>> Click to enlarge << The new four-tiered LED rotating beacon installed ...

In December 2020, the United States Coast Guard installed a revolving LED beacon atop North Carolina’s Oak Island Lighthouse.

>> Click to enlarge << Looking up at the DCB arc-lamp that was recently ...

The upgrade was the first change in the lighting apparatus at Oak Island Lighthouse since the 155-foot tall concrete lighthouse was built in 1958. The previous original beacon in the lantern was a DCB-224 mercury arc lamp.

>> Click to enlarge << Oak Island Lighthouse, Caswell Beach, North ... Photo by: Jessica Marsh

This is a milestone for the Coast Guard. It is the first LED-based rotating beacon to ever be used in an active aid to navigation.

>> Click to enlarge << The new LED rotating beacon shines out from the ...

On October 18, 2004, ownership of the Oak Island Lighthouse was transferred to the Town of Caswell Beach North Carolina; however, the Coast Guard still maintains the light in the tower. It is the second tallest concrete lighthouse built by the federal government. The tallest, at 152 feet, is the now-endangered, Navassa Island Lighthouse in the West Indies.

This story appeared in the Jan/Feb 2021 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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