Point Bonita Lighthouse

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**Point Bonita Lighthouse**
Location:	San Francisco Bay, California
Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS)	37°48′56″N, 122°31′46″W
Foundation:	Masonry
Construction:	Brick and Cement
Year first lit:	1877
Year first constructed:	1855
Automated:	1980
Tower shape:	Polygonal on buildong
Markings/Pattern:	white
Height:	33 ft, 124 ft above sea level
Original lens:	Second order Fresnel lens
Current lens:	Second order Fresnel lens
Range:	18 nm
Characteristic:	Occulting white once every 4s. Emergency light of reduced intensity when main light is extinguished. HORN: 2 blasts ev 30s (2s bl-2s si-2s bl-24s si).

Point Bonita Light is a lighthouse located at Point Bonita at the San Francisco Bay entrance near Sausalito, California. Point Bonita was the last manned lighthouse on the California coast.

[edit] History

The original Point Bonita Lighthouse, a 56-foot brick tower, was located too high. Unlike the East Coast of the United States, the West Coast has dense high fog, which leaves lower elevations clear. The original light was 306 feet above sea level so the second order Fresnel lens was often cloaked in fog and could not be seen from the sea. In 1877, the lighthouse was moved to its current location at 124 feet above sea level. The United States Coast Guard currently maintains the light and fog signal.

Historical Information from USCG web site:

Point Bonita Light Station had the first fog signal on the West Coast. It was an Army surplus 24-pounder siege gun.
This light is the only one in America that can be reached only by crossing a suspension bridge which is a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.
In 1877 the lighthouse was moved to its current location. This location required the builders to overcome many challenges, including the need for a hand carved, 118-foot long hard rock tunnel.