“…as GPS makes them unnecessary” … until a ship is in a storm that blocks the GPS signal, and is approaching land where the lighthouse used to be functional.
There is a lighthouse on a small island in the Chesapeake Bay that is for sale. But you can’t live in the lighthouse after you buy it. Somebody in the government thinks this is a bargain.
There’s probably some boomer oil tanker captain who proudly refuses to use GPS or anything electronic and he’s going to smash that thing up on the rocks and cause the most catastrophic oil spill because someone shut off the light. Then he’s going to rant about it on Facebook in the driver seat of his truck when he gets home.
They could be converted to LED + solar and practically run themselves. Remember that many of these started with whale oil lamps, using a Fresnel lens, the light source does not need to be all that bright for them to work. (And modern LED lights are brighter than a whale oil lamp by a considerable multiple) Not using these as a backup is foolish, and many people still use lights at night as a navigation source, even in this age of GPS. But when have we ever accused the US government of being smart?
As mentioned above, even in these days of GPS many people still rely on lighthouses and shore light at night to avoid collisions and grounding. Many small craft are not equipped with GPS, and even large craft with all the latest equipment still need to sail by sight as a final safety measure. Bad things can happen when they don’t; Costa Concordia, anyone? Exxon Valdez?
JKSHulenburg says
Dibs
Catwearingtrousers says
I want one
wwarnout says
“…as GPS makes them unnecessary” … until a ship is in a storm that blocks the GPS signal, and is approaching land where the lighthouse used to be functional.
AvariceLegion says
So to hell with redundancy
jkswede says
Hate to say it but it is a bit shortsighted to think GPS will function indefinitely. Tiny global kerfuffle could get them all knocked down.
brickyardjimmy says
Um. Why does this sound like a bad idea?
KryptoFreak405 says
I used to collect lighthouses as a kid, this would be the most perfect way to complete that collection.
AUWarEagle82 says
There is a lighthouse on a small island in the Chesapeake Bay that is for sale. But you can’t live in the lighthouse after you buy it. Somebody in the government thinks this is a bargain.
https://wtop.com/maryland/2022/08/online-auction-of-chesapeake-bay-lighthouse-still-looking-for-first-bidder/
No-Treat-1968 says
I want one
dvdmaven says
National Treasures that you will maintain to whatever standard we demand. Am I right?
ATXDefenseAttorney says
In for 2!
karma-armageddon says
Gonna wish we had these lighthouses in 2025
aBoyandHisVacuum says
I hate stairs. Could you imagine 65 stairs just to get to bed everyday. Nah
RogerPackinrod says
There’s probably some boomer oil tanker captain who proudly refuses to use GPS or anything electronic and he’s going to smash that thing up on the rocks and cause the most catastrophic oil spill because someone shut off the light. Then he’s going to rant about it on Facebook in the driver seat of his truck when he gets home.
Faelwolf says
They could be converted to LED + solar and practically run themselves. Remember that many of these started with whale oil lamps, using a Fresnel lens, the light source does not need to be all that bright for them to work. (And modern LED lights are brighter than a whale oil lamp by a considerable multiple) Not using these as a backup is foolish, and many people still use lights at night as a navigation source, even in this age of GPS. But when have we ever accused the US government of being smart?
As mentioned above, even in these days of GPS many people still rely on lighthouses and shore light at night to avoid collisions and grounding. Many small craft are not equipped with GPS, and even large craft with all the latest equipment still need to sail by sight as a final safety measure. Bad things can happen when they don’t; Costa Concordia, anyone? Exxon Valdez?