The Sharkfin Shoal Light was a

screw-pile lighthouse A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse to begin construction was built by the blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell. Constructi ...

located at the mouth of the

Nanticoke River The Nanticoke River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It rises in southern Kent County, Delaware, Kent County, Delaware, flows through Sussex County, Delaware, Sussex County, Delaware, and forms the boundary between ...

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

, US.

History

This light was constructed in 1892 to replace the

Clay Island Light The Clay Island Light was a historic lighthouse located on Clay Island at the mouth of the Nanticoke River on the Chesapeake Bay. Constructed in 1832, it continued to serve the area until 1892, when it was replaced by the Sharkfin Shoal Light. T ...

to the northeast. During an accident on 21 December 1947, two men, Charles E. Palmquist and G. F. Cotte, died by

Tangier Island Tangier is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States, on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 436 at the 2020 census. Since 1850, the island's landmass has been reduced by 67%. Under the mid-range sea level rise s ...

in a boat departed close by from Sharfin Shoal Light that "burned on the water's edge". The investigation was led by Captain Morris G. Jory. The posthumous investigation was led by Lieutenant Commander Joseph R. Scullion. Changed in 1950, the light pattern emitted from the lighthouse was altered to be "flashing every 10 seconds, flash two seconds, eclipse 8 seconds" with 600 white

candlepower Candlepower (abbreviated as cp or CP) is a unit of measurement for luminous intensity. It expresses levels of light intensity relative to the light emitted by a candle of specific size and constituents. The historical candlepower is equal to 0.981 ...

and 130 red candlepower. The change came into effect on October 27, and was switched from a manually operated station to an unattended, automatic station. In 1964, the house was dismantled and a skeleton tower light placed on the foundation.

List of lightkeepers

* Henry C. Sterling (April 1901-?) * (Assistant) Walter C. Carew (?-31 August 1904) * (Assistant) Addison S. Hall (December 1909-?)

References

*
Sharkfin Shoal Light
from the Chesapeake Chapter of the

United States Lighthouse Society The United States Lighthouse Society (USLHS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding in the restoration of American lighthouses and educating the public about their history. With four chapters, and more than a dozen affiliates, it is one ...

External links

* {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1892 Lighthouses in Maryland Transportation buildings and structures in Wicomico County, Maryland Lighthouses in the Chesapeake Bay Nanticoke River