Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station
Encyclopedia
The Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station is located on the Core Banks of North Carolina
between Cape Lookout
and the Cape Lookout Light. The station was built as a lifeboat station beginning in 1916 and comprises a complex of several frame buildings. The chief structure is the Main Station, a neo-colonial building with a central cupola or watchtower. It is surrounded by a galley, or messhall, equipment buildings, cisterns and similar support structures. Two similar stations were built at Hatteras Inlet
and Cape Fear, which have not survived. The Cape Lookout station was chiefly responsible for providing rescue services in the Cape Lookout Shoals, which extend ten miles into the Atlantic Ocean
and represent a significant hazard to coastwise shipping. The Cape Lookout station operated until 1982, and is now under the care of Cape Lookout National Seashore
.
The Station's two original buildings now regularly house students from North Carolina Universities assisting in dolphin and sea turtle research. The buildings are run by a single windmill and two solar panel arrays.
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
between Cape Lookout
Cape Lookout
Cape Lookout can refer to:*Cape Lookout , in the United States*Cape Lookout , in the United States*Cape Lookout...
and the Cape Lookout Light. The station was built as a lifeboat station beginning in 1916 and comprises a complex of several frame buildings. The chief structure is the Main Station, a neo-colonial building with a central cupola or watchtower. It is surrounded by a galley, or messhall, equipment buildings, cisterns and similar support structures. Two similar stations were built at Hatteras Inlet
Hatteras Inlet
Hatteras Inlet is a estuary in North Carolina, located along the Outer Banks, separating Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. Hatteras Inlet is located entirely within Hyde County.- History :...
and Cape Fear, which have not survived. The Cape Lookout station was chiefly responsible for providing rescue services in the Cape Lookout Shoals, which extend ten miles into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and represent a significant hazard to coastwise shipping. The Cape Lookout station operated until 1982, and is now under the care of Cape Lookout National Seashore
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Cape Lookout National Seashore preserves a 56-mile long section of the Southern Outer Banks, or Crystal Coast, of North Carolina, USA, running from Ocracoke Inlet on the northeast to Beaufort Inlet on the southeast. Three undeveloped barrier islands make up the seashore - North Core Banks, South...
.
The Station's two original buildings now regularly house students from North Carolina Universities assisting in dolphin and sea turtle research. The buildings are run by a single windmill and two solar panel arrays.