Aerobeacon at Wood Island Lighthouse, Biddeford, c. 1980
Contributed by Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse
Description
Photo of the aerobeacon atop the Wood Island Lighthouse tower, taken by the U.S. Coast Guard c. 1980. The Coast Guard removed the tower's lantern room with its original 1000 watt light and fourth order Fresnel lens in the late 1960s in order to install this old FA-125 rotating airport beacon. This may have been done because plans were to decommission the Portland Lightship at this time, making it important for Wood Island Light to be brighter and visible from a greater distance. The aerobeacon was atop the tower for nearly 20 years. It made the tower look "headless" and it was hard to maintain because it was exposed to the elements.
The person in the photo is thought to be Russ Lowell who was the keeper at Wood Island from 1979-1982.
Wood Island Lighthouse was originally constructed in 1808 on Wood Island to help Mariners enter Winter Harbor near Biddeford Pool. The Aerobeacon was one in a series of various type lighting apparatus used in the tower. The original photo is housed in the Coast Guard Historians Office in Washington D.C.
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