I have a couple questions that Im hopeing some one will have the answer for. When did the CG change over to battery powered lamps? What fuel was used prior to the battery powered lamps?

According to Amy K. Marshall in “A History of Buoys and Tenders in U.S. Coastal Waters 1789-1939 c.", the last acetylene buoy was removed from service in the James River in Virginia on October 14th, 1963.

http://www.uscg.mil/History/weblighthouses/Amy_Marshall_Chap_4.html

Thanks spudsdown. The last two days at work prompted this question. The ACOE recoverded a sunken buoy hull, and myself and the BM3 were sent to cut it up. When we arrived they said they had already pulled the battries out, and they had never seen any thing like them. I took one look at them and could tell they were fuel cells of some kind. Then the task began of trying to identify them and dispose of them.

Prior to the use of air-depolarized batteries, we used rechargeable lead-acid batteries. If I recall correctly, they were one and a half volts and weighed 70 to 75 lbs each. Those used in buoys were a round steel cylinder about 18 to 20 inches tall, but of course they had lead terminals on top, and would be easily identified as a battery.

these are defenetly compressed gas clynders. In my atempt to identify them to day, I opened one today (as naton said to do) to use the 4 gas analyzer to find out if they have flamable vapors in them or not. To my surprise it was still under pressure, liquid and gas was comeing out of the stainless steal tubing that was attached to the bottle.

I was stationed on the Sagebrush in San Juan, PR from 11/63 thru 3/66. We had acetylene buoys in the field til 1965. COMGANTS was the dumping ground for all aged AtoN equipment. We used both A50 and A200 tanks. Bill Tugman was our resident expert. Many times did he singe the hair off his forearms servicing the buoys. If I remember correctly we used FU840 lampchangers and FU1297 lanterns, but may be wrong - it's been a long time. Dan, dear friend, you're probably right about stateside.

Thnks CDR. Whats the differance between the A50 and A200 tanks the size? Going off the information stamped in the side of these tanks they are 1060 cu. ft, have tare weight of 1300 lbs (I think t.w. is supposed to mean tare weight),and there stamped 2-1945. Im not sure if that is when they were made or what it means.

The A50's had 50 atmospheres, the A200 had 200 atmospheres. An atmosphere is a unit of measure. The A50 looked like a standard welding tank about 2 feet in circumference while the A200 was about 6 feet in circumference. The size used was dependent on flash characteristic.

White Sumac (59-61) we servised all the permanent light structures between Miami and Dry Tortugas. Fifteen in the tank house and 15 spares. Don't remember the designation but they weighed 240 pounds. Hauled alot of them up with block and tackle.

thanks for all the info guys.

I don't know what period but my husband was on the Acacia they used acetlyne (spelled wrong) on the bouys. He sent a man over (some town I can't remember) to get more acetilyne for use in the bouys.