It was quickly deemed inadequate for its important seacoast location due to its low height and poor visibility at sea.

In 1892, a twenty-five-foot red band was painted around the white tower's midsection, about sixty feet up from the base, to make it more visible during the day.

This numbering system was likened to a fire alarm bell stroking out the exact numerical identity of a beleaguered building.

The lens was removed from the second Cape Charles Lighthouse in October 1895 and transferred to the Hog Island Light.

On June 1, 1896, the speed of rotation of the lens in the new tower was cut in half as the flashes were being produced in such quick succession that they were indistinct when viewed from a distance.

After having served as an observation tower during World War I the second Cape Charles Lighthouse finally toppled into the ocean on July 2, 1927.

Although the Cape Charles lighthouse is visible from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel its remote location on a marshy barrier island that is inaccessible except by shallow draft boat and is a nature preserve prevents it from being open to the public.