Lighthouse of Ponta dos Rosais

Lighthouse of Ponta dos Rosais (Farol da Ponta dos Rosais)
Rosais Point Lighthouse
Lighthouse (Farol)
The front façade of the Ponta dos Rosais Lighthouse and complex, abandoned after the 1964 Rosais Earthquake
Official name: Farol da Ponta dos Rosais
Name origin: ponta dos rosais Portuguese for Rosais Point, the extreme western point on the island of São Jorge
Country  Portugal
Autonomous Region  Azores
Group Central
Island São Jorge
Municipality Velas
Location Ponta dos Rosias
 - elevation 233 m (764 ft)
 - coordinates 38°45′13″N 28°18′42″W / 38.75361°N 28.31167°W / 38.75361; -28.31167Coordinates: 38°45′13″N 28°18′42″W / 38.75361°N 28.31167°W / 38.75361; -28.31167
Length 47.0 m (154 ft), Northwest-Southeast
Width 38.25 m (125 ft), Southwest-Northeast
Height 34 m (112 ft)
Altitude 200 m (656 ft)
Style Modern
Material Cement
Origin c. 1958
 - Initiated 1 May 1958
 - Completed c. 1964
Abandoned 1 January 1980
 - Automated 5 July 1982
Owner Portuguese Republic
For public Public
Visitation Closed to Visits
Management Marinha de Portugal
Operator Direcção de Faróis
ARLHS[1] AZO-019
Admiralty[2] D2683
NGA[3] 23448
Type Dioptric-retroreflecting, with a third-order rotational beacon
Focal distance 500 mm
Beam distance 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi)
Location of the lighthouse on the island of São Jorge
Wikimedia Commons: Rosais Lighthouse

The Ponta dos Rosais Lighthouse (Portuguese: Farol da Ponta dos Rosais) is a beacon/lighthouse located along the 200m cliffs of Ponta dos Rosais near Rosais in the extreme northwest of the island of São Jorge, in the Archipelago of the Azores, Portugal. It includes the main 200 m structure/tower and several living quarters and auxiliary buildings constructed for the maintenance and operation of the lighthouse, currently abandoned and in ruins. This includes structures such as a motor-pool, a communal hearth and a series of concrete lavoirs for washing, as well as the larger block devoted to administration and private residences.

History

The lighthouse is located at the extreme western coast of São Jorge, accessible by a single dirt road

There was already a notion, by 1890, that a beacon was necessary on the western coast of São Jorge, and a lighthouse was planned for the region.[4]

In 1956, the project was continued by the Comissão Administrativa das Novas Instalações (Administrative Commission for New Installations), an arm of the Portuguese Navy (with a completion predicted for 1957).[4] Yet, by that time the project continued to be audited by the Administrative Commission of the Navy.[4]

At the conclusion of the building project (in 1958), the installation of the equipment began on 1 May, which included mounting of the dual-optical cathode beacon which permitted a 500 metre focal distance.[4] Power was provided by groups of groups of engines that provided power to its 3000 watt/110 volt acetylene lamp.[4]It was finally completed and inaugurated in 1964. At the time of its construction, it was the most advanced lighthouse in the Portuguese network. It was also a self-sufficient complex, with residences for several families, an independent water supply and a power-source to operate independently from the rest of the parish.

Shortly after the lighthouse was completed, it was abandoned during the 1964 Rosais Earthquake, when seismic events and an underwater eruption hit the Ponta dos Rosais, causing damage to 900 homes and 400 buildings in the parish of Rosais.[4] The earthquake caused enough panic to warrant the evacuation of its residents to the neighbouring island of Terceira, which included the temporary evacuation of the lighthouse families. Over time these fears were mitigated and life resumed at the complex.

There was a substitution of the main lamp for dioptic model with 150 mm focal distance, and with 50 watt/12 volt capacity and supported by batteries charged by photovoltaic solar panels. The change, although more efficient, allowed the beacon to be seen for 8 miles (13 km).

Then, on 1 January 1980, a series of seismic events, in the order of 7 on the Richter magnitude scale caused destruction to homes on Terceira, Graciosa, Faial and São Jorge islands. These events caused significant damage to the structure of the lighthouse and buildings, necessitating a complete abandonment of the complex.[4]

The lighthouse was automated and reopened on 5 July 1982.[4]

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Identification Codes", ARLHS World List of Lights (WLOL), Merchantville, New Jersey: Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society/The Weidner Publishing Group., 2003, retrieved 18 July 2011
  2. ↑ "Notice to Mariners", Admiralty List of Lights (ALL), Tauton, Sommerset, England: United Kingdom Hydrohraphic Office, 2011, retrieved 18 July 2011
  3. ↑ "Maritime Safety Information", NGA List of Lights, Springfield, Virginia: U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), 2011, retrieved 18 July 2011
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Costa, Patrícia (2003), SIPA, ed., Farol dos Rosais (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico
Sources
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