FRYING PAN TOWER PLUS

They, in return, would get time to fish and relax on his high-seas hideaway. But Schneider believes he can do repairs for much less, in part by tapping into volunteer welders, electricians and mechanics. That includes $1 million to rent a jack-up barge to perform work. The engineering firm estimated renovations would cost $2.3 million. Restoring the tower means not only making it safe but also reviving basic services. To climb aboard, Schneider left a 75-foot rope ladder and a hand-operated winch to hoist people and cargo. He plans another trip this spring, this time by boat. “Some things were better than I thought, some things were worse than I thought,” he recalls. Schneider’s inspection found some sturdy walkway grating but a deteriorating maintenance deck, a broken window, and lots of debris in the seven bedrooms, rec room, galley and storage rooms. It’s incredible,” he says, marveling at the first sight of his property. He and a friend landed by helicopter, and spent six hours there. In November 2012, Schneider flew to Diamond Shoals for his first visit. Furthermore, the bottom staircase is gone, making access by boat difficult.

FRYING PAN TOWER PLUS

But the firm noted four large depressions, plus several holes open to the ocean, in the flooring in the living quarters. An engineering firm hired by the federal General Services Administration, which auctioned the 120-foot-high tower, determined primary structural elements were sound. It has languished in the harsh, salt-strewn environment with no maintenance. “I can also see interests from biologists, marine biologists, climatologists, and even those developing products that need to be tested in an actual marine setting - metallurgists, desalination technologies, fishing equipment, coatings manufacturers, diving equipment,” Schneider says.įirst, Diamond Shoals needs work.

Richard Neal operates a hoist to lift people and cargo 80 feet onto Frying Pan Tower. He envisions enlisting technology partners to demonstrate wind, solar and emerging energy sources. Once doomed, both light towers are getting new missions that include becoming platforms for research miles out at sea.Īt Diamond Shoals, Schneider plans to restore the corroded tower into an on-ocean center for research, development and product testing. Richard Neal of Mint Hill, near Charlotte, bought the other - Frying Pan Tower, 30 miles southeast of Southport - in 2010. The Minnesota business executive, who had never seen the light tower except for photos posted on a federal surplus property website, became the second private owner of a North Carolina offshore light tower. Last October, David Schneider won Diamond Shoals with a bid of $20,000.

With no money to cut it down, the Coast Guard eventually decided to auction it off. The light tower stood unattended 11 more years, awaiting dismantling. With the advent of GPS navigation systems, the Coast Guard declared Diamond Shoals obsolete in 2001, turned off its light and abandoned the tower 13 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras. Coast Guard crews manned the tower from 1966 to 1977 until the beacon was automated. Neal is converting the 49-year-old Frying Pan Tower into a bed-and-breakfast at sea.

Frying pan tower