Name and Location

The Buzzards Bay Entrance Light marks the seaward end of the main channel into Buzzards Bay, off Cuttyhunk Island, town of Gosnold, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA. Its official name is Buzzards Bay Entrance Light, also recorded in U.S. Coast Guard Light Lists as "Buzzards Bay Entrance Lt." The light's coordinates are 41°23′49.2″ N, 71°02′05.2″ W (decimal 41.3969902, −71.0347895), and it can be found on Google Maps at https://www.google.com/maps?q=41.3969902,-71.0347895.

Construction and History

The Buzzards Bay Entrance Light is a special-purpose beacon tower, built to provide an active aid to navigation guiding vessels into Buzzards Bay from Vineyard Sound. Its construction materials are steel or cast-iron, with a slender cylindrical tower mounted on a concrete or steel pile foundation. The light's height above the structure base is 6.3 m (20 ft), and its focal plane is approximately 6.2 m (20 ft) above mean high water.

Architecture and Materials

The Buzzards Bay Entrance Light has a utilitarian mid-20th-century beacon architectural style, with a painted red tower featuring a red gallery and lantern housing. Its height and shape make it a distinctive landmark for mariners approaching Buzzards Bay.

Light and Navigation

The light's characteristic is Fl(1) W 2.5 s – one white flash every 2.5 seconds, exhibited at night only. The range of the light has not been officially published in Light List, but is estimated to be around 4–6 nautical miles for small harbor beacons.

Accessibility and Visiting

The Buzzards Bay Entrance Light is situated on a small offshore platform in open water, with no land connection or public docking facility. Access is by private boat only, as strong currents and shoals in the vicinity require caution and proper charts when approaching. There are no on-site facilities, and climbing the light tower is prohibited.

Notable Views and Landscape

The surrounding landscape offers scenic views of evening sunsets over Vineyard Sound, as well as marine wildlife sightings (seabirds, seals). The light is situated in busy commercial and recreational vessel traffic entering Buzzards Bay. Nearby attractions include Cuttyhunk Island (summer community), Gosnold municipal harbor, and the Elizabeth Islands.

Anecdotes and Folklore

The Buzzards Bay Entrance Light has no known keeper's stories, as it was likely established in the mid-20th century as a steel-pile beacon to supplement earlier buoys and lightships. Its importance lies in reducing navigational accidents at the narrow, rocky entrance to Buzzards Bay, long known for fog and strong tidal currents.

Technical and Operational Details

The light is managed by the U.S. Coast Guard and is permanently installed with a fully automated system. There is no keeper, but the light is monitored remotely by the Coast Guard. The light's fog signal is a horn, emitting group-2 blasts at 30-second intervals (02 s blast + 02 s silence + 02 s blast + 24 s silence). It also transmits Morse character "B" on S-band radar (responding to X- or S-band pulses).

Further Information

For more information, consult the U.S. Coast Guard Light List, Vol. I: "List of Lights, Radio Aids, and Fog Signals", NOAA Chart 13240, Vineyard Sound to Woods Hole, latest edition, Massachusetts GIS "Lighthouses and Light Stations" dataset, Wikidata Q5003577 (for structured data links), and Coastal Pilot 1 (Atlantic Coast): descriptive sailing directions for Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound.