Notes:
(1) Race Rock Light was built to mark a hazardous rock reef covered by 3-feet of water at low tide with several small rock spurs breaking the water’s surface.  Race Rock located at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound and the western end of Fishers Island Sound was considered to be “one of the most dangerous obstructions on the coast” since strong currents of the Sounds “raced” both ways at swift speeds.

      Buoys and spindles driven into the rock reef were used with little success. Buoys were swept away and spindles broke away by floating ice fields each spring.  Eight shipwrecks occurred from 1830 to 1837.  On July 7, 1838 Congress appropriated $3,000 for a beacon but the money was never used.  In 1854, the area was surveyed and Engineers surveyed the reef again in 1868 to determine the underwater formation of the reef after Congress appropriated $90,000 to establish a Lighthouse on July 28, 1866.

      Race Rock Lighthouse was another Engineering feat, requiring 7.7 years to build (from Spring 1871 to Dec 1878).  On March 3rd 1871, Congress appropriated $150,000 and the contract was awarded to Engineer Francis Hopkinson Smith who was also noted for building the foundation for the Statue of Liberty as well as designing the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station, the tallest lighthouse in Florida and the second tallest lighthouse in the nation.  In 1908, Mr. Smith wrote a book, Captain Thomas A. Scott, Master Diver, in tribute to Captain Scott who was the foreman of the submarine work at Race Rock.

      Progress on the construction was slow due to the dangerous and often unpredictable strong currents, weather, and a construction steamer explosion killing four and injuring five men in 1874.  When work was resumed each spring, a great amount of time was needed to repair the winter’s storm damage.

      The original plan was to use a cofferdam to construct a riprap foundation. Ten thousand tons of rock were placed into position forming a unreliable pyramid shaped foundation. When completed in 1873, the foundation was too unstable for erecting the Lighthouse.

      The 1868 survey used iron rod soundings to determine that the reef was flat yet strong currents provided false readings. Francis Hopkinson Smith surveyed the bottom and designed a new foundation using concrete.  In the 1870s, chaining and moving 3 to 5 ton stones submerged in 30-feet deep of rapidly moving waters to uncover and level the original rock reef was a extraordinary engineering achievement.  Four 69-foot diameter iron cylindrical bands were set in place to construct a 30-foot thick submerged concrete foundation.  A 30-foot high by 57 feet in diameter conical pier was built on the foundation.  The pier contained a 24,000-gallon cistern and the pier’s cellar housed a cool closet and a large pantry.

      The Lighthouse was built for a Head keeper and two assistants with a kitchen, dining room, and sitting room located on the first floor.  Five bedrooms were located on the second floor with iron spiral staircase leading to the Lantern room.

      A 53-feet long by 25-feet wide Landing-pier provides access to the lighthouse and the structure is surrounded and protected by riprap.  The submerged foundation and both piers surrounded by riprap became the first artificial or man-made island to support a Lighthouse (see Note 4).

      Construction of Race Rock Lighthouse was completed in December 1878 and First Lit by Light-Keeper Neil Martin on January 1, 1879 exhibiting an alternating red and white light at 10 second intervals illuminated by a Fourth-order Fresnel Lens.  A Fog bell was later installed in 1883 with a double blow signal struck by machine every 20 seconds.

(2) Emergency light of reduced intensity when main light is extinguished.

      In 1988, the current Characteristic, Fl R 10s was implemented using 1,000 watt electric light producing 90,000 cp with a DCB-24 lens.

      The original Characteristic was alternating red and white light at 10 second intervals.

      In 1939, the Characteristic was changed to Fl W and R 20s, White 18,000 cp and Red 16,000 cp. The illuminate was changed to Incandescent Oil Vapor.

(3) The original 1883 Fog signal was Fog Bell, a double blow every 20 seconds.

1897 Fog signal: second-class siren
1907 Fog signal: third-class Daboll trumpet, blast 3 seconds
1939 Fog signal: 1st-class siren

(4) The First under-water Foundation built under adverse and extremely hazardous conditions to support a Lighthouse.

      For comparison, the under-water foundation at Race Rock was completed in 1875 after 4 years of construction in adverse conditions whereas Stratford Shoal Light’s submerged foundation was completed in 1876 after 2 years of construction.

      In addition, the foundation of Minots Ledge Light (Cohasset Rocks, Massachusetts) was built on the exposed ledge at low tide.

(5) The Long Island Lighthouse Society schedules an annual “Beacons of the Night” Lighthouse Cruise as well as other cruises throughout the year.

Sunbeam Fleet schedules daily Summer narrated Lighthouse Cruises.

DownEast Lighthouse Cruises schedules a Fishers Island
Lighthouse Tour

Coyote Sportfishing Charters schedules 3 Lighthouse Cruises
requiring Reservations.