The New Point Loma Lighthouse (officially Point Loma Light) is a
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
at the southern tip of the
Point Loma peninsula in
San Diego, California.
History
It was first lighted on March 23, 1891, replacing the
Old Point Loma Lighthouse which is atop the cliffs of Point Loma; the old lighthouse was often obscured by fog. The new light is only above the water. The first lighthouse keeper was Robert Decatur Israel, who had been keeper at the old lighthouse for 18 years.
The original light was 600,000 candlepower and could be seen at a distance of approximately 15 nautical miles. There was also a two-tone diaphone fog horn and living quarters for several families.
[
The structure is the only pyramidal skeletal lighthouse remaining on the West Coast. It is very similar to ]Coney Island Light
Coney Island Light (also Nortons Point Light) is a lighthouse located in Sea Gate, on the west end of Coney Island, Brooklyn, in New York City, east of New York Harbor's main channel.
The lighthouse was first established in 1890. The current ...
, Plum Island Range Rear Light, La Pointe Light
The La Pointe Light is a lighthouse located on Long Island, one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior in Ashland County, Wisconsin, near the city of Bayfield.
Currently owned by the National Park Service and part of the Apostle Islands Nat ...
, and Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light
The Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light is a lighthouse on the south breakwater of the Duluth Ship Canal in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It forms a range with the Duluth South Breakwater Outer Light to guide ships into the canal from Lake S ...
, all of which were built at about the same time.[ The latter three of these are all on the National Register of Historic Places.
The light was automated in 1973.]VLB-44
The VRB-25 is a lighthouse optical system designed and built by Vega Industries Ltd. in Porirua, New Zealand. It was originally designed in 1993-95 with the assistance of the United States Coast Guard to meet USCG requirements for a robust m ...
. The LED apparatus reduces the maintenance cost of the lighthouse and is brighter than the previous light.
In Popular Culture
The living quarters at the New Point Loma Lighthouse were featured in the 1986 movie Top Gun
''Top Gun'' is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., and was inspired by an a ...
as Viper's home (played by actor Tom Skerritt)
See also
* List of lighthouses in the United States
References
Lighthouses in California
Point Loma, San Diego
Landmarks in San Diego
Lighthouses completed in 1891
1891 establishments in California
Transportation buildings and structures in San Diego
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