Dog Bar Breakwater Light

Dog Bar Breakwater Light, Gloucester, MA

The Dog Bar Breakwater was built between 1894 and 1905 on top of the Dog Bar Reef, on which many ships had floundered over the years.

The massive granite blocks weigh around 12 to 13 tons each, for a total of nearly a quarter of a million tons of granite on top of a rubble base.

Communications being what they were at the turn of the 19th century, many crews knew nothing of the new breakwater, so more than 40 ships hit the breakwater during its construction!

In 1906, the first light was constructed on the breakwater comprising a wooden tripod with a fixed white light It became known as the Gloucester Breakwater or Dog Bar Light.

A fog warning and the present structure were added later.

The Dog Bar Breakwater was built between 1894 and 1905 on top of the Dog Bar Reef, on which many ships had floundered over the years.

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