Lighthouse of Ponta Negra

The Lighthouse of Ponta Negra (Portuguese: Farolim da Ponta Negra) is a beacon/lighthouse located along the cliffs of promontory of Ponta Negra, in the municipality of Vila do Corvo, on the Portuguese island of Corvo, in the archipelago of the Azores.

Lighthouse of Ponta Negra
Farolim da Ponta Negra
Azores
Location Corvo, Vila do Corvo
Coordinates39°40′11.74″N 31°6′52.73″W
Year first constructed1910
AutomatedFebruary 1987
Constructionconcrete tower
Tower shapehexagonal tower with balcony and beacon
Markings / patternwhite tower
Tower height3 metres (9.8 ft)
Focal height22 metres (72 ft)
Light sourcemains power
Range6 mi (9.7 km)
CharacteristicFl W 5s.
Fog signalNo
Admiralty numberD2712
NGA number23280
ARLHS number882[1]
Managing agentDirectorate for Lighthouses
(Direcção de Faróis)
HeritageUnclassified

History

An agrarian view of Ponta Negra, including windmills and the old metal tower and shed on the edge of Ponta Negra

The small lighthouse was constructed in November 1910, with a sixth order diotropic light, providing a fixed white light, that ranged to 10 miles (16 km), supported by acetylene gas.[2]

In 1955, construction began on a modernization of the light.[2] By May 1956, the new light was inaugurated, this time using a fourth-order diotropic light, in groups of double clarions, with a 15 miles (24 km) range.[2]

Its power source was changed in February 1987, to photovoltaic panels, and converted to a solar panel-battery reserve system by the first decade of the 21st century.[2]

Architecture

This light is located on the clifftop promontory of Ponta Negra, on the southern coast of Corvo (west of the port of Boqueirão) alongside the traditional windmills; it is at the edge of the Caminho dos Moinhos near the westernmost windmill of the group.[2]

Originally the illuminating tower was an ironwork structure 6 metres (20 ft) high, with small cabana-like metal annex, painted in red.[2] The modern building consists of a beacon mounted to a hexagonal tower, constructed of reinforced concrete.[2] The small tower is 3 metres (9.8 ft) high, and the current light is 23 metres (75 ft) above sea level, providing a range of sight to 6 miles (9.7 km), using a simple white beacon with five second interval.[2]

See also

References

Notes

  1. Ponta Negra The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved March 18, 2016
  2. Costa, Patrícia; Gavinha, José A.; Ferreira, Teresa (2012), SIPA (ed.), Farol da Ponta Negra (IPA.00015925/PT072001010001) (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico, retrieved 30 August 2015

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
  • "Faróis de Portugal", Ciência Viva (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Ministério da Marinha Portuguesa, Direcção de Faróis, 2005
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