ELDRED ROCK LIGHTHOUSE, ALASKA, USA

Hurricane winds, estimated at ninety miles per hour, were howling down narrow Lynn Canal as the Clara Nevada started her multi-day journey from Skagway to Seattle. It was February 5th, 1898, near the peak of the Alaskan gold rush, and the three-masted passenger ship was loaded with over 800 pounds of the prized mineral, an illegal shipment of dynamite, and some one hundred passengers, including more than one frustrated fortune seeker. Just over thirty miles into her southward voyage, the ship ran aground at Eldred Rock and exploded into flames.


Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

CAPE HINCHINBROOK LIGHTHOUSE, ALASKA, USA

On the night of September 13, 1906 the steamship Oregon, captained by H.E. Soule, was en route from Seattle, WA to Valdez, AK with fifty passengers and about 900 tons of freight aboard. Due to heavy fog, the vessel was three miles off course when it ran hard aground on rocks fifty yards offshore from Hinchinbrook Island. This point of land, which marks one side of the entrance to Prince William Sound, had long been regarded a menace to navigation, and just a few months prior to the Oregon’s accident, a Congressional act of June 20th, 1906 had authorized the construction of a light and fog signal station there.


Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

PEQUENO E COLORIDO PREDADOR DAS ÁGUAS

Dedicatória ao Rei Dom Sebastião

E vós, ó bem nascida segurança
Da Lusitana antígua liberdade,
E não menos certíssima esperança
De aumento da pequena Cristandade;
Vós, ó novo temor da Maura lança,
Maravilha fatal da nossa idade,
Dada ao mundo por Deus, que todo o mande,
Para do mundo a Deus dar parte grande;

Photo & Copyright Anonymus
Poema Luis de Camoes, Os Lusiadas, Canto I, 6

NAVIO DE GPL

O Gás de Petróleo Liquefeito (GPL) é um dos produtos petrolíferos que se obtém directamente por destilação do petróleo. Os Gases de Petróleo Liquefeitos são hidrocarbonetos em C3 e C4 e suas misturas. São gasosos em condições normais de temperatura e de pressão e mantidos no estado líquido elevando a pressão ou baixando a temperatura. Os mais comuns são o propano e o butano, gases mais densos que o ar, pelo que tendem a ocupar as zonas mais baixas em caso de serem libertados para a atmosfera.


Photo Anonymus

PESCA NO ÁRCTICO

Dai-me uma fúria grande e sonorosa,
E não de agreste avena ou frauta ruda,
Mas de tuba canora e belicosa,
Que o peito acende e a cor ao gesto muda;
Dai-me igual canto aos feitos da famosa
Gente vossa, que a Marte tanto ajuda;
Que se espalhe e se cante no universo,
Se tão sublime preço cabe em verso.


Photo & Copyright Thomas
Poema Luis de Camoes, Os Lusiadas, Canto I, 5

USS RONALD REAGAN CVN-76, USA

Estaleiro Northrop Grumman Newport News
Lançamento 4 de março de 2001
Incorporação 12 de julho de 2003
Situação Em operação
Deslocamento 101.000 a 104.000 ton carga total
Comprimento 333 m total - 317 m linha d'água
Calado 11,3 m
Boca 76,8 m - 40,8 m linha d'água
Propulsão 2 × reatores nucleares Westinghouse A4W
4 × turbinas a vapor
4 x motores diesel

Velocidade 30 nós / 56 km/h
Raio de ação Sem limites em termos teóricos
Armamento 2 × Mk 57 Mod3 Sea Sparrow
2 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile
mísseis

Número de aeronaves 90 aviões e helicópteros
Tripulação mais de 5.500 tripulantes; e oitenta pilotos.
Lema Peace Through Strength (Paz através da força)
Classe Nimitz

Photo Text & Copyright Wikipédia

SENTINEL ISLAND, ALASKA, USA

Cries of “Gold! Gold in the Klondike!” sparked one of the greatest gold rushes in history. In 1896, when George Carmack and his two brothers-in-law discovered the precious metal where Bonanza Creek flowed into the Klondike River in Canada’s Yukon Territory, the area was almost uninhabited. Soon, however, an army of fortune seekers surged northward from Seattle and other Pacific port cities to try their luck in the gold fields.
The route taken by most of the stampeders led them to Skagway, situated at the northern terminus of Lynn Canal and the Inside Passage. From Skagway, the goldseekers still faced an arduous 600-mile trek before they could start panning in the frigid Klondike waters. In observation of the centennial of the Gold Rush, Alaska issued colorful license plates depicting the determined gold seekers threading their way up to Chilkoot Pass en route to the Klondike.

Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

MINOR LIGHT OF ALASKA, ODIAK PHAROS, USA

The Cordova Rose Lodge sits atop a barge named the Berry #1 that was built in 1924. The barge served as a pile driver, fish trap setter, and a houseboat before being towed to its present location in 1964. Its owners at that time, Bob and Rose Arvidson, landlocked the barge and built up the property surrounding it. Bob added the lighthouse to the site in the late 1970s to help guide him up Odiak Slough and later convinced the Coast Guard to recognize the structure as an official aid to navigation.
Eldon and Jan Glein purchased the property in 1992 and subsequently renovated the buildings and created the present Corodva Rose Lodge. The current owners, Gaye and Gary McDowell, took over the lodge in 1998 and have been upgrading the property while making sure it maintains its unique nautical feel.


Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

GUARD ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE, ALASKA, USA

Guard Islands, a pair of small, rocky islets, stand sentinel over the northern entrance to Tongass Narrows, which leads south to Ketchikan. Atop the larger of the two islands sits Guard Island Lighthouse, one of the most accessible lighthouses in Alaska. Its history is brief but eventful, much like the history of Alaska itself.
Purchased in 1867 for $7,200,000, Alaska was quite a bargain at roughly two cents an acre. Because much of it was considered an uninhabited arctic wasteland, many decried the acquisition as foolish, but thirty years later the discovery of gold precipitated a boom no one could have anticipated.

For years Native Americans and Russian fishermen, hunters, and traders had plied the waters near Ketchikan, and countless lost vessels attested to the dangers of the shallow inlets and dense fog. Although only two years after the US acquired Alaska the Senate requested a review of the Northwestern coasts to determine suitable spots for lighthouses, funding was not provided for another thirty years. Several day beacons and buoys were installed as minor aids to navigation, but it wasn’t until the Gold Rush, triggered by the 1896 discovery, that private citizens, and traders clamored loudly enough for the Lighthouse Board to receive funding for much-needed light stations.

Some speculated that Congress dragged its feet in the hope that private enterprise would provide necessary development; possibly the naysayers who viewed Alaska as the country’s largest white elephant prevented federal funds being diverted to it. Whatever the cause for the delay, in 1901 Congress finally appropriated $100,000 for lighthouse construction, ushering in an Alaskan building boom that lasted two years and resulted in eleven lighthouses, with five more constructed in later years.

Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

CAPE ST ELIAS LIGHTHOUSE, ALASKA, USA

On July 20, 1741, Captain Vitus Bering named Cape St. Elias, which peaks at a height of 1,665 feet, for the saint whose day it was according to the Russian Orthodox Church calendar. The cape is actually the southwestern end of Kayak Island, which retains the name given it in 1826 by Lieutenant Sarichef of the Russian Navy for the island’s resemblance to an Eskimo skin canoe. The defining feature of the island is Pinnacle Rock that stands a half-mile off the western end of the cape like a giant exclamation point. Due to hidden rocks and reefs, the waters around the cape were regarded as one of the most dangerous points along the entire Alaskan coast.
The first attempt at establishing a light to mark Cape St. Elias was in 1912, when the lighthouse tender Armeria left Seattle, bound for Alaska where it was scheduled to deploy fourteen acetylene light buoys. Each of these lights was equipped with storage tanks that could keep a beacon burning day and night for at least six months. While anchored off Cape Hinchinbrook in preparation for delivering supplies to the lighthouse established there in 1910, the Aremeria was driven onto an uncharted rock by heavy swells. With a hole in the hull and water entering the engine room, the captain had no choice but to beach his craft.


Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

CAPE DECISION LIGHTHOUSE, ALASKA, USA

During his voyage of discovery in 1793, Captain George Vancouver sailed throughout much of present-day Southeast Alaska bestowing names left and right on bays, islands, lakes, straits, points, coves, inlets, ports, passages, and capes; such is the prerogative of an explorer. Near the end of that year's sailing season, Vancouver reached what must have been for him an important decision, for he named the tip of the nearby island (now Kuiu Island) Cape Decision. Just off the point, Vancouver decided that he had progressed far enough north to be beyond the islands claimed by Spanish explorers. It would be over a century later before the Lighthouse Service would make the decision to build the Cape Decision Lighthouse, the last lighthouse built in Alaska.
For several years following the acquisition of Alaska in 1867, the vast majority of vessels made their way between Seattle and Juneau by following a twisting route through the myriad of islands that parallel this stretch of the northwest coast. By remaining “inside” the islands, the captains and passengers could enjoy a safer and smoother journey than that experienced “outside” the islands in the open North Pacific.


Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

SAND ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE, ALABAMA, USA

Sand Island? While that appellation was certainly applicable when the first lighthouse was built on the island, today a more appropriate name for the remaining small patch of terra firma surrounding the present lighthouse would be Granite Block Island. The island’s size exceeded 400 acres in the 1800s, but today, it is has shrunk to less than one acre.
Sand Island is located roughly three miles offshore from the primary Mobile Bay entrance, which is bounded on the east by Mobile Point and on the west by Dauphin Island. On May 23, 1828, Congress empowered the Secretary of the Treasury to place an “iron spindle” lighthouse on the outer bar of Mobile Bay. The tower, visible from a distance of six miles, was completed in 1830.

Mariners soon complained about the inadequacy of the lighthouse, and on March 3, 1837 Congress responded with an allotment of $10,000 for an improved lighthouse on Sand Island. The lighthouse, built by Winslow Lewis, rose to a height of fifty-five feet and was fitted with fourteen lamps backed by sixteen-inch reflectors. Lewis completed the project under budget, returning $1,101 to the government. John McCloud served as the first keeper of the lighthouse, which was outshone by the more powerful Mobile Point Lighthouse and was thus considered a second-class beacon.


Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

MOBILE POINT LIGHTHOUSE, ALABAMA, USA

The fact that Alabama has the shortest coastline of any Gulf Coast state is offset by its having the Gulf Coast’s largest bay – Mobile Bay. Recognizing the importance of the bay, the United States took control of it during the War of 1812. Work began on a fort at the bay’s entrance in 1819, two years before Spain officially ceded the region to the United States. The fort was built at Mobile Point, located at the western extreme of the peninsula that stretches across much of Mobile Bay’s mouth. Completed in 1834, the fort was named Fort Morgan in honor of General Daniel Morgan, a Revolutionary War hero.

Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

MIDDLE BAY LIGHTHOUSE, ALABAMA, USA

Captain John Grant is rightly known as the “Father of Gulf Coast Transportation,” and several of his transportation projects are tightly coupled with Gulf Coast lighthouses. At the age of twenty-five, Grant perfected a dredge and used it from 1826 to 1829 to deepen the passes into the harbor at Mobile. A year after the dredging, the Choctaw Lighthouse was built to aid vessels that could now reach the port. Grant next turned his talents to the construction of the railroad linking New Orleans with Milneburg on Lake Pontchartain. Port Pontchartrain was established at the railroad’s terminus in Milneburg, and several lighthouses were subsequently constructed to improve navigation into the port. Grant’s name is mostly closely associated with his dredging in 1839 of a pass linking Mississippi Sound with Mobile Bay. Known as Grant’s Pass, this channel made it possible for ships to avoid entering the Gulf of Mexico, when sailing between Mobile and New Orleans. Grant required toll payments for use of his pass and eventually constructed a private lighthouse at Tower Island to assist navigation along his waterway.

Photo Text & Copyright www.Lighthousefriends.com

BUQUE ESCUELA LIBERTAD, ARGENTINA

El navío desplaza un máximo de 3765 toneladas, aunque su desplazamiento estándar es de unas 3.025 toneladas. Tiene una eslora (largo) total de 103,75 metros, una manga (ancho) de 14,31 metros, más 11 metros de puntal en la cuaderna maestra y un calado de 6,6 metros.

El velamen se compone de 27 velas en aparejo tipo fragata, repartidas en cuatro palos (bauprés, trinquete, mayor y mesana) con una superficie expuesta al viento de 2652 m2 en total. Las velas son de diferentes tipos: 15 cuadras, 6 estays, 4 foques, 1 trinquetilla y 1 cangreja. Este método de propulsión desplaza el barco a una velocidad máxima de unos 18 nudos, lo que le ha permitido batir records de navegación a vela desde hace muchos años.

Como propulsión auxiliar dispone de dos motores diesel de 1.200 HP cada uno, capaces de desplazar el navío a una velocidad máxima de 13 nudos, aunque la velocidad de crucero se establece en 8 nudos.

Como todo barco de grandes dimensiones, dispone de una serie de embarcaciones auxiliares de menor tamaño, en este caso dispone de 2 lanchas a motor, 1 bote semirrígido, 1 ballenera y 22 balsas salvavidas.


Photo Copyright & Text Mare Nostrum

KING GEORGE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE, ANTARCTICA

Nearest Town or City: Stanley (Argentina) Antarctica
Location: South Shetland Islands, north of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Notes: This is believed to be the southernmost lighthouse in the world.

The island is home to the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station, named for meteorologist Henryk Arctowski (1871-1958).

Researchers here study marine biology, oceanography, geology, geomorphology, glaciology, meteorology, climatology, seismology, magnetism, and ecology.
Tower Height: 29
Description Tower: Red column with black bands.
Operational: Yes
Current Use: Active aid to navigation.
Characteristic Range: Flashing white every 10 seconds; range 6 nautical miles.
Height Focal Plane: 146
National Register: No
Country: Antarctica

Photo & Copyright Lighthouse Depot

BUQUE ESCUELA SEBASTIAN DE ELCANO, ESPAÑA

El proyecto de construcción del barco nace con un Real Decreto de 17 de abril de 1925, destinándose para ello un presupuesto de 7.569.794 pesetas y con el fin de sustituir a su predecesor, el buque escuela Minerva. Tomó el nombre de Juan Sebastián de Elcano en recuerdo del ilustre marino vasco. Su botadura tuvo lugar el 5 de marzo de 1927 siendo su madrina Carmen Primo de Rivera, hija del presidente del gobierno.

El 29 de febrero de 1928 realiza su viaje inagural entre Cádiz y Málaga, llevando un pasajero de excepción, el rey Alfonso XIII. De allí partió para Sevilla donde se celebraba la Exposición Universal, despertando la admiración de sus numerosos visitantes.

Su primer viaje transoceánico fue la vuelta al mundo en dirección opuesta a la ruta Magallanes-Elcano. Desde entonces ha realizado otras nueve, así como setenta y dos cruceros de instrucción, recorriendo más de millón y medio de millas náuticas por todos los mares del planeta. En él se han formado generaciones y generaciones de oficiales de marinos de la Armada, navegando con el viento y ayudados por el sextante y el compás.

Así mismo, Elcano ha participado en innumerables desfiles y regatas a lo largo de su dilatada existencia, dejando clara constancia de sus dotes marineras. Entre las principales cabe destacar la regata transoceánica Lisboa-Bermudas de 1964, la de 1966 entre Bermudas y Newport , la Gran Regata Colón'92 y la Gran Regata 2000. De entre los numerosos trofeos y distinciones conseguidos, quizá el mas importante sea la Boston Teapot, otorgada por la Sail Training Association en 1974. Esta distinción se concede anualmente al velero que consigue la mayor distancia sobre un circulo máximo entre dos puntos de la tierra en 124 horas.

En su ya larga trayectoria, el barco ha soportado numerosos temporales en cualquiera de sus numerosas manifestaciones (pamperos, ciclones, huracanes, tifones, monzones ,etc.), luchando contra olas de quince metros de altura y vientos de más de ciento sesenta kilómetros por hora. Historias relatadas por sus comandantes en sus crónicas que bien podrían figurar en los mejores relatos de aventuras.


Photo & Copyright Javier Barranco
Text Lalo Izquierdo y Oscar Mtz

WINDWARD LIGHTHOUSE, USA

The following information about this lighthouse comes from the records of the Officers and Civilians Spouses Club and oral histories compiled by Ms. McMillan.

The lighthouse keepers' cottage is currently in use as the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station Cultural Historical Collection. The collection houses hundreds of old black and white photos taken from the Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, as well as the Viet Nam Era. There is also an enormous amount of United States Marine Corps memorabilia stored there covering over 100 years of their history on "The Rock."
The lighthouse, made all of steel, is 60 feet tall with 67 steps and has a molded copper cupola containing a weather vane with the compass coordinate of "O" for Ouest (Spanish for West). The interior is sleeved in tongue-and-groove mahogany. It was built in 1904 in the U.S., shipped here to Guantanamo Bay, and assembled here. It ran on whale oil as an official navigation light until 1955 until the light was decommissioned and moved to the Coast Guard museum in the States. It currently has a weaker solar light that can be seen out to 5-miles. Records indicate the solar light was placed in the cupola in 1988.

In the picture, you will see a small boat on the lower right corner of the photograph. That is one of the boats used by Cubans to flee Castro's Cuba in the mid-90's when thousands of Cuban refugees fled their homeland. The remains of about 10 boats are mounted within the lighthouse compound grounds for visitors to view.

The Lighthouse Historical Collection is open to Naval Station residents and visitors from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. each Sunday. Unfortunately, due to safety concerns, the lighthouse is no longer open to the public. The Cultural Committee of the Officers and Civilians Spouses Club is responsible for management of the historical collection and lighthouse.


Photo & Copyright by IT2 Paul W. Nelson, U.S. Navy Reserve
Text unc.edu

AMELAND LIGHTHOUSE, NETHERLAND

Navigation Latitude 53° 26" 43'
Longitude 5° 37" 23'
Format DD DMS
Body of water Waddenzee
Height Above Water 190 feet
Light Characteristics Fl W. (3) 15s, visible for 20 nautical miles

Address Friesland province, northern coast of Netherlands Hollum, Netherlands


Photo & Copyright Flickr

BUQUE ESCUELA SIMON BOLIVAR, VENEZUELA

El ARBV Simón Bolívar (BE-11), también conocido como El Embajador Sin Fronteras, es el buque escuela de la Armada de Venezuela.

Tiene por misión fundamental formar a los cadetes de la Escuela Naval de Venezuela y el aspecto de su misión internacional es el de vigorizar y proyectar la imagen naval de Venezuela, así como el de establecer y estrechar vínculos de amistad con las Armadas de otros países.

Posee tres mástiles y un área de velamen de 1650 m² en un total de 23 velas.

Fue construido a pedido de la Armada de Venezuela en 1978, botado al agua el 21 de noviembre de 1979 afirmándose su Pabellón Nacional el 12 de agosto de 1980.

Es uno de los cuatro buque escuela de países hispanoamericanos construidos en los Astilleros Celaya de Bilbao, además del Cuauhtémoc de México, "Guayas" de Ecuador y "Gloria" de Colombia.

El ARBV Simón Bolívar (BE-11) ha navegado doscientas cincuenta y siete mil doscientas setenta y dos (257.272) millas náuticas desde su botadura, realizando diecinueve (19) cruceros de Instrucción al Exterior. El Buque Escuela ARBV. "SIMÓN BOLÍVAR" (BE-11), además de ser el buque insignia de la Armada de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela. En el año 2002 por órdenes del Presidente de la República y Comandante en Jefe de la Fuerza Armada Nacional, este buque entró por primera vez en un proceso de mantenimiento mayor y reconstrucción de casco y estructura en Diques y Astilleros Nacionales C.A. (Dianca), con la finalidad de mejorar las condiciones de la unidad.

El miércoles 10 de septiembre de 2008 en el Comando de Guardacostas, ubicado en el muelle del puerto de La Guaira, Estado Vargas, el Ciudadano Presidente de la República acompañado del Ministro de la Defensa y del Alto Mando Militar, procedió al acto de botadura al mar del Buque Escuela luego de 6 años de mantenimiento.

El domingo 28 de febrero de 2009 vuelve a zarpar el buque escuela en misión de entrenamiento de cadetes de marina, acompañados de los mejores cadetes de las escuelas de formación del FANB.


ARBV Simón Bolívar (BE-11)

Historial
Astillero Astilleros Celaya (Bilbao, España)
Clase Buque escuela
Destino Activo

Características generales
Desplazamiento 1260 toneladas
Eslora 82.5 m
Manga 10.6 m
Calado 4.4 m
Propulsión 1 Detroit 12v-149t gasoil
Velocidad 10 nudos
Tripulación 93 (17 oficiales) más 102


Photo & Copyright Wikipédia

CAPE BRETT LIGHTHOUSE, NEW ZEALAND

Cape Brett Lighthouse is situated at the entrance to the Bay of Islands and overlooks Piercy Island (Motukokako) better known as the "Hole in the Rock". Cape Brett was named by Captain Cook in 1769 in honour of a Lord of the Admiralty, Rear-Admiral Sir Piercy Brett.

The site of New Zealand's first shipwreck, in 1808 the crew of the Paramatta had contracted with the local Maoris to load the schooner with cargo, but the crew didn't keep their word and threw the Maoris from the ship without payment and even shot at them wounding three. As the ship left the area for Sydney, Australia they encountered heavy weather and were blown ashore. Those of the crew who did not drown were massacred by the Maoris.

A lighthouse at Cape Brett was proposed in 1896 by the Nautical Advisor, but it still hadn't been erected by 1907 when the Secretary for the Marine pointed out that there was no light between Cape Maria van Diemen and Mokohinau Island and he described Cape Brett as "the most wanted light in the Colony". The Shipmasters' Association, however didn't agree and thought the light should be placed either on the Poor Knights Islands or Cavalli Island. The Marine Department dispatched Captain Bollons aboard the "Hinermoa" and he settled on the Cape Brett site.

Construction began in 1908 and the work was supervised by the Lighthouse Artificer, David Scott. The lighthouse site was situation in a remote area, far from any roads and 400 feet (149m) up a steep hill. First they constructed a landing pad of concrete at the base of the hill and mounted a crane to it. Next a tramway was built to winch the landed materials up to the building site. All the materials were landed by sea and winched up the hill.

The cast iron tower was constructed locally by Judd Engineering Works in Thames and Cape Brett was also the first of three lighthouses in New Zealand to float the rotating light on a bed of mercury. Previously lights had been supported by wheels. This enabled a heavier and brighter light could turn faster which meant more variation between the flashes at different stations. This new light was visible 20 miles and flashed twice every thirty seconds. Total approx cost of the lighthouse was £11.237 3s 5d.

The first Head Keeper, Robert McIver and his assistant, Francis Ernest Lee lit the light on February 21, 1910.

Three identical houses were built for the three keepers and their families and the light was connected to the outside world by telegraph. Supplies for the keepers were delivered by launch every two weeks and hauled up the tramway to the houses. The keepers were also responsible for sending daily weather reports to the New Zealand Meteorological Service.

In 1940 a signal station was established and manned by 2 navel reserves. By March of 1942 the navy had also established a radar station.

Originally a three keeper station, this was reduced to two in 1958 18 , May 1955 4, when the kerosene lamp was converted to diesel powered generators.

In 1968 1 ,1967 13 , thirty one power poles were erected along the cape to Rawhiti and lighthouse was connected to the national grid. Automation followed in 1978.

The light now shines from a 4 metre high fiberglass tower built in 1978 and is solar powered.

In 2005, DOC took over the administration of the old lighthouse tower and buildings.


Photo & Copyright New Zealand Lighthouses

BEAN ROCK LIGHTHOUSE, NEW ZEALAND

Bean Rock Lighthouse is the only surviving wave washed wooden cottage type lighthouse in New Zealand (the other Ponui Passage no longer stands) and is the oldest wooden lighthouse. Bean Rock stands on a group of rocks opposite North Head at the entrance to Waitemata harbour, Auckland.

The Waitemata harbour was surveyed in 1840 by Lt. P. Fisher aboard the HMS Herald with assistance from P. C. D. Bean the master of the vessel, after which Bean Rock is named. The local maori named the rock "Te Toka a Kapetawa" and the legend is that a chief named Tara marooned his brother-in-law there. 16

During the 1840's a day maker was erected on the rock, but by the 1867 gold rush a more substantial light was needed. 16

With the formation of the Marine Board of New Zealand in 1865 (renamed The Marine Department in 1866) who took of operations of all lighthouses, James Balfour was appointed the Marine Engineer and Inspector of Steamers on October 11, 1866. 10

Balfour recommended a principal harbour light be erected on Bean Rock and a screw pile light be erected on a sand spit in Ponui Passage. But before the lighthouses could be built Balfour was drowned in a boating accident in Timaru Harbour in December, 1869. So the lighthouse was designed by engineer James Stewart 16 who incorporated Balfour’s design. c

Stewart who arrived in New Zealand from Scotland in 1859, was appointed by the Marine Department to be Inspector of Steamers and Examiner of Engineers at Auckland in 1867. He also designed Ponui Passage and oversaw Manakau South Heads lighthouses. c

Construction begun on the Bean Rock lighthouse in 1870. The work was completed in 8 months by Auckland builder William Cameron. The design was an open framework with a cottage on top. First iron foundations 10 inches in diameter were driven deep into the rock then wooden kauri poles in a hexagonal pattern were erected around a central column. 16 However this work could only be undertaken at low tide. 10 Lastly, thirty feet above the water the hexagonal cottage was built. The cottage featured a wrap around verandah and the roof was corrugated iron. A fifth order lens manufactured by Chance Bros 10 , of London was installed which flashed white, red and green to indicate the safe channels. 16

On 24 July, 1871 16, after a cost of £3000 b , the lighthouse with its kerosene light of 330 10 , 350 b candlepower was lit by Hugh Brown the first keeper. Mr. Brown, a former crew member of a harbour pilot boat was to stay at the lighthouse for nineteen years until his retirement in 1890 due to ill health. 16

The keeper lived in three rooms in the cottage structure. A living area including kitchen, a bedroom and the ‘long drop’ toilet to the sea below. The keepers families lived in Davenport and transportation to the light was by a small rowing boat. 16

The light was originally a fixed light and the keepers could look through a 5cm (2’’) square window in the wall next to their bed and see the reflection of the light. 16

In 1876 the provincial governments of New Zealand were abolished, and the Auckland Provincial Government handed the operation of the lighthouse over to the Marine Department. 16

During 1898-99 major repairs were made to the lighthouse. 16

In 1903 the New Zealand Marine Department began trialing incandescent acetylene burners, developed only three years before. 18 In 1912 it installed its first automatic acetylene light at Bean Rock and the lighthouse became the first watched light to lose it's resident keeper. At the same time it was changed to a flashing light to stand out from the lights of the city. The light revolved by the pressure it generated as it burned; an automatic sun valve turned the gas flow on and off. 18

About the same time ownership was transferred to the Auckland Harbour Board. 16

A more powerful light was installed in 1924 and an undersea electric cable was laid from the Orakei wharf in 1936. 10

Plans in the 1970's to replace the lighthouse with a concrete structure was meet with local opposition but by the 1980's the Auckland Harbour Board and Historic Places Trust were seriously worried about the lighthouse as it needed extensive repairs. In 1985 the cottage structure was removed by crane from the pilings and moved ashore for renovation. At the same time the rotted kauri piles were replaced with Australian hardwood jarrah and sunk in a new concrete foundation. 16


During the renovation, they found 20 coasts of paint on one section of the lighthouse, showing how well the keepers had done their job. The lighthouse was also repainted white, it's original colour after being painted yellow since 1956. Five months later the cottage was craned back onto the new pilings and bolted down. 16

In the mid 1990's solar panels were installed to provide the power for the lighthouse a

There is also an automatic fog horn.


Photo & Copyright New Zealand Lighthouses

VELERO ESCUELA CAPITAN MIRANDA, URUGUAY

El Capitán Miranda es un barco que posee gran popularidad en todo el mundo.
El buque realiza durante sus viajes distintas actividades que permiten difundir la cultura, el arte, la producción y el turismo del Uruguay, lo que lo convierte en una excelente carta de presentación de nuestro país.

A lo largo de su historia, el Miranda llevó el espíritu de su pueblo a lugares donde la cultura uruguaya era casi desconocida.
Como embajador en los mares del mundo, el Velero Escuela Capitán Miranda es portador de un mensaje de paz y de fraternidad.
El intercambio cultural, la inmediata amistad que se fomenta con las tripulaciones de otros buques escuela y con los lugareños distingue particularmente al buque.

Es un representante del Uruguay en distintos ámbitos, culturales, sociales, profesionales y deportivos.
Como ejemplo de esto, vale mencionar la oportunidad en que el Capitán Miranda participó en la Regata que conmemoró los 500 años del viaje de Cristóbal Colón, en la que obtuvo el primer puesto entre los países latinoamericanos y el tercer puesto entre los buques escuela de todo el mundo.


Photo & Copyright Capitan Miranda Velero escuela

CAPE KITI, CYPRUS ISLANDS

Date unknown (station established by the Ottoman government in 1864).

Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to one corner of a 1-story masonry keeper's house.

The tower is unpainted; lantern painted white.


Photo & Copyright & Text www.unc.edu.com

FAROL DO LOBITO, ANGOLA

O Farol do Lobito, é um farol angolano localizado no cimo das escarpas no lado este da entrada do porto e baía do Lobito, em frente à ponta da restinga, a norte da cidade de mesmo nome, província de Benguela.

Torre cilíndrica em alvenaria, com galeria e lanterna, junto duma pequena casa de faroleiros. Farol pintado de branco com uma larga barra vermelha.

Conforme se pode ver nas fotografias, a lanterna parece estar, pelo menos desde 1999, no cimo de um poste branco com estreitas faixas vermelhas, a pouca distância do farol primitivo, alimentada a energia solar.

O porto de Lobito é o terminus da famosa Linha Férrea de Benguela, que serve as minas da Zâmbia e o sudoeste da República Democrática do Congo.


1915 - construção
1995 - o farol encontrava-se muito danificado, devido ao período da guerra civil
1999 - o farol já não possui lanterna, estando a luz num poste a pouca distancia do farol primitivo
2004/2007 - lindamente restaurado[1]
2007 - farol concessionado, o que garante a sua conservação, sendo usado como casa de fim de semana.

Localização Lobito,Angola
Coordenadas 12° 19′ S 13° 35′ E
Construção 1915
Altura 15 m
Altitude 106 m
Alcance luminoso 20 milhas náuticas
Características Luz: Fl(2) W 10s


Photo & Copyright Wikipédia

FAROL DA BARRA, SALVADOR BAHIA, BRASIL

O primeiro do Brasil e o mais antigo do Continente (1698).

No século XVII, o porto de Salvador era um dos mais movimentados e importantes do continente, e era preciso auxiliar as embarcações que chegavam à Baía de Todos os Santos em busca de pau-brasil e outras madeiras-de-lei, açúcar, algodão, tabaco e outros itens, para abastecer o mercado consumidor europeu.

No fim desse século, após o trágico naufrágio do Galeão Santíssimo Sacramento, capitânia da frota da Companhia Geral de Comércio do Brasil, num banco de areia frente à foz do rio Vermelho, a 5 de maio de 1668, o Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra foi reedificado a partir de 1696, durante o Governo Geral de João de Lencastre (1694-1702), vindo a receber um farol - um torreão quadrangular encimado por uma lanterna de bronze envidraçada, alimentada a óleo de baleia -, de acordo com o Instituto Geográfico e Histórico da Bahia, o primeiro do Brasil e o mais antigo do Continente (1698), quando passou a ser chamado de Vigia da Barra ou de Farol da Barra.

O diário de bordo do corsário inglês William Dampier, em 1699, relata: "A entrada da Baía de Todos os Santos é defendida pelo imponente Forte de Santo Antônio, cujos lampiões acesos e suspensos para orientação dos navios, vimos de noite."
Localização do Farol
Localização do Farol

O Decreto Regencial de 6 de julho de 1832 determinou a instalação de um farol mais moderno, fabricado na Inglaterra, em substituição ao antigo. Ao término das obras, inauguradas em 2 de dezembro de 1839, o novo equipamento de luz catóptico erguia-se sobre uma torre troncônica de alvenaria, com alcance de dezoito milhas náuticas com tempo claro.

Em 1937, o antigo sistema "Barbier" (incandescente a querosene) de iluminação foi substituído por luz elétrica, comemorando-se o primeiro centenário do farol a 2 de Dezembro de 1939.

Atualmente o farol encontra-se consagrado-se como um dos ícones da capital baiana, inspirando artistas e poetas.

Photo & Copyright Wikimapia

NRP ANTÓNIO ENES

Corveta NRP António Enes, no ambio da operaçãode busca e salvamento dos tripulantes

da Embarcação “ Fábio & João ” e do jovem estudante “Luís Filipe Santo Vala ”,

em 23 de Fevereiro de 2010, ao largo de Peniche


A corveta "ANTÓNIO ENES", faz parte de uma série de seis navios que constituem a classe "JOÃO COUTINHO". Foi construída sob desenho português da autoria do engenheiro construtor naval Rogério Silva Duarte Geral d´Oliveira, nos estaleiros Bazan em Cartagena, Espanha, tendo entrado ao serviço da Armada Portuguesa no dia 18 de Junho de 1971.

Até 1975 efectuou diversas missões em África nas ex-possessões Portuguesas de Moçambique, Angola, Guiné e Cabo verde, e a partir de 1975 tem vindo a ser atribuída alternadamente aos Comandos das zonas do Continente e Açores para o desempenho de certas missões, nomeadamente, de vigilância, busca e salvamento e fiscalização das águas territoriais e ZEE, além de participar em exercícios Nacionais e viagens de instrução dos cadetes da Escola Naval.

Características
Deslocamento 1380t
Comprimento 85m
Boca máxima 10,3m
Calado 3,3m
Velocidade Máximo 22nós
Autonomia 5900 milhas(18nós)

Propulsão
2 Motores OEW Pielstick 12 Pc2.2 V 400 Diesel 12.000hp

Armamento e sensores
1 reparo duplo de 76mm US Mk33
1 reparo duplo Bofors de 40mm/60
1 radar de navegação KH1007
1 radar de navegação RM 1226C
Guarnição
Oficiais 7
Sargentos 14
Praças 51

Photo Gentilmente cedida por José Botelho Leal,
Blogue A Da Abita (www.avozdaabita.blogspot.com/).

Text Marinha Portuguesa

(www.marinha.pt)

IL PHARO

E vós, Tágides minhas, pois criado
Tendes em mim um novo engenho ardente,
Se sempre em verso humilde celebrado
Foi de mim vosso rio alegremente,
Dai-me agora um som alto e sublimado,
Um estilo grandíloquo e corrente,
Porque de vossas águas, Febo ordene
Que não tenham inveja às de Hipoerene.

Photo & Copyright Ismail
Poema Luis de Camoes, Os Lusiadas, Canto I, 4

O NAVIO ESCOLA SAGRES PASSA NO CABO HORN

O Navio Escola Sagres na sua 3ª Viagem de Circum-navegação a passar o Cabo Horn. Um momento sempre histórico para qualquer marinheiro.

Photos & Copyright do Diário de Bordo da Sagres

COMUNICAÇÕES DE BORDO E VHF

A bordo de uma embarcação deve haver meios de comunicação rádio de modo que em qualquer caso de emergência se possa contactar outra embarcação ou mesmo uma estação terrestre para obtenção de apoio. O rádio VHF é o mais usado em navegação próxima da costa e seu alcance pode ir até cerca das 20 milhas, dependendo da potência do aparelho e das condições atmosféricas. O seu preço reduzido e comunicações livres de ruídos são algumas das suas vantagens.
A diferença básica entre um rádio portátil e um fixo é a sua potência, logo o seu alcance, já que em termos de funcionalidades são idênticos.

Tal como um rádio MF a instalação e o uso de um VHF a bordo requer autorização das entidades oficiais que após a respectiva vistoria e aprovação emitirão uma Licença de Estação com o respectivo indicativo de chamada. Este indicativo representa a identificação da estação a bordo e tem a forma de um código de 4 letras ou 4 letras e um número. Deverá estar afixado em conjunto com a Licença de Estação junto do aparelho. Às embarcações de recreio portuguesas foi internacionalmente atribuído o prefixo CR.


Photo & Copyright Mary
Text A.N.C.