Frying Pan Shoals Lighthouse

Year Built

1964

Cost

$1.5 million

Type

Square tower

Height

80 feet

Location

Near the end of the Frying Pan Shoals

Automated Year

1979

First Lit

1964

Lens Type

DCB 224

Fog Signal

Fog horn

Year Deactivated

2003

Color

Green tower on yellow house

Last Keeper - Date

Larry Smith (at least 1978)

Description

The lighthouse is privately owned.

Brief History

•  On November 24, 1964, a four-legged, $1.5 million tower, resembling an oil-drilling platform and outfitted with a light tower, was activated on Frying Pan Shoals.
•  In August 2011, the Frying Pan Tower was directly hit by Hurricane Irene with measured winds of 67 mph and waves of 28 ft.
•  In November 2012, Hurricane Sandy went within a few dozen miles of the Frying Pan Tower.
•  September 2018 media coverage in the hours before the storms landfall noted the American flag on Frying Pan Tower being torn to shreds by the extreme conditions as the hurricane approached.
•  In 2019, it went through Hurricane Dorian. As the eye passed over the structure, a weather station on the tower reported a pressure of 959.5 mb.