NORTH WILDWOOD – The rotating beacon in the tower of the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse in North Wildwood malfunctioned at 11:43 p.m, May 11. The U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team was immediately notified and was on scene early May 12 to make repairs, stated City Clerk W. Scott Jett.
The team has found that the rotating motor, the type of which has not been manufactured since 1986, is beyond reasonable repair and a flashing LED lamp has been installed in the tower. The LED lamp will have the same timing as the previous rotating beacon; that is, one flash every 10 seconds.
The mayor and city clerk are currently in discussions with the Coast Guard about the possibility of placing a new rotating beacon in the lighthouse in the future.
The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse was built in 1874. For its first 50 years, the light in the tower was a stationary, fixed light. A rotating beacon was installed in 1924. The removed beacon was placed atop the tower in 1986.
