Point Hueneme Light
Encyclopedia
Point Hueneme Lighthouse is a lighthouse
on the southeast entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel
, in Ventura County
, California
Point Hueneme Light on the north side of the east entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel is a 48 feet (14.6 m) high, buff-colored 1940 Art Deco
style tower on a fog-signal building. Established in 1874, the station was automated in 1941. The fourth-order Fresnel lens
is still used in the original tower.
once removed from her role as a cruise liner, lay at anchor off Port Hueneme on April 14, 1970 awaiting plans for conversion to a floating restaurant
and fun palace. The owners were attempting to cut down on moorage costs by leaving the vessel at anchor in the open ocean, directly offshore. That was a bad mistake. With only one watchman aboard, the vessel fell victim to storm-tossed seas which rose to huge activities, causing the 465 feet (141.7 m) long ship to slip her anchor cables. In a dramatic episode of the sea, rescue parties managed to snatch the watchman from the deck, but the 40 year old vessel, like a wounded whale, was tossed unceremoniously onto the beach, a total constructive loss. The California State Lands Commission became much concerned about the problem both from the standpoint of leaking oil and a menace to navigation. They voted unanimously to have the ship scrapped, "as is, where is," and accordingly put out bids. The big steel ship still remains but is being torn apart bit by bit by human and natural elements.
In March 2008, the City of Port Hueneme and Oxnard Harbor District dedicated a new "Ligthouse Promenade", beginning at the Hueneme Sunset Beach alongside the preimeter fence of the port to the lighthouse. The 1/2 mile stroll is on a flat, even surface and allows visitors a leisurely stroll along the beach. There are no public restrooms on property, the nearest public restrooms are at the promeade's entrance at Sunset Beach.
The Point Hueneme Lighthouse is open for tours on the third Saturday of each month, February through October. The hours are 10am to 3pm PST. Admission to lighthouse is free. For more information, please visit the official website at: www.huenemelight.org http://www.huenemelight.org
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....
on the southeast entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel
Santa Barbara Channel
The Santa Barbara Channel is a portion of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura....
, in Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
History
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style tower on a fog-signal building. Established in 1874, the station was automated in 1941. The fourth-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
is still used in the original tower.
Shipwreck
Probably the most dramatic thing that has happened in recent years within range of the light was a shipwreck over which the lighthouse had no preventive power. The veteran passenger liner La JanelleArosa Star
The SS Arosa Star was a cruise ship which was built in the United States in 1930 and grounded on the California coast in 1970.Originally called the Borinquen , the ship was built in 1930 at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of Quincy, Massachusetts, and launched near the end of September...
once removed from her role as a cruise liner, lay at anchor off Port Hueneme on April 14, 1970 awaiting plans for conversion to a floating restaurant
Floating restaurant
A floating restaurant is a kind of vessel which is usually a type of steel barge used as a restaurant on water. For example, the Jumbo Palace at Aberdeen in Hong Kong is one such restaurant. Sometimes retired ships are given a second lease on life as floating restaurants. The former car ferry New...
and fun palace. The owners were attempting to cut down on moorage costs by leaving the vessel at anchor in the open ocean, directly offshore. That was a bad mistake. With only one watchman aboard, the vessel fell victim to storm-tossed seas which rose to huge activities, causing the 465 feet (141.7 m) long ship to slip her anchor cables. In a dramatic episode of the sea, rescue parties managed to snatch the watchman from the deck, but the 40 year old vessel, like a wounded whale, was tossed unceremoniously onto the beach, a total constructive loss. The California State Lands Commission became much concerned about the problem both from the standpoint of leaking oil and a menace to navigation. They voted unanimously to have the ship scrapped, "as is, where is," and accordingly put out bids. The big steel ship still remains but is being torn apart bit by bit by human and natural elements.
Lighthouse tours
The lighthouse is federal property owned and operated by the United States Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guards Aids to Navigation Team Los Angeles/Long Beach(CG ANT LA/LB) is in charge of operation and maintenance of the Lighthouse and Fresnel Lens. Members from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary who are also members of the CG ANT LA/LB are in charge of the Tours and Openhouses at the Lighthouse. These members are recognized as Lighthouse Keepers by the USCG Auxiliary and Technicians by the CG.In March 2008, the City of Port Hueneme and Oxnard Harbor District dedicated a new "Ligthouse Promenade", beginning at the Hueneme Sunset Beach alongside the preimeter fence of the port to the lighthouse. The 1/2 mile stroll is on a flat, even surface and allows visitors a leisurely stroll along the beach. There are no public restrooms on property, the nearest public restrooms are at the promeade's entrance at Sunset Beach.
The Point Hueneme Lighthouse is open for tours on the third Saturday of each month, February through October. The hours are 10am to 3pm PST. Admission to lighthouse is free. For more information, please visit the official website at: www.huenemelight.org http://www.huenemelight.org