Lighthouses. Victoria Charles

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      Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point of Africa and the location of the official meeting point of two powerful oceanic currents, the warm Agulhas current and the cold, dangerous Benguela current. The cape boasts a remarkable lighthouse. This landmark was the third lighthouse to be built on the coast of South Africa. It was built in 1849, and its design was inspired by the legendary Pharos of Alexandria. The structure underwent restoration in 1968 after it was declared unsafe. It is now a monument that houses a museum and remains an active beacon, flashing its white light every five seconds.

      The cape’s name means “Needle Cape”, because at its location the compass needle points straight north. The name may also hint at the danger of the coastline with its sharp reefs and the rough seas and stormy weather of the area. The seafloor here is covered with remnants of shipwrecks such as the Arniston (1815), Elise (1877) and Gwendola (1968), to name a few.

      Cape Recife Lighthouse, 1851.

      Masonry, height: 24 m. Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

      Flashing white light every 30 seconds.

      Mouille Point Lighthouse, 1824.

      Cape Town, South Africa.

      Danger Point Lighthouse, 1895.

      Height: 18.3 m. Gansbaai, South Africa.

      Three flashes every 40 seconds.

      Originally named the Ponte de São Brandão by Bartholomew Diaz in 1488, this point was dubbed Danger Point due to its treacherous reef and rocky coastline. It is also known for its large population of great white sharks in the seas off the coast.

      Before the lighthouse was constructed, the HMS Birkenhead, a British ship carrying troops and their families, was wrecked on the reef, claiming 450 lives. Now the lighthouse is a powerful beacon, as well as a memorial site to this incident.

      Donkin Lighthouse, 1862.

      Height: 26.2 m. Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

      This lighthouse at Port Elizabeth is part of the Donkin Reserve, a park overlooking Algoa Bay. Port Elizabeth was named after the wife of Sir Rufane Donkin, who was the acting governor of the Cape Colony in the early 1800s. The stone pyramid located next to the lighthouse is a memorial to her. This lighthouse is no longer active, having been decommissioned in 1973, but now it serves as a tourist centre and lookout point.

      Stompneusbaai (Blunt Nose Bay) Lead Light, c. 1920s.

      Brick, height: 8 m. Stompneusbaai, Shelley Point, South Africa.

      Cape Columbine Lighthouse, 1936.

      Cape Columbine, South Africa. One white flash every 15 seconds, range: 32 nautical miles.

      Rabat Lighthouse, 1920.

      Height: 24 m. Rabat, Morocco. Two white flashes every 6 seconds, range: 16 nautical miles.

      Asia

      Johor Strait Lighthouse.

      Concrete, height: 12 m. Johor Strait, Singapore. One white flash every 10 seconds.

      Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, 1892.

      Brick, height: 20 m. Burgos, Ilocos Norte, Philippines.

      Basco Lighthouse, 2003.

      Concrete, height: 20 m. Basco, Philippines. One white flash every 4 seconds.

      Tikiu (Chikiu) Misaki Light, 1920.

      Concrete, height: 15 m. Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan. Two white flashes every 30 seconds, range: 28 nautical miles.

      Telaga Harbour Lighthouse.

      Langkawi, Malaysia.

      Yokohama Marine Tower, 1961.

      Steel, height: 106 m. Yokohama, Japan. One flash every 20 seconds, range: 25 nautical miles.

      Standing 106 metres high, the Yokohama Marine Tower is the tallest lighthouse in the world. It has an observation deck at the 100-metre mark, from which visitors can see Mount Fuji on a clear day. It was opened in 1961 to mark the 100^th anniversary of the Yokohama seaport. The light originally flashed every twenty seconds and alternated between red and green. After it was closed for renovations and reopened in 2009, the light was changed to white and remains so.

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