Frying Pan Shoals Light

Frying Pan Shoals Light Station is a decommissioned Coast Guard lighthouse located near the end of the Frying Pan Shoals 32 mi SE of Bald Head Island, North Carolina. The Frying Pan Tower™ rises 135' above the Atlantic Ocean is being restored by volunteers through FPTower Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to help provide safety to mariners and the local sea life as well as providing an on-site facility for environmental research, and to live stream cameras of above and below the ocean. Several universities (JHU, MIT) and governmental agencies (BOEM, NASA, NOAA, NAVY) have used the tower's unique location to perform vital research over the last decade as it is being restored.

The facility is 98% powered by stored solar energy with fossil fuel generation reserved for heavy power usages such as welding. The nearly 6000 square foot helipad captures rainwater into one of the remaining 14,500 gallon (55,000 liter) steel holding tanks attached under the belly where a ultraviolet (UV) and micro filtration system along with a commercial Culligan Water reverse osmosis system results in potable water suitable for cooking and general use. High-speed Internet communications were established by installing a Cambium Networks radio 5.8 gHz microwave connection between two 4' (1.2 m) dishes, one at 1340' (408 m) on a land based TV station tower and the other located on the tower's helipad.

The light tower is modeled after a steel oil drilling platform, known as a "Texas Tower", on top of four steel legs that was engineered to be used as a lighthouse housing several Coast Guard members. Each of the four 42" (1 m) legs are buried 296' deep into the soil below and were filled with cement. The 80 ft main level and the 135' (41 m) SE corner light tower marks the shoals at the confluence of the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean.

History
The shoals have been patrolled by a lightboat since 1854 by the United States Coast Guard. In 1966, the light tower was built, and was staffed year-round by a four-person crew until the operation of the light was automated in 1979. The station was ultimately decommissioned in 2004, owing to the advent of GPS systems on ships making the facility obsolete.

The Coast Guard considered demolishing the light for use as an artificial reef, but instead held an online auction where the winning bid was by a South Carolina diving and research firm Shipwrecks, Inc. in 2009 for $515,000. However, the company failed to make the down payment, and subsequently the tower returned to government hands and was sold again in August 2010 for $85,000 to a private individual, Richard Neal of Charlotte, North Carolina.

In August 2011, the Frying Pan Tower was directly hit by Hurricane Irene with measured winds of 67 mph and waves of 28 ft. An observational flight the day after the storm, August 28, 2011, showed that the tower had no visible damage from the impact. It was listed in an article in Time on light houses that have been restored to bed and breakfast facilities, although Neal's goal was never to create a hotel or bed and breakfast, but instead to raise funds to restore the facility.

In November 2012, Hurricane Sandy went within a few dozen miles of the Frying Pan Tower but due to its being a low-category storm at the time, the only issue was a few disturbed ceiling tiles due to a window being left open noted by owner Neal.

In September 2018, the Shoals were in the path of Hurricane Florence. Media coverage in the hours before the storms landfall noted the American flag on Frying Pan Tower being torn to shreds by the extreme conditions as the hurricane approached. This could be seen live from an Explore.org camera on the tower. Coverage of the flag was widely viewed online, and the flag was eventually given the name Kevin by livestream viewers. After the storm passed, the flag was recovered and sold at an auction to raise money for the Wilmington Red Cross. In 2019, it went through Hurricane Dorian. As the eye passed over the structure, a weather station on the tower reported a pressure of 959.5 mb.

Starting in 2018 and finalized in 2019, Neal divested all ownership interest to focus on the restoration efforts as the Executive Director of FPTower Inc., a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. FPTower Inc. is organizing the restoration with volunteers, donations, and active promotion of the tower as a resource for education, research, and as an iconic piece of American Coast Guard history.

Structural conditions
The light tower is accessible by helicopter and by boat. A January 2010 onsite inspection by an engineering firm that was contracted by the Coast Guard determined that the helipad platform can indeed support a helicopter and that the entire structure, while in need of repair, was structurally sound. The lower stairs to the light tower were destroyed by a hurricane and the mid to upper section stairs have experienced significant deterioration due to the salt environment.

Since Neal converted to full time employment as the Executive Director of FPTower Inc, the restoration has dramatically accelerated with now restored heating and air conditioning, donated steel and building materials, and solar energy sponsorships from several vendors. Explore.org has also maintained a strong presence supporting the streaming of live underwater and above water public feeds to encourage a better understanding of our world around us.

The platform on the tower consists of two floors. The subfloor is a living area of approximately 5000 ft2 that includes seven bedrooms, kitchen, office, storage area, recreation area and toilet facilities.

Trivia
The light tower is located in grid square FM13, which is mostly ocean along with some coastal areas of North Carolina and sparsely populated. Grid-square hunting amateur radio operators often seek out subjects such as this for opportunities to log a conversation.