Bridgeport Breakwater Lighthouse, Connecticut
Also known as Tongue Point Lighthouse
BRIDGEPORT BREAKWATER (TONGUE POINT) LIGHT
Location: West side of Bridgeport Harbor entrance, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Station Established: 1895
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1895
Operational: Yes
Automated: Yes 1954
Deactivated: 1966
Foundation Materials: REINFORCED CONCRETE PIER
Construction Materials: CAST IRON
Tower Shape: CONICAL
Markings/Pattern: BLACK
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPARATE
Original Lens: SIXTH ORDER
Historical Information:
- The Bridgeport Breakwater Light is also known as Tongue Point Light and/or Bug Light.
- A keeper’s quarters was not built at Bridgeport Breakwater Light. The keeper was responsible for Bridgeport Harbor and Bridgeport Breakwater.
- The lighthouse was originally built at the end of a breakwater about 500 feet offshore. In 1919, the shipping channel was widened and the lighthouse was moved 275 feet inland.
- In 1967 the Coast Guard planned to remove the lighthouse but local boater protested. The lighthouse remains an active aid to navigation.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Light House Society volunteer.