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The United States Coast Guard Cutter MARIA BRAY, a 175 foot Coastal Tender has been launched as the 12th in a series of buoy tenders named after lighthouse keepers of yesteryear.
The vessel, built by Marinette Marine Corp. of Marinette, Wisconsin, will join a new fleet of technically advanced cutters that will be assigned to buoy tending along the Florida coast, as well as other Coast Guard missions such as search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and maritime law enforcement.
Four days after Christmas, 1864, an assistant keeper at Thacher Island Light Station, off the coast of Rockport, Mass, fell ill. The keeper, Alexander Bray took him to the mainland to be with his family. While on shore, the wind came up to fierce proportions, making the trip back to the island impossible.
The keepers wife, Maria Bray, soon realized that she would have to keep the twin lights burning, despite high winds, drifting snow, and nearly 900 feet between the light towers. Although she had only her 14 year old nephew to help, Maria Bray kept both lights burning for three nights until her husband managed to return from the mainland, using the lights to guide him.
Today, the twin lights are managed by the Thacher Island Association and one of the first order lenses from the station is on display at the Coast Guard Academy Museum in New London, CT.
This story appeared in the November 1999 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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