By James Heinz
The Superior Entry South Breakwater Light at Wisconsin Point in Lake Superior has been guiding mariners into the Duluth/Superior harbor since June 30, 1913. But on May 13, 2026, its vital mission was suddenly stopped for an unusual reason:
Someone stole the light.
The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service reports that someone broke into the lighthouse, cut the power to the light, and then removed the Coast Guard owned beacon. It further states:
“…the stolen beacon is crucial for guiding vessels safely, especially at night or in poor weather…it is a reckless act that immediately jeopardizes public safety. The removal of this navigational beacon creates a severe hazard that could lead to catastrophic vessel collisions or groundings.”
“The Coast Guard Investigative Service is asking anyone who saw suspicious people, vehicles, or vessels near the Superior Entry Lighthouse or Wisconsin Point around May 13, 2026, to contact investigators.” A $1,000 reward is being offered. https://www.uscg.mil/Units/Coast-Guard-Investigative-Service/
Photo at top of page: courtesy of Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
As far as I know this is a crime without parallel in Great Lakes history. Do the thieves hope to set up a lighthouse in their backyard? That can be done as I have reported earlier: https://wmhs.org/a-private-lighthouse-in-a-milwaukee-suburb/
Wisconsin Point is a sandbar peninsula that sticks out three miles into Lake Superior from the city of Superior, Wis. Its counterpart, Minnesota Point, sticks out seven miles into the Lake from the city of Duluth, Minn. Together they form a ten mile barrier that protects the twin ports of Duluth/Superior from the storms of Lake Superior. Minnesota Point was mentioned in a previous story on this site: https://wmhs.org/a-u-s-warship-sunk-off-duluth/
A gap between the two Points allows ships to sail into the harbor. In 1906 the lighthouse was built to guide ships into the gap. The lighthouse is a cylindrical concrete structure 56 feet all mounted on top of a square keeper’s house with rounded corners.
The original lens was a fourth order Fresnel with a focal height of 70 feet. Until someone stole the light May 13, it displayed a green light that flashed every 5 seconds with a range of 21 nautical miles. The lighthouse also has a fog signal that sounds every 30 seconds from May 1 to October 20.
In 1970 the Fresnel lens was removed and the light was automated with a DCB 24 aerobeacon. In 2019 it was sold to a private buyer, but the navigational aids and the concrete breakwater the lighthouse sits on remain the property of the U.S. Coast Guard, as has been done with other lighthouses. https://wmhs.org/a-lighthouse-tour-on-national-lighthouse-day/
According to the Lighthouse Friends.com website, the buyer was Steven Broudy, a 34 year old tech executive from San Francisco who served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He paid $159,000 for a lighthouse he had never seen, as has happened before https://wmhs.org/the-manitowoc-lighthouse-is-now-open-for-tours/
All we can hope for is that this article may act as a beacon to help shine a light on this dark deed. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that. Even though I think we can all agree that I should have.
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James Heinz is the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society’s acquisitions director. He became interested in maritime history as a kid watching Jacques Cousteau’s adventures on TV. He was a Great Lakes wreck diver until three episodes of the bends forced him to retire from diving. He was a University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee police officer for thirty years. He regularly flies either a Cessna 152 or 172.
