Talk:Leading lights

Merger

Actually there are three wee articles on this subject, so I suggested a merger. If noone objects until August, I'll combine the articles. De728631 (talk) 23:44, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Under which name? I gather that "leading lights" is a UK/AU term? Mangoe (talk) 01:04, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Leading Lights is the official designation by the International Hydrographic Organization. See Standardization of List of Lights and Fog Signals, June 2004 (Corrections to June 2006). Free download. De728631 (talk) 15:09, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Even NOAA refers to them as Leading Lights. See page 5: Chart 1 Table of Contents, Aids and Services, Lights De728631 (talk) 18:45, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

Ok, as nobody formally objected to merging the pages, I'll go ahead now. De728631 (talk) 22:48, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Leading Lights and Lighthouses

I have removed the following:

Leading lights are often confused with lighthouses, as they are often built to look like lighthouse structures. In contrast to lighthouses which warn offshore navigators of dangers upon landfall and can be used for offshore navigation, leading lights assist the inshore navigation of ships, vessels and other watercraft into safe channels, lanes, or port, and harbour entrances.

because it creates an artificial and incorrect distinction. Lighthouses are used both offshore and in harbors and rivers. On entering the Kennebec River, for example, the sequence is

1. Seguin Light, a powerful offshore light
2. Pond Island Light, a smaller, mostly offshore light
3. Perkins Island Light, a river light, with sectors for dangerous water
4. Squirrel Point Light, similar
5. Doubling Point Range Lights, a range
6. Doubling Point Light, the final lighthouse, separate from the range

There are similar sequences all over the world.

File:USCG Daymarks.png Nominated for Deletion

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Has been kept per Commons:Deletion requests/File:USCG Daymarks.png. De728631 (talk) 23:49, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

First use of leading lights

I question the statement in the second sentence of the paragraph:

The first set of range lights in the United States were privately established by subscription at Newburyport Harbor in Massachusetts in 1788. The technology was not used in Europe until 1837, where the lights became known as leading lights.

In England, in the year 1763, two pairs of leading lights were established to mark the approach to the Port of Liverpool. These were the Sea Lights, at Leasowe, and the Lake Lights, at Hoylake. I do not claim that these were the first leading lights in Europe, only that the 1837 date is incorrect.

Lightkeep (talk) 20:59, 9 March 2014 (UTC)

That's quite interesting, so thank you for pointing it out. I'm going to adjust the article according to your source. De728631 (talk) 15:44, 10 March 2014 (UTC)