what is a lighthouse keepers job

Why do did/do lighthouses need a keeper?

Historically, lighthouse keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning lenses and windows. They were also responsible for the fog signal and the weather station, and played a major role in search and rescue at sea.

What are the duties of a lighthouse keeper?

• USCGC Ida Lewis (WLM-551); Newport, Rhode Island
• USCGC Katherine Walker (WLM-552); Bayonne, New Jersey
• USCGC Abbie Burgess (WLM-553); Rockland, Maine
• USCGC Marcus Hanna (WLM-554); South Portland, Maine
• USCGC James Rankin (WLM-555); Baltimore, Maryland
• USCGC Joshua Appleby (WLM-556); St. ...
• USCGC Frank Drew (WLM-557); Portsmouth, Virginia

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How to get a job as a lighthouse keeper?

You Can Get Paid $130,000 To Be A Lighthouse Keeper On This California Island

• Historic Beacon. East Brother Light Station has a long history, established in 1874 in order to help sailors navigate the misty waters surrounding San Francisco.
• Unique Experience. ...
• Experience Needed. ...

What is the salary of a lighthouse keeper?

They upped the yearly salaries: 1 lighthouse keeper to $1000 ($32,870 in 2020), and the assistant to $650 ($21,366 in 2020). Keepers were also responsible for any damaged equipment. It was deducted from their pay.

Is being a lighthouse keeper still a job?

Today, all lighthouses in the United States are automated, with the exception of the Boston Light, in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. A law was passed in 1989 requiring that the Boston Light remain manned, so a keeper remains there today.

How much do lighthouse keepers get paid?

Salary Ranges for Lighthouse Keepers The salaries of Lighthouse Keepers in the US range from $26,400 to $60,350 , with a median salary of $48,520 . The middle 60% of Lighthouse Keepers makes $48,520, with the top 80% making $60,350.

How long would lighthouse keepers stay?

At most offshore lighthouses reliefs were carried out every two weeks, weather permitting. Each keeper in turn was relieved (replaced) by another keeper, so each individual keeper was on duty for six weeks, followed by two weeks off.

What kind of life did a lighthouse keeper live?

Everything seems to have needed constant tending. Although keepers were on call 24 hours a day, they were actually only paid for eight working hours per day: four during the daylight hours and another four at night, which meant 'a man has plenty of time for himself'.

How do I become a lighthouse keeper?

How to become a lighthouse keeperDevelop a passion. Interest in lighthouses, maritime history or water and navigation can be helpful for lighthouse keepers and enthusiasts. ... Explore coastal and lake areas. ... Check industry groups or professional organizations. ... Consider volunteer work. ... Overnight or vacation at a lighthouse.

Do people still live in lighthouses?

There are a few different ways to live in a lighthouse: you can buy one, rent one, or become a volunteer or paid lighthouse keeper. Each has different responsibilities, but even a rental can be a full time job. These are just four of the difficult things you have to do if you call a lighthouse home.

Why do lighthouse keepers go mad?

Those involved in the manufacture of hats in the 18th and 19th centuries also suffered from mercury poisoning, becoming as “mad as a hatter” as the old saying went. Like the hatters of their day, the light house keepers were being driven mad by exposure to mercury fumes.

How do lighthouse keepers get food?

You might have to rely on a boat to bring your supplies. You had to place orders from catalogs for things like books, clothes, and other daily items. Food was often grown in gardens and animals were kept to provide eggs, milk, and meat.

What do lighthouse keepers eat?

Eggers pointed out that actual lighthouse keepers—or "wickies," in the parlance of the time—would have likely been eating more varied meals. “The Lighthouse Keepers' Manual gives them 200 pounds of pork, 100 pounds of beef, and also some rice and beans or peas,” he said.

Are there still lighthouse keepers in the world?

In fact, with the exception of seasonal volunteers and educational guides, there are hardly any lighthouse keepers left on the planet. The UK's last custodian left his post at the North Foreland Lighthouse in Kent in 1998 – the same year, the US Coast Guard automated the last of its 279 federally run beacons.

What is working in a lighthouse like?

While general maintenance and hobbies might take up a lot of your time, you're overlooking the real main responsibility of being a lighthouse keeper: the weather. According to CNN, some lighthouse keepers spend a lot of their time observing and reporting on the weather, filing up to seven reports every day.

What were lighthouse keepers known as?

A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as "wickies" because of their job trimming the wicks.

What is a lighthouse keeper?

A lighthouse keeper is a maritime professional who helps guide boaters on the water and prevents shipwrecks. They're responsible for the upkeep of the lighthouse tower, lights, mechanisms and grounds. Often, a lighthouse keeper lives in or near the lighthouse, especially because many are in remote areas.

What does a lighthouse keeper do?

A lighthouse keeper has a variety of responsibilities, which vary depending on if a lighthouse is still fully functional or serves as a historical landmark. As a lighthouse keeper, you operate the light daily with a changing schedule based on weather, seasons and location.

How to become a lighthouse keeper

Consider following these five steps if you have an interest in becoming a lighthouse keeper:

Skills of a lighthouse keeper

To be a successful lighthouse keeper, consider developing or honing a mix of hard and soft skills, including:

Salary of a lighthouse keeper

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average national salary is $46,680 per year for bridge and lock tenders, which includes maritime professionals who operate bridges, locks, lighthouses and other marine passageways. Industries for these marine professionals often include local, state and federal governments.

What is the duty of a lighthouse keeper?

The duty of a lighthouse keeper was primarily to watch the light; or to ‘keep a good light’ as the rules and regulations stated. Back in the days of paraffin-vapour lamps that meant keeping watch in the lantern of the lighthouse, tending the light to make sure it burned as brightly and cleanly as possible, and winding the rotation mechanism to make the light flash correctly, in accordance with its own unique character. A light’s character was the pattern of flashes it displayed, no two lighthouse characters are the same.

How many hours did the keepers of Blackhead Lighthouse keep?

A bedroom at Blackhead Lighthouse. At offshore lighthouses and headland lighthouses, the three keepers on duty kept four-hour watches in turn. These watches were from 0200 to 0600, 0600 to 1000, 1000 to 1400, 1400 to 1800, 1800 to 2200, and 2200 to 0200 hours.

How often were lighthouse reliefs carried out?

At most offshore lighthouses reliefs were carried out every two weeks, weather permitting. Each keeper in turn was relieved (replaced) by another keeper, so each individual keeper was on duty for six weeks, followed by two weeks off. However, with keepers at the mercy of the weather, when the sea was rough reliefs were often postponed for days or even weeks. When this happened for three reliefs in succession, six weeks duty quickly turned into three or four months or even longer.

Why do daylight watch keeper watch out for fog?

During daylight watch the keeper on duty looked out for fog, this was because during fog patches the watches were doubled, with one keeper operating the fog signal while the other tended the light. Each keeper in turn spent the first four hours operating the fog signal and the next four hours tending the light.

What did the ship keepers do?

In addition to keeping watch and attending to the Aids to Navigation, the keepers carried out routine cleaning, polishing, maintenance work, and general house-keeping duties every day except Sunday. Keeping things shipshape was top priority!

Why did the keeper keep a large stock of food at the station?

Each keeper kept a large stock of food at the station in case the next relief was delayed . They generally had a standing order with a local shop ashore, so each relief day the shopkeeper parcelled up the same items and gave them to the boatman to bring out to the rock.

What was the main priority of the Keepers?

While the keepers’ priority was the light and other Aids to Navigation, they also kept an eye on the water and on vessels that passed their way. Keepers would even get calls from fishermen’s wives asking for updates on their husbands’ whereabouts at sea.

What is a lighthouse keeper?

A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used.

Why are lighthouse keepers so popular?

The character of the lighthouse keeper has been popular throughout history for their associated air of adventure, mystery, isolation and their rugged lifestyle. The heroic role that lighthouse keepers can sometimes play when shipwrecks occur also feeds into their popularity.

How tall is a lighthouse tender?

To recognize the role of lighthouse keepers in the nation's maritime safety, the US Coast Guard named a class of 175-foot (53 m) USCG Coastal Buoy Tenders after famous US Lighthouse Keepers.

What was the last lighthouse in Australia?

The last staffed lighthouse in Australia was the Sugarloaf Point Light , otherwise known as Seal Rocks Lighthouse. Although the lighthouse was electrified in 1966, and automated in 1987, a caretaker and lighthouse keeper remained on site until 2007, when the lighthouse keeper's cottages were renovated into tourist accommodations. The Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse off the southern coast of Tasmania, although fully automated in 1996, still employs volunteer caretakers on six-month assignments; the duties include weather observations and land management as well as building maintenance.

Where was the last lighthouse in England?

The last manned lighthouse in England, and the United Kingdom, was the North Foreland Lighthouse in Kent. The last six keepers Dave Appleby, Colin Bale, Dermot Cronin, Tony Homewood, Barry Simmons and Tristan Sturley completed their service in a ceremony attended by the Prince Philip, on 26 November 1998.

When was the Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse automated?

The Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse off the southern coast of Tasmania, although fully automated in 1996, still employs volunteer caretakers on six-month assignments; the duties include weather observations and land management as well as building maintenance. All lighthouses in New Zealand have been automated since 1990.

When did lighthouses start being automated?

The United Kingdom and the British Isles. Automation of lighthouses in the British Isles began in the late 1960s, but the majority of lighthouses remained staffed by resident keepers until the 1980s and 1990s.

You don't always live alone

The classic lighthouse setup in a story or film includes a lighthouse keeper in extreme isolation. There's an enduring image of lighthouse keepers living completely alone on a godforsaken island or spit, cut off from the world and left to their own devices.

There's a lot of weather reporting, and lots of hobbies

You might think that being a lighthouse keeper mainly involves keeping the lights on and maintaining the property, and when not doing that, engaging in some serious hobbies.

The weather can be terrifying

Being a lighthouse keeper means being exposed to the elements. While many people know what it's like to hunker down during a hurricane or other extreme weathe r event, it's not the same experience when you're completely alone, and when you live in a lighthouse out on a remote spot, things can get pretty scary.

It's all maintenance, all the time

Lighthouses are usually in remote and unforgiving places, buffeted by wind and rain and waves at all times. Although usually pretty sturdy — many lighthouses have stood for a century or longer, after all — if left unattended, they would quickly fall into disrepair.

You'd better be nocturnal

Lighthouses have been the subject for numerous paintings, breathtaking photos, and frames of film over the years, because they are often located in spectacular places. But if you want to be a lighthouse keeper for the fine weather and sunny days in a gorgeous, remote spot, think again.

You get a lot of vacation

The old joke about teachers is that they chose their careers in order to get summer vacations off every year. Whether or not that's true, lighthouse keepers often have it even better, because they traditionally enjoy up to half the year off.

You deal with a lot of tourists

The classic image of a lighthouse keeper is one of a solitary soul quietly going about their business in exquisite isolation. Stories and films set in lighthouses always stress the solitude, presenting it as either maddening or soothing. But the truth is, these days you're not likely to be very lonely at all.

Who is the lighthouse keeper on Lennard Island?

There's been a lighthouse keeper on Lennard Island ever since, and today, that job falls to Woodward, who also writes poetry and children's books, and her husband Jeff George, who took the photo above. "I think many people have romantic, 19th century ideas of lighthouses," Woodward tells CNN Travel. Not many of them are correct, she says.

What is the name of the lighthouse on Lennard Island?

This rocky, verdant island is home to Lennard Island Lightstation, a bright white concrete lighthouse with a fire engine-red top. Lennard Island's lighthouse has been fixture of the Western Canadian coast since 1904, when the first wooden lighthouse was established to guide mariners navigating the surrounding waters.

Where is Caroline Woodward's lighthouse?

(CNN) — Caroline Woodward wakes each morning to the sound of waves crashing onto the rocks that surround her home, tiny Lennard Island, at the head of Clayoquot Sound near Tofino, British Columbia Canada. This rocky, verdant island is home to Lennard Island Lightstation, ...

When did Woodward and her husband start lighthouse life?

Woodward and her husband were inspired to turn to lighthouse life after an serendipitous meeting with a relief lightkeeper on a British Columbia ferry, back in 2006. Woodward got chatting to him, and she was immediately entranced by his stories, and intrigued by the lighthouse lifestyle.

What do Woodward and George do on the island?

Woodward and George also keep an eagle eye from the island's lookout points for passing boats that might be in distress.

What are the duties of a lighthouse keeper?

Lighthouse Keeper Job Duties. • Light the lamp at sunset and keep it burning until sunrise. • Trim the wicks of the lamp so they don’t smoke when lit. • Clean the windows of the lantern room every day. • Shine the brass in the lighthouse. • Sweep the floors and lighthouse stairs daily. • Clean tower windows.

How many hours does a lighthouse keeper work?

Working 24-hour shifts, 7 days a week was the typical Lighthouse Keeper schedule and allowed for each Keeper to light the tower’s lamp each night before dusk and make sure it stayed lit until the sun came up the next morning. In addition, their jobs required them to take care of the whole lighthouse station and that meant preforming light ...

What is the name of the lighthouse in Lake Superior?

In 1876, Crisp Point Lighthouse was one of just four Lifesaving stations set up for service along the “Shipwreck Coast” of Lake Superior. Formerly known as Station #10, it soon took the name of Cristopher Crisp, its second keeper who served from 1878-1890.

How long does a lighthouse keeper stay at 40 Mile Point?

This Keeper program hosts 4 Lighthouse Keepers at all times and they request all Keepers commit to a minimum stay of 2 weeks.

How tall is Tawas Point Lighthouse?

Formerly known as Ottawa Point after Chief O-ta-was, who was the leader of the Siginaw band of Chippewas, Tawas Point Lighthouse stood forty-five feet tall with a six-foot base at construction back in 1850!

How many people are in the Keepers program?

Keepers serve in teams of two to four people at a time, which can be a combination of friends and/or family, and the program runs from May 1 through October 29 each year. This program provides on-site housing in a second story Keeper’s quarters that are provided for your use during your stay.

How much did Sherman Wheeler make as a keeper?

The first Keeper, Sherman Wheeler lived in a 5-room brick dwelling on-site and was paid about $350 as an annual salary. Located inside the Tawas Point State Park, Tawas Point Lighthouse attracts visitors from around the world, with two historic shipwrecks sitting right off the shoreline!

Overview

Duties and functions

History

Current status

Recognition

See also

Further reading

External links