The light tower is accessible by helicopter and by boat. is organizing the restoration with volunteers, donations, and active promotion of the tower as a resource for education, research, and as an iconic piece of American Coast Guard history. Starting in 2018 and finalized in 2019, Neal divested all ownership interest to focus on the restoration efforts as the director of FPTower Inc., a federally registered 501(c)3 nonprofit. As the eye passed over the structure, a weather station on the tower reported a pressure of 959.5 mb. In 2019, it went through Hurricane Dorian. After the storm passed, the flag was recovered and sold at an auction to raise money for the Wilmington Red Cross. Coverage of the flag was widely viewed online, and the flag was eventually given the name Kevin by livestream viewers. This could be seen live from an camera on the tower. Media coverage in the hours before the storms landfall noted the American flag on Frying Pan Tower being torn to shreds by the extreme conditions as the hurricane approached. In September 2018, the Shoals were in the path of Hurricane Florence. In November 2012, Hurricane Sandy went within a few dozen miles of the Frying Pan Tower but due to its being a low-category storm at the time, the only issue was a few disturbed ceiling tiles due to a window being left open. It was listed in an article in Time on light houses that have been restored to bed and breakfast facilities. An observational flight the day after the storm, August 28, 2011, showed that the tower had no visible damage from the impact. In August 2011, the Frying Pan Tower was directly hit by Hurricane Irene with measured winds of 67 mph (108 km/h) and waves of 28 ft (8.5 m). However, the company failed to make the down payment, and subsequently the tower returned to government hands and was sold again in August 2010 for $85,000 to a private individual, Richard Neal of Charlotte, North Carolina. The Coast Guard considered demolishing the light for use as an artificial reef, but instead held an online auction where the winning bid was by a South Carolina diving and research firm Shipwrecks, Inc. The station was ultimately decommissioned in 2004, owing to the advent of GPS systems on ships making the facility obsolete. In 1966, the light tower was built, and was staffed year-round by a four-person crew until the operation of the light was automated in 1979. The shoals have been patrolled by a lightboat since 1854 by the United States Coast Guard. The 80-foot (24 m) light tower marks the shoals at the confluence of the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. The light tower is modeled after a steel oil drilling platform, known as a " Texas Tower", on top of four steel legs that was engineered to be used as a lighthouse housing several Coast Guard members. The tower is currently privately owned and was formerly a bed and breakfast retreat, and is noted for its survival through several significant tropical storms. 33☂9.107′N 77☃5.394′W / 33.485117°N 77.589900°W / 33.485117 -77.589900įrying Pan Shoals Light Tower is a decommissioned lighthouse located on the Frying Pan Shoals approximately 39 miles (63 km) southeast of Southport, North Carolina, and 32 miles (51 km) from Bald Head Island, North Carolina.
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