Old Orchard Lighthouse destroyed by SANDY

lenseman

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Old Orchard Lighthouse, Staten Island destroyed by Hurricane Sandy

6a00d8341c05bf53ef017d3d6bac08970c-500wi

. . . . . . . . . . . . .BEFORE

6a00d8341c05bf53ef017d3d6bac31970c-500wi

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AFTER

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=758


.
 
Lets just hope its not replaced just by something which whilst perfectly functional but without the individual character which each lighthouse has.
 
The question in my mind is, "Where did it go?" The lighthouse was basically a big iron drum. It probably floated off of its foundation intact, drifted some distance, and then sank. It is probably lurking not far under the water surface, waiting to sink some passing ship.
 
The question in my mind is, "Where did it go?" The lighthouse was basically a big iron drum. It probably floated off of its foundation intact, drifted some distance, and then sank. It is probably lurking not far under the water surface, waiting to sink some passing ship.
It was late 19th century cast iron bolted together on site. Quite a brittle material and nothing like modern steel. I suspect that it cracked and was carried away in pieces by the waves. Probably lots of pieces of it on the seabed not far from the original location.


Edit,

It was constructed as a caisson so basically a big iron tube assembled on site and then sunk down into the seabed with the soft bed material excavated from the inside until it reached a firm layer. It was then filled with concrete up to just above sea level. The rubble mound would have been dumped around the caisson once it was in position to protect against ice and ship impact. In this picture it looks like the iron snapped off at the top of the concrete but there are a few sections of iron still remaining.

oldorchard_2012_cg.jpg
 
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Link to http://thesafeharbor.us/fullvideo.html

Interesting comparison to what many of us see on lake Solent.

Great vid! Though NY doesn't look any busier than Cowes to Calshot in early August.

Imagine the YBW forum-based Solent version - disgruntled sailing men, one-track racers, wilfully obtuse speeding mobo-drivers, and screeching PWC-users like so many whining mosquitos. :D
 
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