Longships Lighthouse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Longships Lighthouse
Longships Lighthouse - geograph.org.uk - 188226.jpg
Longships lighthouse from the seaward side
Longships Lighthouse is located in Cornwall
Longships Lighthouse
Cornwall
LocationLand's End
Cornwall
England
Coordinates50°4′00.69″N 5°44′48.39″W / 50.0668583°N 5.7467750°W / 50.0668583; -5.7467750Coordinates: 50°4′00.69″N 5°44′48.39″W / 50.0668583°N 5.7467750°W / 50.0668583; -5.7467750
Year first constructed1795 (first)
Year first lit1875 (current)
Automated1988
Constructiongranite tower
Tower shapetapered cylindrical tower with lantern and helipad on the top
Markings / patternunpainted tower, white lantern
Tower height35 m (115 ft)
Focal height35 m (115 ft)
Current lensFirst Order Dioptric
Intensity14,400 Candela
Range15 nmi (28 km; 17 mi)
CharacteristicIso WR 10s.
Fog signalone second blast every 10 seconds
Admiralty numberA0028
NGA number114-0024
ARLHS numberENG 069
Managing agentTrinity House[1]

Longships Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse about 1.25 mi (2.01 km) off the coast of Land's End in Cornwall, England. It is the second lighthouse to be built on Carn Bras, the highest of the Longships islets which rises 39 feet (12 m) above high water level. In 1988 the lighthouse was automated, and the keepers withdrawn. It is now remotely monitored from the Trinity House Operations & Planning Centre in Harwich.[2]

History[edit]

Longships lighthouse from the landward side

The original tower was built in 1795 to the design of Trinity House architect Samuel Wyatt. The lantern was 79 feet (24 m) above sea level but very high seas obscured its light.[3]

In 1869 Trinity House began constructing a replacement.[4] The building of the present granite tower used much of the equipment that had previously been used in the construction of the Wolf Rock Lighthouse.[4] The tower was first lit in December 1873 having cost £43,870 to build.[4] Even after these improvements, the S.S. Bluejacket was wrecked on rocks near the lighthouse on a clear night in 1898, nearly demolishing the lighthouse in the process.

Often due to bad weather there is a delay in relieving the men and supplying stores. In January 1901 there was some concern that the men had run short of provisions due to the severe weather. It was found that there was plenty of stores and the only hardship was their lack of tobacco. They had taken to smoking coffee, hops and tea leaves instead.[5]

Operation[edit]

The current lantern emits one long five-second flash every ten seconds. Seaward flashes are white but they become red - due to tinted sectors - for any vessel straying too close to either Cape Cornwall to the north or Gwennap Head to the south-southeast. The white light has a range of 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi), and the red sector light a slightly shorter range of 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi). During poor visibility the fog horn sounds once every ten seconds.[6]

See also[edit]


References[edit]

  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Southwest England (Devon and Cornwall)". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Longships Lighthouse". Lighthouses and lightvessels. Trinity House. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  3. ^ Trinity House website; Longships lighthouse Archived 17 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine.; retrieved April 2010
  4. ^ a b c Nicholson, Christopher (1995). Rock lighthouses of Britain The end of an era?. Whittles Publishing. pp. 72–73. ISBN 1-870325-41-9.
  5. ^ "Driven To Smoking Tea-Leaves". The Cornubian and Redruth Times (1962). 25 January 1901. p. 3.
  6. ^ List of Lights, Pub. 114: British Isles, English Channel and North Sea (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2016. p. 1.

External links[edit]