Restoring the Tower Through the Eyes of A Volunteer (part 3 of 4)
Dan continues his thoughts about his adventure on the Frying Pan Tower… I found my room eventually in the labyrinth of hallways inside the tower. A steady wind blew a cool breeze into
Restoring the Tower Through the Eyes of A Volunteer (part 2 of 4)
Daniel Schmiedt came out to the Frying Pan Tower by helicopter and his adventure began. In Dan’s own words: I decided to drive to Southport on Thursday evening. What if I got a
Why Daniel Schmiedt Became A Volunteer (part 1 of 4)
You see the Volunteer trip invitations and the images of those who come out for their Frying Pan Tower adventure, but why? Why do they do it? Follow along with volunteer Daniel Schmiedt
Replace and Install New Watertight Portals
Each side of the tower, North, East, South and West have a watertight lever-lock portal doors designed to keep out the elements during hurricanes, stormy weather and other normal ocean events. Our doors
Install Seafloor Mooring and Buoy System
The sea floor around the Frying Pan Tower is a protected reef nearly a mile in diameter. This means the sea floor below has restrictions on dragging objects like anchors across it or
Replace Cross Pipes
The water-level of the ocean is a harsh environment where the corrosion by salt water is aggressive. We are focusing our efforts to prevent these structural members from becoming compromised by the yearly
Replace Cathodic Protection System
Basic chemistry comes into play when you place a steel structure into a salt bath and watch the long-term effects of galvanic corrosion over several years! Since the tower is grounded deep into
Auto-Start Generator and Charging System
Solar is great until it’s cloudy and the ever-present need for constant power is put in jeopardy. To provide the clean current that powers research, we need to keep our battery bank charged. This
Main Level Renovations, Maintenance and Repairs
The interior of the tower was originally designed to house a young Coast Guard crew with bedrooms, bath, recreation room, kitchen and other normal residential-like facilities. Over the years, salt air has attacked
Re-Frame and Replace Glass Windows in Light Tower
During the abandoned years when the tower stood empty, vandals used the light tower for target practice, shooting out the windows and exposing the framing to the elements. Now with new tempered glass