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The '''Rebecca Shoal Light''' was located on a treacherous [[coral]] bank, '''Rebecca Shoa''', 10 km west of the [[Marquesas Keys]] and 50 km east of the [[Dry Tortugas]]. The bank has a least depth of 3.4 meters and is subject to strong currents and rough seas.
The first attempt to place a light on Rebecca Shoal was under the direction of Lt. [[George Meade]] starting in 1854. After structures were washed away twice in 1855 while still being erected, Meade wrote, "''I believed then, and am satisfied now, that no light-house structure of any kind has been erected, either in this country or in Europe, at a position more exposed and offering greater obstacles than the Rebecca shoal.''" A lighthouse was finally successfully erected on Rebecca Shoal in 1886. It was a one-and-a-half story square house set on high pilings. It was often impossible to land supplies or keepers at the lighthouse during bad weather. The lighthouse survived several [[hurricane]]s. The [[1919 Florida Keys Hurricane]] broke the glass in the lighthouse's lantern and damaged the lens. The [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Steamboat|steamer]] [[Valbanera]] sank in that same hurricane five miles east of Rebecca Shoals, with the loss of all 488 people aboard.
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*[http://users.erols.com/lthouse/rshs.htm Florida Lighthouse Page - Rebecca Shoal Lighthouse History] - retrieved [[January 31]] [[2006]]
*[http://www.lhdigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=1966 Lighthouse Digest - Mystery of the Lighthouse at Key Largo] - retrieved [[January 31]] [[2006]]
*[http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/nsd/Cp5/CP5-32ed-Ch04_5.pdf Sailing Directions]
[[Category:History of Florida]]
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