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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
Fax: 207-596-1091
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the
preservation of America's historic
lighthouses & lightships and
their heritage.
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The 2007 Patriot’s Day Gale
&
the Lighthouses that Defied Its Awesome Power
By Bob Trapani, Jr.
“Ten
thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin –
his control stops with the shore.”
– Byron
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The threat of an approaching coastal storm never fails to
inspire a wide range of emotions within the residents that occupy land
by the sea, ranging from concern and anxiety for safety of lives and
property, to fascination and awe at observing the sheer power of wind
and sea gone mad.
Though all storms, and |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Rockland Breakwater, ME under siege
during the Patriot's Day Gale - April 16, 2007
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the potential havoc they wreak, deserve our utmost respect and caution, not
all tempests are created equal. For every so often there comes a-calling a
raging elemental disturbance that defies description and human opposition,
leaving behind a path of destruction in its wake that often times alters our
lives in a most permanent way.
The legendary New England author Edward Rowe Snow was quite intrigued by
such epic storms and the wrath they wrought on the eternal battleground
where the land ends and the sea begins, noting that coastal living was a
“constant struggle between man and the elements, nature against what
civilization has built to oppose her.”
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Photo by Ross Tracy
Portsmouth Harbor Light Station, NH
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In his book Storms and Shipwrecks of New England,
Snow wrote, “There is an average of three outstanding storms a year.
About every five years, according to my research which includes from
1630 to 1942, there is what might be called a ‘snorter,’ while each
quarter century has its terrific gale.”
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Mr. Snow’s astute research has
proven timeless, for sixty-five years later, the storm patterns he observed
throughout history seem to be as accurate as ever here in the 21st
century. For on April 16, 2007 much of New England was battening down the
hatches and riding out that “terrific gale,” which Mr. Snow said only occurs
once every quarter century – a storm now and forever known as the Patriots
Day Gale.
Prior to the storm’s arrival in Maine on Sunday morning April 15th
the National Weather Service issued an ominous warning that resonated
throughout coastal communities, stating, “High astronomical tides will
combine with large, powerful waves to produce significant coastal flooding,”
with the forecast also calling for “copious” amounts of rain.
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The weather
statement went on to predict that “Beach erosion will be significant as
pounding waves hit the shoreline for several tide cycles.” Such dire
predictions could not be ignored but the meteorological prognostications
did not stop there.
The marine
forecast, bearing warnings that could impact coastal interests in a very
profound manner were |
Photo by William Marshall
Whaleback Lighthouse, ME
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calling for, “East winds 40 to 55
knots with gusts up to 70 knots” and “seas 18 to 25 feet.” Though such
predictions weigh heavy on the minds of seafaring communities, they also
raise the anxiety levels for lighthouse preservationists as well. The modern
day “keepers” of the lights hold their breath each and every time a storm of
this magnitude frequents the coast, especially for those preservationists
that care for remote or offshore sentinels – but more on this later.
By the evening of the 15th the storm’s far-reaching winds and
rains began buffeting the Maine coast, having stalled over New York. The
worst was yet to come the next morning, with the appearance of daylight only
revealing a dawn doused with a plethora of sullen gray tones that did little
to make the new day anything but good. |
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Photo by Ross Tracy
The fury of the storm destroyed many
things in its way
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Monday the 16th’s high tide, which occurred
around 11:00 am, was being pushed ashore with an alarming power as the
gale was now blowing great guns and inundating many coastal areas with
its uncontainable watery reach.
Such unabated fury caused widespread power outages,
innumerable |
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downed trees, undermined roads and bridges, peeled-back roofs and large
amounts of debris to be washed ashore. Sadly, we came to learn that the loss
of human life accompanied this destructive storm as well.
Unable to sleep much during Monday night of the storm, I walked from the
living room to the kitchen of my home, and to my surprise, became aware of
the varied atmospheric moods present just outside the house. From above I
could hear the incessant howl of the wind, which sounded like a nonstop
train for hours on end. At other times you could hone in on the sound of the
tall trees swaying as they bent and creaked in the face of the storm’s
irresistible power reigning in the air.
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Then there was the occasional wind gust that managed to
thrust itself – and sheets of driving rain with it, against the house
with such force that you had no choice but to take notice and hold your
breath in hopes that the electrical power remained on in its wake.
On the lee side of the home where my children were sound
asleep, I |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
The storm lashed the coast, even
protected harbors like Rockland, ME
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noticed the
“noise” of the storm was somewhat suppressed, to the point where the soft –
almost melodic sound of rainwater, was dripping from the gutters. Amidst the
swirling elements colliding elsewhere against the house at every turn, it
was nearly surreal to momentarily hear only the sound of “drip, drip, drip”
before the audible chaos resumed as I made my way back to the storm-battered
northeast side.
Amazingly we were one of the lucky ones not to lose electrical power during
the duration of the storm, and other than a few snapped tree limbs, no real
damage was incurred either. But this was not the case for many thousands of
others throughout New England.
On the morning of April 17th, Maine’s Courier Gazette web
site reported that “Strong winds, astronomically high tides and torrential
rains combined Monday to produce one of the fiercest storms in the past
quarter century.” The newspaper went on to note that damage from Hurricane
Gloria (9/27/85) and Hurricane Bob (8/19/91) was less extensive than the
havoc being caused by the 2007 Patriots Day Gale.
Once the storm
passed and the state government had the opportunity to assess the damage up
and down the coast, Maine Governor John E. Baldacci asked residents of the
Pine Tree State to be patient during the recovery process, noting that it
would be a long-term effort. As for the Patriots Day Gale itself, the
tempest will take even longer to fade from the minds of those who witnessed
its destructive power, and it is probably safe to say that this mighty
tempest will never be truly forgotten.
Photo by Ross Tracy
Lighthouses on the Edge of Fury…
As touched on briefly above, with the approach of each major storm,
lighthouse preservationists always become a little anxious for the welfare
of their favorite project, especially those beacons situated offshore or in
remote, low-lying areas more vulnerable than others to the destructive power
of storm surge. |
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Despite their
rugged construction, lighthouses, and the other light station buildings
on site, have on occasion throughout history, suffered quite harshly at
the hands of storm damage – sometimes to the point of the station’s
total destruction.
To gain a true
sense of |
Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont
Jeremy D'Entremont witnessed waves scale
exceed the top of Whaleback Lighthouse
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the Patriots Day
Gale’s incredible power that raised seas to frightening levels and spawned
fierce winds that uprooted many a tree, one need only to review the comments
by those who witnessed the maelstrom firsthand.
“Waves were clearing up and over the lighthouse on White Island (Isles of
Shoals, New Hampshire). It was wild, and the after-effects are still
happening,” said Sumar Maji, Star Island facilities manager. On Star Island,
Maji noted, “Most of our damage was done by big rocks and other debris being
tossed all over the island. Things are strewn all over, a great distance
from the usual water line.”
Noted lighthouse photographers Jeremy D’Entremont, Ross Tracy and William
Marshall were also out and about in the gale and captured some amazing
photos of Whaleback and Portsmouth Harbor lighthouses under aquatic siege.
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Photo by William Marshall
Seas buffet the base of Portsmouth
Harbor Lighthouse
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“I’ve been able to observe the high seas and winds
smashing into Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and Whaleback Lighthouse
during this memorable storm, one of the worst spring storms in my
memory,” said Jeremy D’Entremont. “We’ve unfortunately suffered some
minor damage at Portsmouth Harbor Light, but I keep telling myself that
it could have been much, much worse.”
D’Entremont went on to say, “At the crest of high |
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tide on Monday, I watched breakers crash right over the top of Whaleback
Lighthouse, which is 50 feet tall. At times like this, I find myself
thinking often of the days when keepers lived inside wave-swept towers like
Whaleback. It must have been terrifying to have waves breaking overhead,
probably sounding like thunder and causing the tower to shudder.”
Ross Tracy noted, “I found that I stopped taking photos a few times just to
observe the chaos of the sea. You could watch a wave crash near the
lighthouse, and then another one right after at a different spot, and this
continued throughout the storm. The crashing waves would toss around debris
and large rocks with frightening ease. It even demolished a footbridge in a
matter of seconds right before my eyes. The power of the ocean is often
underestimated and it helps me further appreciate the efforts of the Coast
Guard, and even further, the past courageous people that made up the U.S.
Lighthouse and U.S. Life-Saving services.”
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Personally, I
witnessed great walls of water assaulting the mighty Rockland Breakwater
at the height of the Patriots Day Gale – an unforgettable sight that
could only cause concern for the well being of the Rockland Breakwater
Lighthouse, which is situated way out on the very end of the harbor’s
protective barrier.
Mammoth swells
rolled in |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Seas "swallowed" Rockland Breakwater,
but the lighthouse stood strong
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one after another in thunderous
fashion, slamming against the breakwater in a manner that created an audible
shuddering sound in the air, which only added to the turbulence enveloping
the air. At high tide’s maximum rise, the seas “swallowed up” the entire
breakwater, submerging its rugged presence out of sight until the tide
lowered once again.
When asked about his thoughts on how the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
might be faring in the storm, Warren Kincaid, vice-president of the Friends
of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse noted, “Generally speaking the lighthouse
is like a rock. I don’t think we’ve seen any damage at all since putting in
the new shutters. Prior to that it was just water finding its way in through
the cracks due to high wind. I keep looking out there to see if it still
stands, but when the storm lifts – there it is.”
When the storm finally did depart the region, and the wind and seas calmed
down, a site inspection of the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse revealed that
indeed the sentinel fared fine, just as Warren Kincaid predicted it would,
though the seas did manage to scour the rugged timbers of the station’s
boathouse. After examining the damage, Kincaid noted that the waves were
breaking above the wooden boathouse to have caused the damage that it did to
the top of the structure.
When it comes to lighthouses and the ever-present potential for dire
consequences to occur at the hands of powerful storms, Jeremy D’Entremont
sums things up best, saying, “There were a number of deaths at offshore
lighthouses in the United States, perhaps most notably the two brave young
assistant keepers who died when the first Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse (off
Cohasset, Massachusetts) was destroyed in another April storm back in 1851.”
D’Entremont concludes, noting, “We can now observe these dangerous
conditions from a safe distance, but these storms remind us that we must
remain vigilant in our lighthouse preservation efforts. The next destructive
nor’easter could be just around the corner.”
The National Weather Service or U.S. Coast Guard reported the following wind
gusts…
81 mph at Cape Elizabeth…72 mph at Cutler Harbor…65 mph at Rockland
Breakwater and 57 mph in Portland. In addition, there were reports of
sustained winds out on the Isles of Shoals at White Island Lighthouse of 60
mph at certain points during the storm.
Quotes about the 2007 Patriots Day Gale…
“Get ready for the haymaker, coastal Maine. Kirk Apffel, a weather service
meteorologist called the combination of a stalled storm and a new moon
‘pretty close to a worst-case scenario.’ –
Portland Press Herald
“The extent of coastal damage was being compared to destructive nor’easters
in 1987 and 1991. Nor’easters blow directly at the Maine coast, scouring the
shore and pounding seawalls and bluffs with great force. This week’s
nor’easter packed especially strong winds and coincided with tides that were
already elevated by 2 feet or more.” – Portland
Press Herald
“The position of the storm, the size of the storm and the wind, all
together, really pushed a lot of water against the inner harbor (Portland)
and created a situation we haven’t seen in many years.” –
Fred LaMontagne, Portland Fire Chief
“Rivers and streams were churning and storm-water drains and culverts
overflowed under pressures from the nor’easter. The combination of high
astronomical tides and persistent winds will increase the chance of flooding
along the coast at the high tides (right through Wed. the 18th).”
– Village Soup, Rockland
“It's a very significant storm. The shoreline and dune edge has receded back
10 feet, maybe more.” – Stephen Dickson, Maine’s
state marine geologist
“He (Sumar Maji, Star Island facilities manager) said he’s been on the
island since the mid-‘90s and has never seen anything like the events of
this week.” – Portsmouth’s
Seacoast Online
“It’s a major disaster and in some places of catastrophic proportions.” –
Tim Pellerin, Maine’s Lincoln County emergency
management director
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Posted: 4/23/07 |
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