Desdemona Sands Light

Desdemona Sands Light was a lighthouse located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River to aid navigation of the Columbia Bar.

Desdemona Sands Light
LocationColumbia Bar, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates46.22528°N 123.95361°W / 46.22528; -123.95361[1]
Year first lit1901 or 1902
Automated1934
Deactivated1965
Foundationcluster of piles
ConstructionTwo-story
Tower shapeoctagonal
Tower height48-foot (15 m)[2]
Focal height7 metre 
Original lensFourth order Fresnel lens[2]
Range12 miles (19 km)[2]
CharacteristicFixed white
Daboll trumpet 2s with silence 3s and 23s[3]

It was built in 1901[4] or 1902[2] as a replacement for Point Adams Light. The Lightship Columbia kept station about 5 miles (8.0 km) offshore.

Its design by Carl Leick is identical to that of Semiahmoo Harbor Light near Blaine, Washington, a ​1 1⁄2-story dwelling built on a cluster of pilings in 12 feet (3.7 m) of water[3] with a rooftop tower housing the light and a fog signal. It was one of the last U.S. wooden pile foundation lighthouses built.[5] A cistern system collected fresh water. Only the lightkeeper was present; there was a small boat to reach the mainland, where the keeper's family lived.[4]

The light was electrified in 1934, eliminating the need for a keeper. It was removed and replaced after World War II[5] by a minor aid on top of a pyramidal structure, which was replaced again in 1955. The light was removed in 1965.[4]

Desdemona Sands is a group of shoals formerly named Chinook Sands. In 1857, the bark Desdemona ran aground here and was destroyed.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Desdemona Sands Light". Placenames.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  2. "Desdemona Sands Light". Lighthouse Depot. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  3. Dennis Hawley. "Desdemona Sands Lighthouse—Oregon's Forgotten Sentinel". Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  4. "Desdemona Sands Light". Rudy and Alice's Lighthouse page. Archived from the original on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  5. Christopher Havern (June 6, 2006). "United States Lighthouse Service". U.S. Coast Guard. pp. Notes for slide 25. Retrieved 2008-11-28.


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