Ballast Point
From TheKeel
Ballast Point is just northeast of Point Loma and juts into the entrance to San Diego Harbor. The light was established in 1890 as a harbor light. Together, Ballast Point and the new Point Loma light replaced replaced the old Point Loma light which was too frequently obscured by fog [1].
Ballast Point is located (on arriving) on the western side of the harbor, at 32° 40.9’ N / 117° 13.7’ W. It is located outside of the main channel, with the main channel coming within meters of the point. There is no buoy 13 in San Diego harbor; Ballast Point is located between green 11 and green 15.
Ballast Point has its own buoy, listed as B flashing white(4 seconds), 16’, 10 miles. In low visibility a horn is used in 1 second blasts every 15 seconds.
[edit] Ballast Point History
The last keeper at Ballast Point was Radford Franke. Franke arrived as assistant keeper in 1931 under William Mollering, who was head keeper from 1931 until his death at the lighthouse in 1938. Radke elected to join the Coast Guard when it assumed management of US lighthouses in 1939, and took over as head keeper in 1947 [2].
In 1960, the station was deemed unnecessary and razed. The station's history is being preserved at the San Diego Maritime Museum. Kenneth Franke, the museum's executive director and son of Keeper Radford Franke, has worked to create a permanent display on Ballast Point, including the station's fog bell.
