Desdemona Sands Light
Desdemona Sands Light was a lighthouse located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River to aid navigation of the Columbia Bar.
| Location | Columbia Bar, Oregon, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46.22528°N 123.95361°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1901 |
| Foundation | cluster of piles |
| Construction | Two-story |
| Automated | 1934 |
| Height | 48-foot (15 m) |
| Shape | octagonal |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1901 or 1902 |
| Deactivated | 1965 |
| Focal height | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 12 miles (19 km) |
| Characteristic | Fixed white Daboll trumpet 2s with silence 3s and 23s |
It was built in 1901 or 1902 as a replacement for Point Adams Light. The Lightship Columbia kept station about 5 miles (8.0 km) offshore.
Its design by Carl Leick is identical to that of Semiahmoo Harbor Light near Blaine, Washington, a 1+1⁄2-story dwelling built on a cluster of pilings in 12 feet (3.7 m) of water with a rooftop tower housing the light and a fog signal. It was one of the last U.S. wooden pile foundation lighthouses built. A cistern system collected fresh water. Only the lightkeeper was present; there was a small boat to reach the mainland, where the keeper's family lived.
The light was electrified in 1934, eliminating the need for a keeper. It was removed and replaced after World War II by a minor aid on top of a pyramidal structure, which was replaced again in 1955. The light was removed in 1965.
Desdemona Sands is a group of shoals formerly named Chinook Sands. In 1857, the bark Desdemona ran aground here and was destroyed.