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Portzic Lighthouse

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(Redirected from Pointe du Portzic)
Phare du Portzic
Phare du Portzic
The lighthouse from the sea in January 2006
Map
LocationGoulet de Brest, Brest, Finistère, France Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates48°21′30″N 4°32′03″W / 48.3583°N 4.5342°W / 48.3583; -4.5342
Tower
Constructed1848 Edit this on Wikidata
Constructiongranite (tower) Edit this on Wikidata
Automated1994 Edit this on Wikidata
Height35 m (115 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapeoctagon Edit this on Wikidata
Markingsunpainted (tower), red (lantern) Edit this on Wikidata
Power sourcemains electricity Edit this on Wikidata
Heritagelisted in the general inventory of cultural heritage Edit this on Wikidata
Light
Focal height56 m (184 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Range17 nmi (31 km; 20 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicOc(2) WR 12s Edit this on Wikidata
France no.FR-0655

The Portzic Lighthouse (French: phare du Portzic) is situated on the north-eastern extremity of the Goulet de Brest (Finistère, France) and is the nearest lighthouse to the town of Brest. It is a 35 metres (115 ft) tall octagonal tower.[1][2] On the seaward side of the bottleneck entrance to the goulet, the lighthouse faces the Pointe des Espagnols.

It was built on military land in 1848, at the same time as the phare du Petit Minou (started slightly earlier to the north of the Goulet. It was electrified in 1953 and automated in 1994[2] (though a semaphore post set up at its base in 1987 to regulate traffic in and out of the goulet is still permanently manned).

Characteristics

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  • Signals: 1 main light for the sector with 2 flashes every 10 seconds (2 second flash then 6 second flash), accompanied by 2 twinkling directional lights in the direction of the Goulet, one continuous (one flash per second, known as the North signal, indicates to a navigator that he finds himself to the north of the channel), the other with 6 short flashes (one per second) and a long flash, known as the South signal, indicating to the navigator that he finds himself to the south of the channel.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Brittany: Southern Finistère". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Base Mérimée: Phare du Portzic, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)