>> Click to enlarge << The 1854 Fresnel lens inside the lantern room at ... Photo by: Richard Clayton

If Christmas came in July, California’s Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) would have a gift wish for Santa Claus: the first-order Fresnel lens from Point Conception Lighthouse.  It seems the U.S. Coast Guard is removing the historic lens and a modern optic is already in place. 

>> Click to enlarge << The original turntable assembly was still being ... Photo by: The original turntable assembly was still being used to turn the lens at Point Conception Lighthouse in California in 2000. (Photograph by Richard Clayton, Lighthouse Digest archives.)

The museum has an opportunity to get the massive old lens.  They have the space in their building to put it on display and the lens would be visible from two floors within their facility. 

As the saying goes, the devil is in the details.  A lot of logistics and funding need to be worked out first.  It will be this summer before the SBMM will know for sure if they will be able to gain this lighthouse treasure from “The Graveyard of the Pacific.”

For more information, contact the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum at www.sbmm.org, (805) 962-8404.