Sankaty Head Lighthouse is a historic icon on Nantucket Island (located southeast of the Massachusetts coast), and it has been included in the National Register of Historic Places since 1987.
This lighthouse, built in 1849 at 48 meters above sea level and located at the eastern tip of Siasconset, originally featured a whale oil lamp and French Fresnel lenses; in fact, it was one of the first American lighthouses to receive French Fresnel lenses. It wasn’t until 1933 that the lighthouse was electrified, and it became fully automated by 1965.
However, the story of this lighthouse does not end there. In 2007, the Sankaty Head Lighthouse had to be moved about 120 meters from its original location, as storms and erosion over time had left the lighthouse only 20 meters from the edge of the bluff.
Now, a new chapter has been added to the historical background of this unique lighthouse: the upgrading of its lighting system with our MBR300R rotating LED beacon, an innovative solution aimed at optimizing the efficiency of the lighthouse while respecting its history.
Sankaty Head Lighthouse
Photo by Rob Benchley
At the end of 2023, a team from the US Coast Guard installed the new MBR300R at Sankaty Head Lighthouse replacing the temporary beacon that had been in place for three years. The new beacon features three levels of LEDs providing range of 23 nautical miles using fraction of the power required compared to the old system that was in place.
Thanks to LED technology, the MBR300R represents a more sustainable and efficient energy solution, offering a long service life (up to 100,000 hours of operation) with minimal maintenance, which translates to reduced costs for spare parts and maintenance.
MBR300R installed at Sankaty Head Lighthouse
Photo by Rob Benchley
MSM was awarded the project to provide the rotating beacon for the historic Sankaty Head Lighthouse. Our MBR300R not only becomes the first MSM rotating beacon installed in the United States, but also the second rotating beacon using LED technology installed nationwide, to ensure maritime safety along the southeast coast of Massachusetts.
*Our thanks to Rob Benchley, the keeper of Sankaty Head Lighthouse, for providing the images featuring this publication.
*The local press has also covered the news. Discover the news on the Nantucket Current and The Inquirer & Mirror.
*Find out more information about the Sankaty Head Lighthouse history at the website of Sconset Trust, the organization dedicated to land conservation and historic preservation in and around the village of Siasconset.
