Public Affairs Detachment New York
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: July 25, 2008 
Public Affairs
(212) 668-7114

Press Release

AMBROSE LIGHT TO BE DECONSTRUCTED AFTER 41 YEARS OF SERVICE 

NEW YORK-The deconstruction of Ambrose Light, situated about eight miles off the coast of Sandy Hook, N.J., in Ambrose Channel is scheduled to begin Monday, July 28, following extensive talks between the Coast Guard and local stakeholders.

"It was determined that Ambrose Light is not absolutely necessary to perform safe navigation through Ambrose Channel," said Chief Warrant Officer Darren Pauly, a Coast Guard Sector New York Aids to Navigation (ATON) officer. "Instead, several navigational aids will be added and Ambrose Channel will be extended to create a wider, more navigable channel for larger commercial vessels."

There will be no explosives used during the deconstruction. Divers will be conducting on-scene assessment of the anchorage and commercial harbor tugs Sea Wolf, Sea Bear and Miss Yevett will be assisting during the project.

The light's legs, stanchion, rotating light and anchorage were severely damaged following an allision with the commercial vessel Axel Spirit, a 799-foot tanker homeported in Nassau, Bahamas in Nov. of 2007. Personnel from Sector New York's Aids to Navigation Team established a temporary navigational aid after the allision while contractors assessed the damage to Ambrose Light.

"Ambrose Light has had three allisions since 1996. That is the main reason it is being replaced. It is not cost effective to rebuild the Light every time it is struck. With our improvements to the channel and newer Light-Emitting Diode (LED) technology, the optics on large buoys provide the same purpose and are easier to maintain," said Pauly.

The demolition comes almost 41 years after Ambrose Light was established.

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