Coast Guard Offers Reward for Stolen Navigational Beacon

The bright green beacon of the Superior Entry Lighthouse (above) was stolen last month (Pete Markham / CC BY file image)

The U.S. Coast Guard has offered a $1,000 reward for information on who stole a navigational beacon from an important lighthouse at the harbor at Superior, Wisconsin. The "reckless" removal created an extremely hazardous condition for mariners who rely on the light for navigation, the service said.

According to the Coast Guard, on May 13 an unknown suspect broke into the Superior Entry Lighthouse on Wisconsin Point, a breakwater that shelters the harbor entrance at Superior Bay. The channel entrance serves laker traffic to and from Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin, where there are large-scale bulk terminals for grain and iron ore.

The structure of the lighthouse itself is privately owned, but the light belongs to the Coast Guard. It is not a traditional Fresnel lens white light - that system was retired decades ago - but rather a flashing green beacon. The suspect broke in, cut the power cable and took the beacon, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Since the light was owned by the service, the theft is a federal felony.

Courtesy USCG Great Lakes

"The removal of this navigational beacon creates a severe hazard that could lead to catastrophic vessel collisions or groundings. Such accidents pose a direct, life-threatening danger to commercial mariners and local recreational boaters," said the Coast Guard. "A major vessel incident in this area [would carry] the risk of devastating environmental damage from fuel spills and threatens to disrupt the vital, daily movement of critical maritime commerce."

Tips that lead to arrest and conviction will bring a reward of $1,000, and mariners and local residents are encouraged to contact the Coast Guard with any useful information. Any sightings of suspicious activity or vehicles in the area on or around May 13 could be of interest.

The marketability or private-party use value of a stolen green flashing beacon is not clear, but the tall, barrel-shaped light is a distinctive object that would be readily identifiable if the thief attempts to resell it.

Top image: Pete Markham / CC BY SA 2.0