Montauk Lighthouse during WW2
by Tom Lannon
After finally arriving to “The End” of Long Island, my visit was greeted by one of rich history. One of the most interesting pieces of history that we learned about during our visit to the historic Montauk Lighthouse, was about its role during World War 2. It has long been recognized as an extremely important lookout site for the safety of the economic center to its west, New York City. During this time period, a camouflage painted, tall tower was built in front of the lighthouse to be able to detect German submarines or better known as U-Boats. In addition to the watchtower, a bunker was made in order to provide some defense for the Montauk Lighthouse area. After the war, this bunker became useless in terms of regular lighthouse operations. With the creeping erosion approaching the lighthouse as well as the bunker, the bunker became a liability. In order to prevent injuries to fisherman or any of the public at a random time, the Coast Guard blew out the foundation of the bunker and allowed it to fall to the water’s edge. The bunker is still there today and helps serve as an erosion protector like all of the many other boulders imported to extend the lighthouse’s lifespan.
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In this photo, you can see the Southampton students walking along the boulders that were placed in order to prevent erosion of the land around the lighthouse. We thank Giorgina Reid for all her efforts to prolong the lighthouse’s life.
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| In this photo we can see the bunker that was built during WW2. This is where the bunker currently resides and we are looking at the bottom of the bunker. To the right of the bunker we can see Turtle Cove where many fishermen partake in their hobby. |
by Joseph Forigione
Located in Hither Hills State Park in Montauk, New York lies the walking dunes. These dunes get their name from the fact that they “walk” across the land. The wind coming from the Northwest pushes them to the Southeast. On the dunes there are trails for hiking and hikers can use them to reach the tops of dunes. Just try not to step on some of grasses and other vegetation trying to take root there. Also don’t hit your head on a tree branch which, I should add, are not as short as they appear to be. They’re actually full grown trees! The walking dunes actually reside in a forest and as they “walk” they can engulf entire parts of the forest! Sanding on the dunes, you can see the top of the surrounding forest. That’s because you’re technically standing on the forest itself via the dunes. The trees are usually alright in the sand, but unfortunately this is not always the case; some trees suffer from suffocation from the sand.
The walking dunes lie right next to Napeague Harbor. Though technically not a harbor, this little cove is a shallow inlet created from sand deposition from wind and waves. The harbor is home to seagrasses and scallops. The surrounding forests, as well as the adjacent walking dunes, are also home to the Piping Plover, a small and, sadly, endangered species of bird. The blowing winds also make the harbor a good place for water recreation sports, like wind surfing. Care should be taken around this area as it is susceptible to flooding. The wind and waves that created this area can also erode in a quick manner. In fact, if this were to happen, Montauk could become entirely separated from the rest of Long Island for quite some time, even permanently! This almost happened in 1938 after a major hurricane hit the area.
Montauk Lighthouse: Then and Now
by Wesley Robinson
The lighthouse that watches over Montauk Point and the surrounding waters was built in 1797 and was essential to maintaining international trade through the 19th century and into the modern age. This was due to its proximity to New York City and because the area it overlooked was dangerous to vessels that ventured too close. It has become a symbol of Montauk as well as Long Island in part because it would be the last thing sailors and whalers say if leaving and the first thing immigrants would see on the way into early America. During WWII, it acted as a sentry tower to spot German submarines that were surfacing and could relay coordinates to Camp Hero nearby to fire on potential enemies. After the war ended, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a seawall at the base of the bluff supporting the Montauk Lighthouse to help combat erosion. A terracing system was also constructed in order to help collect rainwater and remove it without removing the sand and soils around the lighthouse.
Today the lighthouse is considered a historical landmark and contributes to the culture of the east end. However, historians are unsure of what to do about the problem of erosion and what it means for the future of the lighthouse. One option is to deconstruct the lighthouse and move it backwards several hundred feet, a multi-million dollar task that would have to be repeated within the next 100-200 years. The other is to knock it down which would remove it from the landscape of the east end and would eventually push it out of memory and into the history books. This is a very contentious issue with all historical structures destined for destruction. Does the historical relevance warrant funneling taxpayer money into the preservation of a building that can only be maintained for so long? It is not an easily answerable question, and one that will likely continue to puzzle historians and preservationists alike into the foreseeable future.
Lighting the Way
by Patricia Maglione
To most people on land, light stations are distinguished by their strip pattern or out buildings. To a person at sea however, the character of the light itself is what identifies them. This could be anything from how often the light flashes, to various colored lights. Today, the Montauk light flashes every five seconds, and can be seen from a distance of nineteen nautical miles away. That wasn’t always the case. As technology has changed, the method used to light the tower has changed as well.
Originally, the light was created using whale oil and a Spider lamp. This consisted of a shallow pan for the oil to rest in and anywhere from four to eight wicks surrounding it. Following it was an Argand lamp, which had a hollow wick that supplied more oxygen to the flame and burned about seven times brighter than the previous wicks. This arraignment also included several reflectors behind the wicks.
In 1858, a first order Fresnel lens was installed. A French physicist named Augustin Jean-Fresnel created a system of lenses that reflected and refracted the light source into a single beam that was much brighter than anything previously in place. It could also be seen much farther. Some lenses rotated on a base of mercury to give the light a flashing characteristic. The Fresnel lens at Montauk was a first order lens because it’s an ocean landfall light. First and second order lenses went to major landfall lights. The less powerful third through sixth order lenses were given to bays and harbor entrances. Later, in 1903, the light station underwent slight renovations, and a third-and-a-half-order bivalve lens was installed (Figure 2). This light revolved and gave the light it’s flashing characteristic that it still maintains today.
The light station was automated in 1987 and the 1903 lens was replaced by a DCB-224 optic containing two revolving 24-inch drums (Figure 3). A DCB-224 optic is a case that houses a light bub and a parabolic reflector. Parabolic reflectors are able to concentrate light into a single point. They’re used in flashlights and satellite dishes today. The two twenty four inch drums rotate on an electric motor at a five second flash.
Montauk Lighthouse and Fishing Fleet
by Arielle Santos
It was a beautiful day to visit the lighthouse. I expected it to rain, so I overdressed of course. The sun was beating down, and there was a soft salty breeze. As you walk up to the lighthouse, you will notice a large brown stripe wrapping around the structure horizontally. This stripe is not just for show. There is a very practical explanation as to why people painted colored stripes on lighthouses, and they weren’t all the same. It was simply to increase visibility during the day, and to distinguish where exactly you were.
The brown stripe on the Montauk lighthouse was not originally there. Before the brown stripe, the lighthouse was actually completely white. The lighthouse was built in 1796 and the stripe was added on later in 1899. The color and design of the stripe is designated to specific locations. As a boat would be sailing in the waters of the Atlantic, if they looked off in the distance, they would notice a lighthouse with a brown stripe, and know that it was the Montauk lighthouse. It was a day mark for sailors to recognize where they were. It is critical to be able to see these lighthouses, and during the day, these colored stripes were the key in aiding in the visibility of these structures. In some cases, depending on where you were positioned, these stripes or completely white lighthouses could actually blend into the sky, so some lighthouses are painted completely black.
At night, the circulating light would be used because the colored stripes would not be seen. Now that the color is not visible, how would you distinguish between different lighthouses? Well, each lighthouse has a different light flashing pattern. The sequence specific to Montauk lighthouse now is the flicker of light every 5 seconds. There are different patterns for different lighthouses, so knowing and determining a pattern is crucial in successfully spotting your location.
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One of the windows inside of the lighthouse looking towards land.
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| CCE class walking up towards the Montauk Lighthouse. |
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Looking out to the Atlantic Ocean from the top of the lighthouse.
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