Buzzards Bay Entrance Light
Encyclopedia
Buzzards Bay Entrance Light is a lighthouse
located in open water at the entrance to Buzzards Bay, about four nautical miles west southwest of Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts
.
The light has a racon
showing the letter "B". The new light tower is similar to the new Ambrose Light
built in 1999 but dismantled in 2008 after a ship struck it.
In 1996 the present structure replaced a Texas Tower
built in 1961, which in turn had replaced the lightships
Hens & Chickens (LV-5) and Vineyard Sound (LV-10). Since it sits in water 50 ft (15m) deep, a conventional lighthouse would have been difficult, forcing the choice of structure.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located in open water at the entrance to Buzzards Bay, about four nautical miles west southwest of Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts
Cuttyhunk
Cuttyhunk Island is the outermost of the Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. It was the first site of English settlement in New England. It is located between Buzzards Bay to the north and Vineyard Sound to the south...
.
The light has a racon
Racon
A racon is a radar transponder commonly used to mark maritime navigational hazards. The word is a portmanteau of RAdar and beaCON.When a racon receives a radar pulse, it responds with a signal on the same frequency which puts an image on the radar display...
showing the letter "B". The new light tower is similar to the new Ambrose Light
Ambrose Light
Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey....
built in 1999 but dismantled in 2008 after a ship struck it.
In 1996 the present structure replaced a Texas Tower
Texas Tower (lighthouse)
A Texas Tower lighthouse is a structure, similar to an off-shore oil platform, used as a platform for a lighthouse.-Examples:The first example in the United States was the Buzzards Bay Light, located in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, and commissioned on November 1, 1961...
built in 1961, which in turn had replaced the lightships
Lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...
Hens & Chickens (LV-5) and Vineyard Sound (LV-10). Since it sits in water 50 ft (15m) deep, a conventional lighthouse would have been difficult, forcing the choice of structure.