It Takes More Than Lighthouses…

It Takes More Than Lighthouses…. . , …It takes the "ATON" system , Buoys, day beacons, fog signals, range markers, radio beacons and (in the past) light ships are also Aids to Navigation (ATON). Together, they make a system that helps mariners pinpoint their location and safely find their destination., Now maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, the ATON system constantly changes with new technologies. "Light Lists" are published annually, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides detailed nautical charts. These tools help mariners stay up to date., [Captions:] , Steel can and nun buoys Castle Pinckney, South Carolina, 1892 , Before World War II, these heavy buoys were used at the Chesapeake's channel junctions and in busy harbors like Annapolis and Washington, D.C. They were occasionally brought to Point Lookout for repairs and storage., Lighthouse tender ship Mistletoe, docked at Point Lookout, ca 1950 , At most light stations, tenders were a welcome sight. At Point Lookout, tenders also brought work, damaged and weathered buoys needing repair., Point Lookout's wharf, 1885 , Rail tracks lead from the wharf to the buoy shed (in which you now stand) and coal shed, which had just been completed when this image was captured. Spar buoys lay between the sheds and steel can and nun buoys sit inside. The original fog bell tower stands in the background., Spar buoys drying in the sun, ca 1950 , As the Lighthouse Board installed more light stations and buoys in the bay, its repair depots in Baltimore and Norfolk struggled to keep up with the growing workload. The Board chose to make Point Lookout, conveniently located in between, a new supply and repair depot in 1883., Nautical chart of the Chesapeake Bay , This chart identifies Aids to Navigation as well as hazards like wrecks, shallows and unexploded bombs.