Elusive Lighthouse

Elusive lighthouse

Sir: Amusing though William Burns's letter (15 May) concerning US warships ordering a Canadian lighthouse to alter course may be, the event it describes never took place. The story has evolved over time, but it dates back to at least the 1960s. A version was published in the US Naval Institute's magazine Proceedings in 1987.

RICHARD BARTLE
West Bergholt, Essex