Morant Point Lighthouse
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Morant Point Lighthouse.
 Morant Point Lighthouse
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| Location | Morant Point, Saint Thomas, Jamaica |
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| Coordinates | 17°55′06″N 76°11′04″W / 17.9184115°N 76.1844403°WCoordinates: 17°55′06″N 76°11′04″W / 17.9184115°N 76.1844403°W[1] |
| Year first lit | 1841 |
| Foundation | Concrete[2] |
| Construction | Cast iron[2] |
| Tower shape | Conical |
| Focal height | 115 feet (35 m))[3] |
| Characteristic | three white flashes every 20s[3] |
| Admiralty number | J5282[3] |
| NGA number | 13860[3] |
| ARLHS number | JAM-004[3] |
Morant Point Lighthouse is on the easternmost tip of Jamaica.[2]
Erected in 1841 by Kru men from Africa (who were among the free Africans brought to Jamaica in the period following emancipation), it is the oldest lighthouse on the island[2] and the first cast iron lighthouse built in the Western Hemisphere.[3]
It consists of a 30 m (100 ft) iron tube, cast in London in 1841, which has a diameter of 5 m (18 ft) at the base and 3 m (11 ft) at the cap[4] with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands.[3] To protect against surf during hurricanes, a semicircular masonry wall has been built around the seaward side of the base of the lighthouse.[3]
It was designed by Alexander Gordon and built by George Grove, later a leading writer on music.[3]
It is listed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust as a historic monument, being 'of considerable interest to historians of industrial technology'.[2]
It is maintained by the Port Authority of Jamaica, an agency of the Ministry of Transport and Works.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] Gallery
[edit] References
- ^ UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica (12 sheets), 1958-1973.
- ^ a b c d e Morant Point Lighthouse, Jamaica National Heritage Trust, 2005.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rowlett, Russ (2008-10-20). "Lighthouses of Jamaica". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/jam.html.
- ^ Morant Point Lighthouse, Frans Eijgenraam, 2000.
[edit] External links
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