Thimble Shoal Light

Thimble Shoal Light
	Undated photograph of Thimble Shoal Light; A temporary structure sits on the old screw-pile foundation to the right.
Location	in the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia four miles ENE of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel
Coordinates	37°00′53″N 76°14′24″W / 37.0146°N 76.2399°W
Tower
Constructed	1872 (first light); 1880 (second light)
Foundation	caisson
Construction	cast iron/concrete
Automated	1964
Shape	Cylindrical
Markings	Red conical tower on brown cylindrical pier
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place, Virginia Historic Landmark
Light
First lit	1914
Focal height	55 feet (17 m)
Lens	fourth order Fresnel lens (original), RB-355 aerobeacon (current)
Range	18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi)
Characteristic	Flashing white, 10 sec
	Thimble Shoal Light Station
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Virginia Landmarks Register
Nearest city	Hampton City, Virginia
Area	less than one acre
Built	1914
Built by	U.S. Lighthouse Board
MPS	Light Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP reference No.	02001436
VLR No.	114-0096
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 2, 2002
Designated VLR	September 10, 2003

Thimble Shoal Light is a sparkplug lighthouse in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay, north of the Hampton Roads channel.^[3]^[4]^[5] The third light at this location, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The first light at this location was a hexagonal screw-pile lighthouse erected in 1872, replacing the last lightship stationed within the bay. It was destroyed by fire in 1880 and replaced in the same year with a new house on the same foundation. This was facilitated by the availability of a newly constructed house originally intended for the Bells Rock Light, so that the light was out of service for only fifty-five days.

The second light was plagued by collisions with passing ships: it was struck by a steamer in 1891, by a coal barge in 1898, and finally by the schooner Malcolm Baxter, Jr., which struck the lighthouse on December 27, 1909 while under tow. This last collision damaged the foundation and overturned the stove in the house, which was destroyed by fire.

A caisson light was placed next to the old site in 1914; in the meantime, a temporary light perched on the remains of the old screw-pile foundation. This light has several unusual features for such lights in the bay area, most notably the diamond-shaped panes in the lantern and the round porthole windows. Unlike its predecessors, it passed time relatively uneventfully, with automation coming in 1964. The broken, skeletal remains of the old foundation remained next to the light until their removal in the 2000s. As with most lights the original Fresnel lens has been removed, replaced by more modern beacons; in this case the lens is displayed at the Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia. Though worn from years of vacancy, it retains most of the canopy over the lower level gallery. In 2005 it was sold at auction to a private interest, but remains an active aid to navigation.