By Arlene Ingram, Public Education and Communications Staff Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 10-10, St. Simons Island
On the afternoon of May 22, 2014, as part of the local observance of National Safe Boating Week, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 10-10, St. Simons Island, held a reception to honor our own seven keepers of the St. Simons Island light and to pay tribute to their exceptional 20 year mission. The event was held at the gazebo on the grounds of the iconic lighthouse, yet even on this special day, the committed light crew did not join us until they had finished their scheduled obligation “at the top.”
A delegation from Coast Guard Station Brunswick headed by Senior Chief Trey Bennett, Brunswick Mayor Cornell Harvey, members of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, fellow members of Flotilla 10-10 and their families gathered to honor the continuous mission of the dedicated volunteer light crew.
Mr. Bob West has been a member of our Flotilla for over 37 years. He grew up on St. Simons Island and remembers playing in its legendary lighthouse as a boy. Now, into his 20th year of constant lightkeeper service, Bob is still playing in that lighthouse with the rest of CGAUX Flotilla 10-10’s volunteer lightkeepers.
Bob still has no idea why the Coast Guard called on him that day in 1994 to request he lead a small band of Auxiliary volunteers to take over the care and maintenance of the St. Simons Island light. He dutifully accepted the assignment, assembled a crew and the rest is a part of the vast historic past of this widely acclaimed, postcard perfect lighthouse.
In 1984, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society leased the St. Simons Lighthouse tower and keepers cottage from the U.S. Coast Guard and opened it to the public. The Coasties were still the lightkeepers until all those official duties were turned over to the capable hands of the current U.S.Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 10-10 St. Simons Island volunteer light team.
Today’s seven man crew still includes two of the original Auxiliary volunteers from 1994, Jeff Cole and Bob West, and now also includes Ralph Ainger, Al Dixon, John Farmer, Bill Wiggins, and Randy Irwin. Capitan Burney Long was one of the original band of volunteers and stayed active with the team until his death in 2013. David Melvin was also a longtime member.
In 2004, following a long, successful lease, the lighthouse was deeded to the Coastal Georgia Historical Society by the U.S. Coast Guard under the Lighthouse Preservation Act. The close-knit team of Auxiliary volunteer lightkeepers came with the deal because even though the lighthouse and keepers cottage have become a historic museum store and tourist magnet, that bright beacon at the top still has a vital safety mission of which many islanders and visitors are unaware.
Over the years, some Auxiliary light crew members have come and gone depending on their interest, ability to make the climb, and willingness to complete the required training. It’s a true mission of dedication!
Every Thursday afternoon, the crew climbs 129 steps to the observatory. They enter the gated mechanical area to do systems checks while some ascend another 10 feet into the lens room to perform a series of maintenance tasks that insure the light is continuously operational.
Every week, they don white gloves to clean and polish the high voltage light bulb and the numerous individual prisms that reflect a precisely sequenced illumination out to sea. The prisms are all part of the 155-year old, original Third Order Fresnel (fray-NEL) lens (of which 15 or fewer are in service in the U.S). Who says men can’t clean house?!
I was in the sparkling clean and super bright lens room one late afternoon in February to take photos and commented on how hot it was. “Yeah it’s hot. You should be up here in July and August,” the crew remarked. “We bring extra shirts in the summer because they are soaked when we’re done up here.” The guys recalled the time the prisms magnified the light while their original crew brother, Capt Burney Long was cleaning and set his pants on fire. It takes a band of brothers to look out for each other in the close quarters of the lens room!
In addition to polishing each individual glass prism of the Fresnel lens and its brass frame, the team checks the back-up emergency radio, the moving parts and lubrication of the 3,000 lb. gear mechanism that keeps the lens turning. They test the electrical system, the high intensity light bulb and the back-up bulb that automatically takes a failed bulb’s place. Finally, they cover the photo sensor to see if the light will automate at dusk. All this insures that the 1000 watt bulb, magnified by the exquisitely polished lens, shines brilliantly for up to 20 miles seaward, rotating to produce one uniquely patterned dazzling flash per minute.
The St. Simons lighthouse is part of the “St. Simons Bar Channel range”. When mariners approach St. Simons Sound any night or in reduced visibility, they will visibly place the light from the lighthouse tower in the center of the two tall lighted towers located just into the Frederica River at the south tip of St. Simons Island. When these 3 tower lights are aligned correctly, the vessel’s pilot is able to safely maneuver through the deep Bar Channel buoys and be assured he will not run aground.
Because of the guiding St. Simons Island light’s valuable service to commercial mariners, the Brunswick Pilots Association provides a back-up generator power source to the lamp in case of electrical failure. Over the years, and in addition to the general weekly maintenance, the crew has changed countless bulbs, repaired wiring, replaced the turning motor, polished brass, painted, and restored anything that has been broken.
Just like the lightkeepers of old, these men are devoted guardians who keep the light shining because they are committed and steadfast to their vital assignment. They are one of St. Simons Island’s best kept secrets--deserving, yet unsung heroes who have been on mission, reportedly, longer than any other light team in the United States. This faithful band of Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 10-10 volunteer lightkeepers has for two decades dutifully maintained the picturesque St Simons Light as a celebrated attraction and a fully functioning ATON (Aid to Navigation) and will continue to do so as long as they are able. Following their motto, “Semper Paratus,” they are always prepared to bring mariners at sea safely to port. To that end, we say Bravo Zulu!
