thumb|right|upright|U.S. Light House Service Stop Watch (ca. 1931) – specially manufactured by the [[Gallet & Co.|Gallet Watch Company for USLHS use.]]

The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of the United States Lighthouse Board until 1939, when it was merged into the United States Coast Guard. It was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses and lightvessels in the United States.

History

1789–1910

In 1789, the United States Lighthouse Establishment (USLHE) was created and operated under the Department of the Treasury. All U.S. lighthouse ownership was transferred to the government, which became the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA). In 1792, the Cape Henry Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built by the USLHE. In 1822, French physicist Augustin Fresnel designed the Fresnel lens. In 1841, the Fresnel lens was first used in the United States and installed on the Navesink Lighthouse. In 1852, the Lighthouse Board was created. In 1871, the Duxbury Pier Light became the first caisson lighthouse built in the United States. In 1877, kerosene became the primary fuel for lighthouses, replacing various fuels such as sperm oil, Colza oil, rapeseed oil, and lard oil. In 1884, uniforms came into use by all members of the Lighthouse Board. In 1886, the Statue of Liberty was the first lighthouse to use electricity. In 1898, all coastal lighthouses were extinguished, for the first time in U.S. history, as a precaution during the Spanish–American War. In 1904, the Lightship Nantucket became first U.S. vessel to have radio communication. In 1910, the Bureau of Lighthouses was created and operated as the United States Lighthouse Service (USLHS).

1910–1917

In 1910, 11,713 aids to navigation of all types were around the country. Congress abolished the U.S. Light-House Board and created the Bureau of Lighthouses under the Department of Commerce.

1919–1939

thumb|[[USLHS Orchid|USLHS Orchid, a Manzanita-class tender, which operated in the Chesapeake Bay]]

The first automatic radio beacon in the United States began service in 1928. Radio beacons are still in use today, although most have recently been decommissioned as improved electronic navigational aids have become available. An automatic time clock for operating electric range lights came into use in 1926, and by 1933, a photoelectric-controlled alarm device had been developed to check the operation of the unwatched electric light. A lightship staffed by remote control was equipped by the Lighthouse Bureau in 1934. It included a light, fog signal, and radio beacon, all controlled by radio signals. A battery-powered buoy, which gradually replaced the older acetylene buoys, was introduced in 1935. Because of the technological improvements mentioned above, and in particular the radio beacon direction finder, the United States rose from sixth in shipping safety in 1920 to second in 1935, with only the Netherlands holding a better safety record.

On 1 July 1939, the service merged with the United States Coast Guard, which has since taken over the maintenance and operation of all U.S. lighthouses and lightships.

World War II

On March 15, 1942, the U.S. Lighthouse Service/U.S. Coast Guard tender Acacia was sunk by the German submarine .

Flags

All of the Lighthouse Services lightships and lighthouse tenders flew the United States Lighthouse Service flag, a triangular flag with a red border featuring a blue lighthouse on a white background. Any Lighthouse Service ship upon which the Superintendent of Lighthouses was embarked also flew the Superintendent of Lighthouses flag, a rectangular flag with a blue border featuring the same blue lighthouse on a white background.

<gallery>

File:Pennant of the United States Lighthouse Service.png|Pennant of a United States Lighthouse Service vessel

Flag of the United States Commissioner of Lighthouses.png|Flag of the Commissioner of Lighthouses

File:Flag of the United States Superintendent of Lighthouses.png|Flag of the Superintendent of Lighthouses

</gallery>

Rank insignia

Rank insignia of officers in 1918 were:

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Rank insignia !! Lighthouse Tenders!! Lightships

|-

| Four stripes:<br />the two outer ones one-half inch<br /> and the two inner ones one-quarter inch wide || Captain || -

|-

| Three stripes:<br /> the two outer ones one-half inch<br /> and the inner one one-quarter inch wide || Chief Engineer|| -

|-

| Four stripes:<br /> one-quarter of an inch wide|| Master of Tender|| -

|-

| Three stripes:<br /> one-quarter inch wide|| First Officer of Tender<br />Engineer of Tender || Master

|-

| Two stripes:<br /> one-quarter inch wide || Second Officer of Tender<br />First Assistant Engineer of Tender || First Mate<br />Engineer

|-

| One stripe:<br /> one-quarter inch wide||Third Officer of Tender<br />Second Assistant Engineer of Tender ||Second Mate<br />Assistant Engineer

|-

|Source: ||colspan=2|

|}

Rank insignia of lighthouse and depot keepers were as follows in 1884:

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Rank insignia

!Keepers

|-

|Letter "K" in looped rope on collar

|Lighthouse Keeper

|-

|Letter "W" in looped rope on collar

|Watchman

|-

|Figures "1" to "4" in looped rope on collar

|First Assistant Keeper<br />Second Assistant Keeper<br />Third Assistant Keeper<br />Fourth Assistant Keeper

|-

|Source:

|

|}

See also

  • Confederate States Lighthouse Bureau
  • United States Coast Guard History and Heritage Sites

References

Further reading

  • Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. .
  • Noble, Dennis, Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997)
  • Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) .
  • Penrod, John, Lighthouses of Michigan, (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) .
  • Penrose, Laurie and Bill, A Traveler’s Guide to 116 Michigan Lighthouses (Petoskey, Michigan: Friede Publications, 1999).
  • Putnam, George R., Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
  • United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
  • Wagner, John L., Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective, (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) .
  • Weiss, George, The Lighthouse Service, Its History, Activities and Organization (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1926)
  • Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) .
  • Lighthouses: An Administrative History from the National Park Service
  • US Lighthouse Chronology from terrypepper.com
  • United States Lighthouses - National Historic Landmarks