Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at Sunset 20110527 195814

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at Sunset

In Images by Matt Shetzer

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at Sunset

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in North America. The lighthouse stands 193 feet (59 meters) tall. The Cape Hatteras Light protects ships from being run aground into a 12-mile sandbar called The Diamond Shoals. The currents near this sandbar are so dangerous that the area has been nicknamed “the graveyard of the Atlantic.”

Hundreds of ships were wrecked in the area before the construction of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse itself was moved in 1999 due to the continued erosion of the beach upon which it was originally established.

Stock Image #20110527-185814

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at Sunset was last modified: February 21st, 2018 by Matt Shetzer