair-cylinder. The lantern is black. The original lens was a first order bivalve Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
. The light characteristic is: flashing white and red, every third flash red, from SW by W 1/2 W through southward to NE 1/8 E, and from NE by E 3/4 E through northward to SW 3/8 S; flashing red throughout the intervening sectors; interval between flashes 5 seconds. It has a nominal range of 14 nautical miles (26 km) in the white sectors and 11 nautical miles (20 km) in the red sectors.
It is listed as number 980 in the USCG light lists.
Historical information
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Alligator
USS Alligator (1820)
The third USS Alligator was a schooner in the United States Navy. On 6 June 1996, the site of its wreck was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places....
, part of the U. S. Navy Anti-Piracy Squadron that had recently been established in Key West
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, which went aground at this location in 1822. The Alligator was blown up after removing as much as possible from it to prevent it from being used by pirates. Countless vessels have also sunk here on the reef's jagged coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
. This lighthouse cost $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
185,000 to build at that time. To support the tower, a 2,000 lb
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
(900 kg) hammer was used to drive the 12" (300 mm) iron pilings ten feet (3 m) into the coral.