Caisson lighthouse

{{Short description|Lighthouse whose superstructure rests on a concrete or metal caisson}} A '''caisson lighthouse''' (also referred to as a '''sparkplug lighthouse''', or '''bug light''') is a type of lighthouse whose superstructure rests on a concrete or metal caisson.<ref name="Rowlett">{{cite rowlett|sparkplugs|access-date=February 27, 2018}}</ref> Caisson lighthouses were developed in the late nineteenth century as a cheaper alternative to screwpile lighthouses. The caisson design was also more efficient as it could better withstand harsh weather, and was not as fragile. Caisson lighthouses usually have living quarters made of cast iron, although some brick examples are known. The two American nicknames were later coined because of the structure's shape.<ref name="Rowlett"/><ref>Jeremy D'Entremont, "The Lighthouses of New England," Commonwealth Editions, 2003.</ref><ref>Tim Harrison i Ray Jones, "Lighthouses of the Mid-Atlantic Coast," Globe Pequot Press, 2002</ref>

==Gallery== {{Gallery |Image:USCGwolftraplight1960.jpg|{{center|Wolf Trap Light a caisson lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay}} |Image:Smith point light.PNG|{{center|Smith Point Light located at the mouth of the Potomac River}} |File:Duxbury_Pier_light_house_in_Plymouth_harbor.jpg|{{center|Duxbury Pier Light in Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts, was the first of its kind in New England.}} |File:Green's Ledge Light, Norwalk 1907.jpg|{{center|Greens Ledge Light stands in open water about {{convert|10|ft}} deep, about 1 km from land}} |File:Sakonnet Lighthouse RI 2.jpg|{{center|Sakonnet Light is on a small rock}} }}

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==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Lighthouses Category:Caissons