History
The Ambrose Light-tower is
situated in 70 feet of water 7.4 miles east of Sandy Hook. The tower
went into operation August 23, 1967. It is made of prefabricated
sections that were floated to the site on barges from Norfolk,
Virginia. The Texas-tower structure is supported by a framework of four
42 inch diameter steel pipe legs. Cross braced with 18 and 20 inch
diameter steel pipes the structure is designed to withstand even the
worst hurricane.
The station cost 2.4
million dollars to build. The platform is two decks high. The lower
deck housed the fuel and water tanks. The upper deck provided living
quarters for the 6 permanently assigned Coast Guard members and had
room for 3 transient members. Four crew members were on duty at all
times. Crewmenbers served two weeks on the platform before getting a
week off. The roof of the platform served also as a heliport.
The main light tower juts
from the southeast corner of the platform roof. The focal plane of the
light is about 136 feet above men low water. The 10,000,000
candle-power light could be seen about 18 miles. The characteristic of
the light is white group-flashing, with three flashes every seven and
half seconds.
The crew was permanently
removed from the station on March 15, 1988. The light-tower is now
controlled electronically from the Coast Guard station on Governor's
Island.
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