Farol do Cabo de São Vicente - Sagres, Portugal
Posted by: 
manchanegra
N 37° 01.378 W 008° 59.790
29S E 500311 N 4097420
This is probably the most important lighthouse in Portugal. There are rumors that in 1520 there was a light there, "a small lighthouse, rudimentary, in a special tower
Waymark Code: WM68Y7
Location: Faro, Portugal
Date Posted: 04/25/2009
Views: 16
?There are rumors that in 1520 there was a light there, "a small lighthouse, rudimentary, in a special tower of the São Francisco´s convent that the Algarve´s bishop, D. Fernando Coutinho had founded in Cape São Vicente.
Acording to the cronicles, this tower was the refuge for the monks that lived in the convent when they were atacked by pirates, saving the relic of São Vicente (St Vincent). Because of this atack, King D. João II ordered that a stronger tower would be built.
This wasn´t enough, and, in 1587, the Corsair Francis Drake atacked the convent and destroied the tower.
The lighthouse was out of work untill 1606 when the tower was rebuilt.
The Lighthouse as we know it today has the name of D. Fernando Lighthouse (even if nobody knows it by this name) and was built by order of the Queen D. Maria II.
It start working in October 1846. Inicialy it was equiped with a catoptric system. The light was white presentig 2 minutes of eclipse and 2 seconds of light. It had 16 lamps from Dr. Argand with parabólic reflectors. They used olive oil (of bad quality) as fuel and had to be filled 4 times during the night. The rotation was provided by a clock mechanism and the light could reach 6 nautical miles.
In 1897 the lighthouse was restructured and the tower was raised 5,70 m.
In 25 March 1908 the work was done. There was installed a Fresnel device with 1330mm focal distance of the hiper-radiant category. It´s the largest device installed in Portuguese lighthouses and um of the 10 largest of the world. It has 3 optical panels of 8 m2 with 3,58 m floating in 313 kgof mercury. The lamp worked with petrol. The light flashed every 5 seconds and reached 33 nautical miles.
In 1914 was installed a sound device.
In 1947 trough special panels it became also an aerial lighthouse meeting the demands of aerial navigation during WW2. A year later it was electrified.
In 1949 it was installed a radiobeacon, now deactivated.
Today it´s fully automatic and remotely controled.
The dimension and beauty of this lighthouse and the strategic importance of the place atracts thousands of visitors every year.
There´s a museum at the place and you can also visit the lighthouse.
Some technical data
Place: Cape S. Vicente
Height: 28 m
Altitude: 86 m
Light: FI W 5s
Range: 32 M
Optics: Hiper-radiant 1330 mm
Year: 1846
Stamp Issuing Country: Portugal
Date of Issue: 2008
Denomination: 0.30 Euro
Color: Red, White, Blue, Grey, Black, Brown and Magenta
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for this category, you must visit the actual site of the waymark. Post at least one photo that you personally took of the site if at all possible. If you cannot provide a photo for some reason, your visit will still be welcome.
You do NOT need to be a stamp collector to visit the waymark site, nor do you have to provide a photo of the stamp. Just having a copy of the stamp in question, however, is not sufficient; you must personally visit the site.