Marquette Rotating Beacon
This DCB-224 aero beacon was removed from Marquette Lighhouse in 1995. We believe it was installed in the 1960’s.
The drum is cast aluminum with a cast 25-inch parabolic reflector. A motor mounted below caused the beacon to rotate to a predetermined pattern.
To deal with the problem of a bulb burning out, it was equipped with a CG-2P automatic bulb changer. Each 400-watt metal halide bulb had a theoridical life of 20,000 hours.
The DCB-224 is still used in some Great Lakes lighthouses. Other configurations mount two DCB-224s in a tandem arrangement.
