Roe Island Light

For the actual island, see Roe Island.

Roe Island Light

U.S. Coast Guard Archive
Location	On south point of Roe Island, Suisun Bay, California
Year first constructed	1891
Year first lit	1891
Deactivated	1945
Foundation	Wood pier
Construction	Wood
Tower shape	Cupola on a white square house
Markings / pattern	White house; black lantern room/cupola
Height	41 ft (12 m) above water
Characteristic	Flashing white (light for 2.5 seconds, eclipse for 2.5 seconds), Fog Signal: Bell, 1 stroke every 10 seconds
ARLHS number	USA-700

Roe Island Lighthouse was a lighthouse in United States, on the east end of Suisun Bay, California.

History

USCG photo, August 7, 1924

The Roe Island Light was built on the Suisun Bay across from Port Chicago, 33 miles (53 km) inland from the Golden Gate and five miles (8 km) east of Benicia. In the 1900s a second dwelling similar to the lighthouse without the lantern were built adjacent to the lighthouse.

During World War II trains delivered ammunition to ships at the Port Chicago Navy Depot which was near the Roe Island Lighthouse.On 17 July 1944 two ships, Quinault Victory and E. A. Bryan were being loaded with tons of munitions. Approximately 10:20 pm there was an enormous explosion. More than 300 men, both ships, two Coast Guard vessels and much of the train were destroyed.

The explosion damaged the lighthouse which was 3,000 yards (2,700 m) away. With changes in the shipping waterways in the area the light was no longer needed anyway so it was decommissioned in 1945 and sold. An 11 August 1944 Coast Guard report noted that the station: "consists of the light, with two keepers, with dwellings, outhouses, power house, water supply tanks, wharf, walkways, boat harbor and boatways. No fog signal is maintained. Electric current for the light and quarters is generated at the station. Water supply is from rain collected from the building roofs, augmented by supply pumped in from the tenders."

It was sold to a private family. The family used the station as a summer home until a fire destroyed it