Frying Pan Shoals Light
Encyclopedia
Frying Pan Shoals Light Tower is a decommissioned lighthouse
located approximately 29 miles (46.7 km) southeast of Southport, North Carolina
.
The light tower is modeled after a steel oil drilling platform, known as a “Texas Tower” on top of four
steel legs that was engineered to be used as a lighthouse housing several Coast Guard members. The 80 feet (24.4 m) light tower marks the shoals at the confluence of the Cape Fear River
and the Atlantic Ocean. The platform consists of two floors. The subfloor is a living area of approximately 5000 ft2 that includes seven bedrooms, kitchen, office, storage area, recreation area and toilet facilities.
The tower was replaced by a buoy in 2003 and no longer serves as an aid to navigation. The Coast Guard considered demolishing the light for use as an artificial reef
, but instead held an online auction where the winning bid was by a South Carolina diving and research firm Shipwrecks, Inc. in 2009 for $515,000. However, the company failed to make the down-payment and subsequently, the tower returned to government hands and was sold again in August 2010 for $85,000 to a private individual, Richard Neal of Charlotte NC, who plans to restore it and use it for a bed and breakfast rental location.
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 approximately 29 miles (46.7 km) southeast of Southport, North Carolina
Southport, North Carolina
Southport is a city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
The light tower is modeled after a steel oil drilling platform, known as a “Texas Tower” on top of four
steel legs that was engineered to be used as a lighthouse housing several Coast Guard members. The 80 feet (24.4 m) light tower marks the shoals at the confluence of the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
and the Atlantic Ocean. The platform consists of two floors. The subfloor is a living area of approximately 5000 ft2 that includes seven bedrooms, kitchen, office, storage area, recreation area and toilet facilities.
Current conditions
The light tower is accessible by helicopter and by boat. A January 2010 onsite inspection by an engineering firm that was contracted by the Coast Guard determined that helipad platform can indeed support a helicopter and that the entire structure, while in need of repair was 'structurally sound'. Assesment_Report.txt The lower stairs to the light tower were destroyed by a hurricane and the mid to upper section stairs has experience significant deterioration due to the salt environment.The tower was replaced by a buoy in 2003 and no longer serves as an aid to navigation. The Coast Guard considered demolishing the light for use as an artificial reef
Artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing....
, but instead held an online auction where the winning bid was by a South Carolina diving and research firm Shipwrecks, Inc. in 2009 for $515,000. However, the company failed to make the down-payment and subsequently, the tower returned to government hands and was sold again in August 2010 for $85,000 to a private individual, Richard Neal of Charlotte NC, who plans to restore it and use it for a bed and breakfast rental location.
External links
- New owner's website: http://www.fptower.com/
- Frying Pan Shoals Light at Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society