Lighthouse keeper

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Mrs. Fanny May Salter, a lighthouse keeper in the U.S. Coast Guard service, polishes the lens of the lens in the Turkey Point Light, Maryland.
Mrs. Fanny May Salter, a lighthouse keeper in the U.S. Coast Guard service, polishes the lens of the lens in the Turkey Point Light, Maryland.

A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms where used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning lenses and windows. Electrification and other automated improvements such as remote monitoring and automatic bulb changing made resident paid keepers residing at the lights unnecessary. In the US, periodic maintenance of the lights is now performed by visiting Coast Guard Aids to Navigation teams.

The last civilian keeper in the United States, Frank Schubert, died in 2003. The last officially manned lighthouse, Boston Light, was manned by the Coast Guard until 1998. It now has volunteer "keepers" whose primary role is to serve as interpretive tour guides for visitors. [1]

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[edit] Recognition

To recognize the role of Lighthouse keepers in the nations maritime safety, the US Coast Guard named a class of 175-foot (53 m) USCG Coastal Buoy Tenders after famous US Lighthouse Keepers. 14 ships in the "Keeper" class were built between 1996 and 2000 and are used to maintain aids to navigation, including lighhouses.[2] The following 175-foot (53 m) WLMs are in service as of 2006:

[edit] References & Sources

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference, Ray Jones, 2003
  2. ^ USCG: About Us - Aircraft & Cutters

[edit] Bibliography and further reading

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