St. Johns Lighthouse

Year Built

1954

Cost

N/A

Type

Square tower with beveled corners

Height

66 feet

Location

St. Johns River on Naval Station Mayport

Automated Year

1967

First Lit

1954

Lens Type

Crouse-Hinds 250 kilocandela airway beacon (original), VRB-25 system (current)

Fog Signal

Diaphram air horn

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White tower on building

Last Keeper - Date

DeWitt T. Abell, Jr. (1961 – at least 1964)

Description

The Lighthouse is located on the naval base at Mayport FL, and is closed to the public.

Brief History

•   The first lighthouse was erected in 1830, after the U.S. purchase of Florida, but it was built too close to the water and had to be demolished just three years later.
•  On June 17, 1942, four German saboteurs, carried across the Atlantic by a U-boat, came ashore just a couple miles south of St. Johns Lighthouse with a supply of explosives, primers, and incendiaries to be used in a two-year assault on American defense-related targets.
•  In 1954 the St. Johns Light Station replaced the St. Johns Lightship (LV-84). The lightship replaced the old St.
•  The lighthouse was automated in 1967, and the dwellings that used to house the coastguardsmen were turned over to the Navy.
•  The Old St. Johns River Lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and restored in 1980.