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Fastnet Lighthouse

Fastnet Lighthouse is a 54m high lighthouse situated on the remote Fastnet Rock in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the most southerly point of Ireland and lies 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) southwest of Cape Clear Island and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from County Cork on the Irish mainland.[1] The current lighthouse is the second to be built on the rock and is the tallest in Ireland.

Fastnet Lighthouse
The second lighthouse on Fastnet Rock. The lower portion of the first lighthouse is also visible at right.
LocationFastnet Rock, County Cork, Republic of Ireland
Coordinates51°23′16″N 9°36′11″W / 51.38778°N 9.60306°W / 51.38778; -9.60306
Tower
Constructed1897 
Designed byWilliam Douglass 
Constructiongranite 
Automated1989 
Height54 m (177 ft) 
ShapeTapered cylindrical tower with lantern and double gallery
Markingswhite 
OperatorCommissioners of Irish Lights 
Racon
Light
First lit27 June 1904 
Focal height49 m (161 ft) 
Lensfirst order Fresnel lens 
Intensity2,500,000 candela 
Range27 nmi (50 km; 31 mi) 
Characteristic Fl W 5s 
Ireland no.CIL-0010
Original lighthouse
Constructed1854 
Designed byGeorge Halpin 
Constructioncast iron, brick 
Height91 ft (28 m) 
First lit1 January 1854 
Intensity38 kilocandela 

First lighthouse

Construction of the first lighthouse began in 1853, and it first produced a light on 1 January 1854. The lighthouse replaced an early one built on Cape Clear Island in 1818, partly motivated by the loss of an American sailing packet, Stephen Whitney, in thick fog during November 1847 on nearby West Calf Island causing the death of 92 of her 110 passengers and crew. The new lighthouse was constructed of cast iron with an inner lining of brick and was designed by George Halpin. Costing £17,390, the tower was 63 feet 9 inches (19.43 m) tall with a 27 feet 8 inches (8.43 m) high lantern structure on top, giving a total height of around 91 feet (28 m). It had an oil-burning lamp of 38 kilocandelas; in contrast, modern lighthouses typically produce 1,300 kilocandelas. In 1883 an explosive fog signal was installed, which electrically detonated a small charge of guncotton every five minutes.

The tower proved to be too weak since gales shook it to the point that crockery was sometimes thrown off tables, and a 60 imperial gallon (273 L) cask of water lashed to the gallery 133 feet (41 m) above high water was washed away. Various steps were taken to strengthen the tower, including fitting a casing around the bottom section up to the second floor and filling it with stone, and the surrounding rock smoothed over. In 1865 the lower floors were filled in with solid material.

Second lighthouse

In 1891 the Commissioners of Irish Lights had resolved that the light was not sufficiently powerful, particularly for the first landfall for many ships crossing the Atlantic. The replacement was constructed of stone, cast iron now being considered unsatisfactory – the whole of the nearby Calf tower above its strengthening casing had been carried away during a gale on 27 November 1881, although without loss of life. On the same day, the sea had broken the glass of the Fastnet Rock lantern.

 
Dovetail granite is evident during early foundation construction as published in Scientific American

The new lighthouse was designed by William Douglass and built under the supervision of James Kavanagh.[2] Construction started in 1897 with the levelling of the site, and the first of 2,047 Cornish granite dovetailed blocks was laid in June 1899. As well as these blocks, weighing 4,300 tons in total and with a volume of 58,093 cubic feet (1,645.0 cubic metres), a further 4,100 cubic feet (120 cubic metres) of granite was used to fill the inside of the tower up to the level of the entrance floor 58 feet (18 m) above high-water mark. A small steamship, the Ierne, was specially constructed for carrying the blocks out to the island, and Kavanagh personally set every stone, which weighed between 1¾ and 3 tons. The new lighthouse entered service on 27 June 1904 having cost nearly £90,000.

The masonry tower is 146 feet (45 m) high, but the focal point of the light is 159 feet (48 m) above high-water mark. The base of the lighthouse is 52 feet (16 m) in diameter with the first course of stone 6 inches (150 mm) below the high-water mark, and the first ten of the 89 courses built into the rock. The first floor of the original tower remains, on the highest part of the rock, having been left when it was demolished and converted into an oil store.

The fog signal was changed to one report every three minutes in 1934 and from 1965 accompanied by a brilliant flash when operated during darkness. The original vaporised paraffin light was replaced with an electric one on 10 May 1969. At the end of March 1989, the lighthouse was converted to automatic operation. It is monitored and controlled using a UHF telemetry link to Mizen Head Lighthouse in County Cork, and onwards by landline to the control centre at Dún Laoghaire.

It produces a 0.14-second white flash every five seconds, with a nominal range of 27 nautical miles (50 kilometres) and a power of 2,500 kilocandelas. Since April 1978 in addition to being operated during darkness, the light is also used during poor visibility. In 1974 the explosive fog signal was replaced with an electric foghorn producing four blasts every minute at 300 hertz with a nominal range of 3.9 nautical miles (7.2 kilometres). Following a review of navigational aids, the fog signal was permanently shut down on 11 January 2011.[3] The Raconradar transponder beacon – has been a morse G on the radar display since its installation in 1994.

In 1985, the lighthouse was struck by a rogue wave about 157 feet (48 m) high.[4]

On 16 October 2017, a wind gust of 191 kilometres per hour (119 mph) was recorded at the lighthouse, during a tropical storm, Hurricane Ophelia. This is an Irish record, based on measurements going back to the 1860s. The previous record was 181 kilometres per hour (112 mph) at Malin Head during Hurricane Debbie in 1961.[citation needed]

Fastnet Rock

 
Fastnet Rock

Fastnet Rock, or simply Fastnet, (possibly from Old Norse Hvasstein-ey 'sharp-stone isle' is also called Carraig Aonair, meaning "lonely rock" in Irish)[citation needed]. It is a small clay-slate islet with quartz veins, and rises to about 30 metres (98 ft) above the low water mark and is separated from the much smaller Little Fastnet to the south by a 10-metre (33 ft) wide channel. Fastnet is known as "Ireland's Teardrop", because it was the last part of Ireland that 19th-century Irish emigrants saw as they sailed to North America.[5][4]

Fastnet also gives its name to the sea area used by the Shipping Forecasts transmitted by the BBC.[6]

Fastnet Rock is used as the midpoint of one of the world's classic offshore yachting races, the Fastnet Race, a 1,126-kilometre (700 mi) round trip from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, around the rock and back to Plymouth. It is also sometimes used as a mark for yacht races from local sailing centres such as Schull, Baltimore, and Crookhaven.


See also

References

  1. ^ "Ireland – Geographical facts and figures". Travel through the Ireland story... Retrieved 15 September 2007.
  2. ^ "James Kavanagh and the Fastnet Lighthouse"
  3. ^ "Fastnet Lighthouse". Commissioners of Irish Lights. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  4. ^ a b "The Story of the Fastnet" – The Economist Magazine 18 December 2008
  5. ^ Paul Clements (1 June 2015). The Rough Guide to Ireland. Rough Guides Limited. p. 377. ISBN 978-0-241-23620-8.
  6. ^ "BBC Weather - Shipping Forecast". BBC Weather. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

Sources

  • Morrissey, James (2005). A History of Fastnet Lighthouse. Columbia Press. ISBN 978-0-9512826-6-3
  • The Fastnet Lighthouse: Light on a lonely rock, The Economist 18 Dec 2008
  • C.W. Scott, History of Fastnet Lighthouses, Schull Books 2001
  • R. Coates, 'Fastnet', Nomina 20 (1997), pp. 37–46
  • Fastnet Lighthouse Vital Statistics 29 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  • Pictures of the lighthouse
  • Mizen Head Signal Station

External links

  • Fastnet Rock Commissioners of Irish Lights
  • Fastnet Rock Tour from Baltimore and Cape Clear Island
  • Fastnet Construction

fastnet, lighthouse, high, lighthouse, situated, remote, fastnet, rock, atlantic, ocean, most, southerly, point, ireland, lies, kilometres, southwest, cape, clear, island, kilometres, from, county, cork, irish, mainland, current, lighthouse, second, built, roc. Fastnet Lighthouse is a 54m high lighthouse situated on the remote Fastnet Rock in the Atlantic Ocean It is the most southerly point of Ireland and lies 6 5 kilometres 4 0 mi southwest of Cape Clear Island and 13 kilometres 8 1 mi from County Cork on the Irish mainland 1 The current lighthouse is the second to be built on the rock and is the tallest in Ireland Fastnet LighthouseThe second lighthouse on Fastnet Rock The lower portion of the first lighthouse is also visible at right LocationFastnet Rock County Cork Republic of IrelandCoordinates51 23 16 N 9 36 11 W 51 38778 N 9 60306 W 51 38778 9 60306TowerConstructed1897 Designed byWilliam Douglass Constructiongranite Automated1989 Height54 m 177 ft ShapeTapered cylindrical tower with lantern and double galleryMarkingswhite OperatorCommissioners of Irish Lights RaconG LightFirst lit27 June 1904 Focal height49 m 161 ft Lensfirst order Fresnel lens Intensity2 500 000 candela Range27 nmi 50 km 31 mi CharacteristicFl W 5s Ireland no CIL 0010Original lighthouseConstructed1854 Designed byGeorge Halpin Constructioncast iron brick Height91 ft 28 m First lit1 January 1854 Intensity38 kilocandela Contents 1 First lighthouse 2 Second lighthouse 3 Fastnet Rock 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksFirst lighthouse EditConstruction of the first lighthouse began in 1853 and it first produced a light on 1 January 1854 The lighthouse replaced an early one built on Cape Clear Island in 1818 partly motivated by the loss of an American sailing packet Stephen Whitney in thick fog during November 1847 on nearby West Calf Island causing the death of 92 of her 110 passengers and crew The new lighthouse was constructed of cast iron with an inner lining of brick and was designed by George Halpin Costing 17 390 the tower was 63 feet 9 inches 19 43 m tall with a 27 feet 8 inches 8 43 m high lantern structure on top giving a total height of around 91 feet 28 m It had an oil burning lamp of 38 kilocandelas in contrast modern lighthouses typically produce 1 300 kilocandelas In 1883 an explosive fog signal was installed which electrically detonated a small charge of guncotton every five minutes The tower proved to be too weak since gales shook it to the point that crockery was sometimes thrown off tables and a 60 imperial gallon 273 L cask of water lashed to the gallery 133 feet 41 m above high water was washed away Various steps were taken to strengthen the tower including fitting a casing around the bottom section up to the second floor and filling it with stone and the surrounding rock smoothed over In 1865 the lower floors were filled in with solid material Second lighthouse EditIn 1891 the Commissioners of Irish Lights had resolved that the light was not sufficiently powerful particularly for the first landfall for many ships crossing the Atlantic The replacement was constructed of stone cast iron now being considered unsatisfactory the whole of the nearby Calf tower above its strengthening casing had been carried away during a gale on 27 November 1881 although without loss of life On the same day the sea had broken the glass of the Fastnet Rock lantern Dovetail granite is evident during early foundation construction as published in Scientific American The new lighthouse was designed by William Douglass and built under the supervision of James Kavanagh 2 Construction started in 1897 with the levelling of the site and the first of 2 047 Cornish granite dovetailed blocks was laid in June 1899 As well as these blocks weighing 4 300 tons in total and with a volume of 58 093 cubic feet 1 645 0 cubic metres a further 4 100 cubic feet 120 cubic metres of granite was used to fill the inside of the tower up to the level of the entrance floor 58 feet 18 m above high water mark A small steamship the Ierne was specially constructed for carrying the blocks out to the island and Kavanagh personally set every stone which weighed between 1 and 3 tons The new lighthouse entered service on 27 June 1904 having cost nearly 90 000 The masonry tower is 146 feet 45 m high but the focal point of the light is 159 feet 48 m above high water mark The base of the lighthouse is 52 feet 16 m in diameter with the first course of stone 6 inches 150 mm below the high water mark and the first ten of the 89 courses built into the rock The first floor of the original tower remains on the highest part of the rock having been left when it was demolished and converted into an oil store The fog signal was changed to one report every three minutes in 1934 and from 1965 accompanied by a brilliant flash when operated during darkness The original vaporised paraffin light was replaced with an electric one on 10 May 1969 At the end of March 1989 the lighthouse was converted to automatic operation It is monitored and controlled using a UHF telemetry link to Mizen Head Lighthouse in County Cork and onwards by landline to the control centre at Dun Laoghaire It produces a 0 14 second white flash every five seconds with a nominal range of 27 nautical miles 50 kilometres and a power of 2 500 kilocandelas Since April 1978 in addition to being operated during darkness the light is also used during poor visibility In 1974 the explosive fog signal was replaced with an electric foghorn producing four blasts every minute at 300 hertz with a nominal range of 3 9 nautical miles 7 2 kilometres Following a review of navigational aids the fog signal was permanently shut down on 11 January 2011 3 The Racon radar transponder beacon has been a morse G on the radar display since its installation in 1994 In 1985 the lighthouse was struck by a rogue wave about 157 feet 48 m high 4 On 16 October 2017 a wind gust of 191 kilometres per hour 119 mph was recorded at the lighthouse during a tropical storm Hurricane Ophelia This is an Irish record based on measurements going back to the 1860s The previous record was 181 kilometres per hour 112 mph at Malin Head during Hurricane Debbie in 1961 citation needed Fastnet Rock Edit Fastnet Rock redirects here For the racehorse see Fastnet Rock horse Fastnet Rock Fastnet Rock or simply Fastnet possibly from Old Norse Hvasstein ey sharp stone isle is also called Carraig Aonair meaning lonely rock in Irish citation needed It is a small clay slate islet with quartz veins and rises to about 30 metres 98 ft above the low water mark and is separated from the much smaller Little Fastnet to the south by a 10 metre 33 ft wide channel Fastnet is known as Ireland s Teardrop because it was the last part of Ireland that 19th century Irish emigrants saw as they sailed to North America 5 4 Fastnet also gives its name to the sea area used by the Shipping Forecasts transmitted by the BBC 6 Fastnet Rock is used as the midpoint of one of the world s classic offshore yachting races the Fastnet Race a 1 126 kilometre 700 mi round trip from Cowes on the Isle of Wight around the rock and back to Plymouth It is also sometimes used as a mark for yacht races from local sailing centres such as Schull Baltimore and Crookhaven See also Edit Ireland portal Engineering portal Carraig Aonair The Lone Rock folksong about a disaster on the rock List of lighthouses in Ireland List of islands of IrelandReferences Edit Ireland Geographical facts and figures Travel through the Ireland story Retrieved 15 September 2007 James Kavanagh and the Fastnet Lighthouse Fastnet Lighthouse Commissioners of Irish Lights Retrieved 17 December 2018 a b The Story of the Fastnet The Economist Magazine 18 December 2008 Paul Clements 1 June 2015 The Rough Guide to Ireland Rough Guides Limited p 377 ISBN 978 0 241 23620 8 BBC Weather Shipping Forecast BBC Weather Retrieved 4 March 2021 Sources EditMorrissey James 2005 A History of Fastnet Lighthouse Columbia Press ISBN 978 0 9512826 6 3 The Fastnet Lighthouse Light on a lonely rock The Economist 18 Dec 2008 C W Scott History of Fastnet Lighthouses Schull Books 2001 R Coates Fastnet Nomina 20 1997 pp 37 46 Fastnet Lighthouse Vital Statistics Archived 29 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine Pictures of the lighthouse Mizen Head Signal Station 9 28 1907 Fastnet Rock Lighthouses As Seen From Ooean LinersExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fastnet Light Fastnet Rock Commissioners of Irish Lights Fastnet Rock Tour from Baltimore and Cape Clear Island Fastnet Construction Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fastnet Lighthouse amp oldid 1122785992 Fastnet Rock, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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