Farallon Island Light - Lighthouse Explorer Database

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Farallon Island Light

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Nearest Town or City:	San Francisco California United States
Location:	Highest point on Southeast Farallon Island, off entrance to San Francisco Bay.
Managing Organization:	Farallon National Wildlife Refuge
Website:	http://www.fws.gov/pacific/refuges/field /CA_Farallon.htm
Notes:	Biologists now use the lighthouse as a lookout to observe marine mammals and sharks, as well as the largest seabird breeding colony in the United States. Don Parsons writes: "I was an electronic technician and served, off and on, on the island from 1946-1948. I assisted in installing its original radar beacon (Racon) and did my stints of running up and down the paths to turn on and turn off the light at the appropriate times. My first contact with the island was to sweat a piece of metal to the cam controlling the fog horn which had developed a six-second blast rather than its assigned five-second blast. Subsequently, I traveled to the island to repair and maintain its communication and fog related transmitters. (I also replaced its 500 watt bulb bi-weekly and packed it for return to the manufacturer for replacement of the filament in each.) I was stationed at the electronic depot at YBI. Chief Freddie Galien was in charge with Chief Herbert Lance Gordon as second in command. My major regret is in not taking pictures of the light while I had the chance. I don't have a good picture of the light with its original lens. My recollection of the set-up is it contained the largest escapement mechanism I'd ever seen. This dated, of course, to the time before electricity and I never did learn whether it could have been used in case of power failures of all systems and back-ups. In those days, the 'keepers of the light' lived on the island with their families. Chief Bosun's Mate Greathouse was in charge while Russell Stockfleth (whose wife was Genevieve) ran the mechanicals."
Tower Height:	41
Description Tower:	Conical, white brick tower with brick foundation. The lantern has been removed.
Operational:	Yes
Date Established:	1855
Date Present Tower Built:	1855
Current Use:	Active aid to navigation in wildlife refuge.
Open To Public:	No.
Directions:	Farallon Island Light can be viewed from wildlife cruises offered by the Oceanic Society. Phone (800) 326-7491. The programs are led by expert naturalists. Map It!
Characteristic Range:	White flash every 15 seconds.
Other Buildings:	Two 1876 keeper's houses (Victorian wood duplexes), two cisterns, oil house, handcart railway.
Date Automated:	1972
Optics:	1855: First order Fresnel lens. The lantern was removed for the installation of a DCB-224 optic. Present optic is a VEGA VRB. The original Fresnel lens is now at San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park Museum on Fisherman's Wharf, (415) 556-3002.
Height Focal Plane:	358
National Register:	Yes
Keepers:	? Greathouse (Coast Guard officer in charge, c. 1946-48); Russell Stockfleth (Coast Guard, c. 1946-48)
Alternate Name1:	Farallone Island Light
Telephone:	5107920222
Contact Address:	c/o Don Edwards San Francisco Bay NWR Complex
Contact Address2:	P.O. Box 524
City:	Newark
State:	California
Postal Code:	945600524
Country:	United States
Signal:	Had a wave-activated fog whistle developed by Major Hartman Bache -- a locomotive whistle mounted over a natural blowhole (1859-1871).

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