Lågskär Lighthouse

Lågskär Lighthouse is an automated lighthouse located on the north side of Lågskär, one of Finland's Åland Islands in the Sea of Åland of the Baltic. It is the only striking feature on Lågskär on the generally uninhabited island.

Lågskär lighthouse
Lågskär Lighthouse and outbuildings (2009)
Finland
LocationLågskär Island
Åland
Finland
Coordinates59°50′28.2″N 19°54′43.9″E
Year first constructed1840 (first)
Year first lit1920 (current)
1859 (second)
Automated1961
Foundationmasonry
Constructionreinforced concrete
Tower shapesquare tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / patternred tower, white lantern
Tower height23 metres (75 ft)
Focal height42 metres (138 ft)
Light sourcewind power
Range11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi)[1]
CharacteristicFl W 12s.
Admiralty numberC4480
NGA number16096
ARLHS numberALA-011[2]

The 23-metre (75 ft) lighthouse is designed as a concrete tower, square in shape, with a lantern and gallery. The lens has a focal plane of 42 metres (138 ft) with white light flashing every 12 seconds. The light has run on wind power since 1986. While the ground floor of the site is open, the tower itself is closed. It is maintained by the Finnish Maritime Administration, and the buildings are often let out to ornithologists studying on the island.

History

A wooden lighthouse was built in 1840 on northwestern tip of the island and was rebuilt in 1859 as a masonry structure. During World War I, it was destroyed by Russian bombardment. A temporary structure was erected thereafter. The present lighthouse was constructed in 1920. It introduced a rotating gas lighting device, which was the first of its kind in the world.[3]

There is a commemorative postage stamp of the Lågskär Lighthouse, part of Åland's "Lighthouses series", with a denomination of 2.10 Finnish markka (fm). It was issued on 8 May 1992 and remained valid until 30 June 2002.[4]

Architecture and features
Lågskär Lighthouse (c. 1939-1945)

The 23-metre (75 ft) light is designed as a concrete tower, square in shape, with a lantern and gallery. The tower is painted red and the lantern white. There is also a 1.5 storey keeper's house and other light station buildings. It is a functional navigational guide and has a range of 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi).[5] The lens has a focal plane of 42 metres (138 ft) with white light flashing every 12 seconds.[5] The lighthouse has run on wind power since 1986. Since automation, the outbuildings and the tower have been used as an ornithological station.[6]

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See also

References
  1. List of Lights, Pub. 116: Baltic Sea with Kattegat, Belts and Sound and Gulf of Bothnia (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2015.
  2. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the Åland Islands". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  3. "Lågskär". majakkamestarit.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  4. "Stamp catalog : Stamp " Lågskär lighthouse". Colnect. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  5. "Lågskär Light". Lighthouse Digest. Foghorn Publishing. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  6. "Lighthouses of the Åland Islands". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
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