By Al Friedrich, Treasurer, Mukilteo Historical Society
Good news! The yellow caution tape surrounding an area of the Mukilteo Light Station (MLS) is finally gone. But wait, why all the fuss?
A casual glance skyward would have revealed a broken antenna atop the wooden pole. Now the antenna has been replaced and the yellow caution tape is no more, not to mention all the orange safety cones.
We know the MLS is home to two active United States Coast Guard (USCG) Aids to Navigation. The first, a light encased in a Fresnel Lens which was made by opticians in Paris, France in 1852. Visible for 10-12 miles on a clear night, the signature flash is every 5 seconds (2 seconds on and 3 seconds off). The light is listed in USCG publications and shown on navigation maps. The MLS has the only active Fresnel Lens in the State of Washington. The second, a fog horn that can be activated by the USCG on those “rare” foggy days. The signature sound is a 3 second blast every 27 seconds.
But did you know that the MLS is also home to a communications system which is part of the USCG Vessel Traffic Service? In the words of the USCG at the Navigation Center website (navcen.uscg.gov):
“The purpose of a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) is to provide active monitoring and navigational advice for vessels in particularly confined and busy waterways. VHF-FM communications network forms the basis of most major services. Transiting vessels make position reports to a vessel traffic center by radiotelephone and are in turn provided with accurate, complete, and timely navigational safety information. They encompass a wide range of techniques and capabilities aimed at preventing vessel collisions, rammings, and groundings in the harbor, harbor approach and inland waterway phase of navigation. They are also designed to expedite ship movements, increase transportation system efficiency, and improve all-weather operating capability. The Coast Guard operates 12 Vessel Traffic Centers (VTC): Prince William Sound, Puget Sound, Valdez, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles/Long Beach, Houston-Galveston, Berwick Bay, Louisville, Saint Mary’s River, Port Arthur, Tampa, and New York.”
The communication system at the MLS is part of the Puget Sound VTC located at Pier 36 in Seattle. The Puget Sound VTC monitors the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Rosario Strait, Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound south to Olympia. The MLS system provides valuable communications to/from vessels passing through Possession Sound (Whidbey Island and the coastline of Mukilteo and Everett).
Since 1979, the USCG has cooperated with the Canadian Coast Guard in managing vessels traffic to include areas north of the Strait of Juan de Fuca through Haro Strait to include Vancouver B.C.. The relationship with Canada is invaluable in their mission to protect vessels in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea.
In summary, the USCG, the City of Mukilteo and the Mukilteo Historical Society are pleased to cooperate in the preservation and maintenance of the Mukilteo Light Station whose mission is to serve as an Aid to Navigation for all vessels sailing the Possession Sound.
Originally published in the 10/2/2019 issue of the Mukilteo Beacon.