Lighthouse of Carapacho

Lighthouse of Carapacho
*Farol Ponta do Carapacho*
	The Nationalist-style tower of Carapacho and utility building, alongside the lighthouse-keepers' house
	Portugal Azores
Location	Santa Cruz da Graciosa; Graciosa Island; Azores; Portugal
Coordinates	39°00′51.4″N 27°57′18.5″W
Year first constructed	1956
Automated	1978
Construction	concrete tower[1]
Tower shape	cylindrical tower with eight ribs rising from a one-storey keeper's house with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern	unpainted tower, red lantern dome and trim
Tower height	14 metres (46 ft)
Focal height	191 metres (627 ft)
Original lens	Fourth-order light with three clarions
Current lens	crystal optic with a six-order light with three clarion, rotational beacon
Light source	mains power
Intensity	50 Watt/12 Volt halogen light
Range	20 nautical miles (37 km)
Characteristic	Fl (2) W 10s.
Admiralty number	D2670[2]
NGA number	23484[3]
ARLHS number	AZO-006[4]
Portugal number	PT-792[5]
Heritage	heritage without legal protection

The Lighthouse of Carapacho (Portuguese: Farol do Carapacho/Ponta da Restinga) is a beacon/lighthouse located along the cliffs of Ponta da Restinga, near the hamlet of Carapacho, civil parish of Luz on the island of Graciosa, the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.

History

A view of the village of Carapacho from the promontory of Restinga

A view of the islets of Restinga off the coast

The 1883 Plano Geral de Alumiamento (Illumiation General Plan), proposed the construction of a fourth-order lighthouse, that would flash each minute and have a 19 nautical miles (35 km) range.

On 11 November 1902, the Comissão dos Faróis e Balizas (Commission on Lighthouses and Beacons) proposed alterations to the General Plan approved in 1883, in which the lighthouse became a fifth-order structure, using a three-flash 10 second variable range beacon, with a range of use between 10–94 nautical miles (19–174 km) for clear, medium and tempetuous weather.

The lighthouse began function on 26 May 1956, equipped with a diotropic fifth-order optics, with a focal distance of 187.5 millimetres (7.38 in), moved by a clockwork mechanism. This first beacon used an incandescent red acetyline light, in two groups with a 19 nautical miles (35 km) range.

By 1961, the light became a white beacon, improving its range to 20 nautical miles (37 km)

A solar valve system was installed in 1978, that allowed the light to become active or disactived based on the atmospheric conditions.

It was only in 1987 when the lighthouse joined the electrical network on the island. At the same time the optics were substituted by a sixth-order lamp with a focal distance of 150 millimetres (5.9 in) and the lamp was upgraded to a 50 Watt/12 Volt halogen light, supported by battery and secured by exterior network.

Architecture

It is situated on the southeastern tip of the island of Graciosa, on a promontory a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the village of Carapacho.

It is comparable to similar structures on the island of São Miguel, specifically the lighthouses at Ponta Garça and Ponta do Cintrão. The lighthouse consists of a round concrete tower, constructed with ribs, rising from a one-story building.

Accessible by road, the site is open to the public with access to the interior on Wednesday afternoons.

References

Notes

Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Portugal: Azores". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
"Notice to Mariners", Admiralty List of Lights (ALL), Taunton, Sommerset, England: United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, 2011, retrieved 18 July 2011
"Maritime Safety Information", NGA List of Lights, Springfield, Virginia: U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), 2011, retrieved 18 July 2011
"Identification Codes", ARLHS World List of Lights (WLOL), Merchantville, New Jersey: Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society/The Weidner Publishing Group., 2003, retrieved 18 July 2011
Carapacho The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved March 18, 2016

Sources

Eduardo Carvalho Vieira, Furtado (2005), Guardiães do Mar dos Açores: uma viagem pelas ilhas do Atlântico [Guardians of The Azores’ Seas: One Direction On These Atlantic Islands] (in Portuguese), p. 289, ISBN 972-9060-47-9
Aguilar, J. Teixeira de; Nascimento, José Carlos (1998), Onde a Terra Acaba, História dos Faróis Portugueses (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Portugal: Azores". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 10 October 2015.

[Admiralty-2] "Notice to Mariners", Admiralty List of Lights (ALL), Taunton, Sommerset, England: United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, 2011, retrieved 18 July 2011

[NGA-3] "Maritime Safety Information", NGA List of Lights, Springfield, Virginia: U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), 2011, retrieved 18 July 2011

[ARLHS-4] "Identification Codes", ARLHS World List of Lights (WLOL), Merchantville, New Jersey: Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society/The Weidner Publishing Group., 2003, retrieved 18 July 2011

[5] Carapacho The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved March 18, 2016