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Wave of Future Sweeps Over Maine’s Whaleback Lighthouse
By Bob Trapani, Jr.
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Whaleback Lighthouse
has seen the future and
it shines and responds as well as ever to mariners
seeking its guiding presence.
In October 2009 the
United States Coast
Guard completed an aids to navigation (ATON) upgrade to
both the optic and foghorn systems that will ensure the 137-year old
lighthouse remains |
Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont
Storm seas are not the only 'waves' to
break over Whaleback Lighthouse
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reliable,
efficient and on the cutting edge of 21st century technology.
This ‘wave of the future’ makes Whaleback Light the first beacon in the
state of Maine to be outfitted with a sound signal system that responds on
cue when prompted by the mariner.
The irony of this user activated technology, a component of the new Coast
Guard Short Range Aids to Navigation Strategic Plan, is one of complete role
reversal when it comes to bygone lighthouse traditions where keepers once
maintained a watchful eye over the waters for the mariner.
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Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard
The radio activated sound signal system
allows mariners to activate the foghorn
at Whaleback only when necessary
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One might say that mariners can now take matters into
their own hands when thick weather adds an element of uncertainty to
navigation in the age of automation.
“The installation is the first of its kind in Maine,
which uses a VHF receiver to activate a relay that sends power to the
horn for a duration of 45 minutes,” said Senior Chief Sean Walsh,
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officer-in-charge
of U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team South Portland. “All the mariner
needs to do is turn their own VHF radio to channel 79 and press the
microphone five times to activate the horn.”
The upgrade to the sound signal system at Whaleback Lighthouse, along with
the installation of its new futuristic looking light emitting diode (LED)
beacon, was prompted by a submarine cable failure that had provided
electrical power to the site.
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The LED optic,
a VLB-44 beacon manufactured by Vega Industries of New Zealand and
activated by a Daylight Control Unit, sends out a guiding light twelve
miles to sea.
Gone from the
lantern at Whaleback is the Vega VRB-25 rotating beacon, which only a
little more than a decade ago, was considered cutting edge technology
unto itself and the beacon of choice for many of our nation’s
lighthouses from the mid-1990s on until the advent of LED technology
like the VLB-44.
Jeremy D’Entremont, Operations Manager for the Friends of
Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, |
Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard
View of the new VLB-44 LED beacon
at Whaleback Lighthouse
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which cares for
Whaleback Lighthouse as a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, is
impressed by the new VLB-44.
According to recent observations made by D’Entremont, “The timing is right
on, with two flashes every 10 seconds. The flashes are very quick and bright
– it’s almost like a strobe light. The range is undoubtedly better than it’s
been for quite a while.”
The new LED beacon marks yet another change for Whaleback Lighthouse and its
history of operational optics. From the Fresnel lens to the DCB-224, and now
the VRB-25 to the VLB-44, the evolution is both ongoing and fascinating.
The former beacons
lent beauty, ruggedness and sleekness respectively inside the lantern of the
lighthouse over the years, but what the futuristic VLB-44 may lack in charm
or presence in the lantern, it more than makes |
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Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard
View of the new and smaller solar array
that powers the light and sound signal system
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up with reliability, efficiency – and relevancy.
And if overall effectiveness and efficiency were not
enough, the VLB-44 is also a ‘greener’ improvement as a form of solar
ATON technology.
“The Navaid package that was installed has reduced our
solar |
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footprint in
half,” said Senior Chief Sean Walsh. “This system is powered by a solar
package consisting of three, 100-AH batteries and four 46-watt solar panels.
We are able to eliminate the monitoring system previously utilized due to
the reliability of this new green technology and have also eliminated the
need for electrical power at the site.”
From a 21st century navigational standpoint, technology such as
the VLB-44 LED beacon and the user activated foghorn are amazing
improvements, but the benefits are not confined solely to the mariner and
the Coast Guard.
Lighthouse
preservationists win too because these latest advancements in ATON
technology equate to a sort of ‘back to the future’ victory for the |
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lighthouses
themselves when it comes to their traditional appearances.
Smaller solar
arrays and equipment systems mean that lighthouses can show off their
historical character inside and out with less distractions, and still
perform the one duty we all love and cherish – sending out the light.
Best of all,
our lighthouses are keeping up with change in a |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
"The Navaid package that was installed
has reduced our solar footprint in half." --
Senior Chief Sean Walsh, officer-in-charge,
USCG ANT
South Portland, ME
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ever-changing world thanks to these types of technological advances, which
helps enhance the long-term preservation and education efforts of lighthouse
groups in the end.
For lighthouses like Whaleback, may they continue to shine on and beckon
future ‘keepers’ to see, hear and feel the lure of the lights as they age
with grace and deepen their meaning within our communities.
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Photo by William Marshall
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Whaleback Lighthouse, built in 1872,
continues to shine on through
the years
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View of the rotating fourth order Fresnel
lens once gracing Whaleback's lantern
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Photo courtesy of Jeremy D'Entremont
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Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard
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A DCB-224 beacon was
used for some years at Whaleback Light
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The modern VRB-25
rotating beacon was in place at Whaleback up until October 2009
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Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont
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Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard
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The futuristic looking
VLB-44 LED beacon now shines from Whaleback's lantern
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Posted: 10/29/2009 |
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