Portal:Lighthouses

The Lighthouse Portal Topics Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology Shipping off the Eddystone Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and used as a navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals, reefs, safe entries to anchorages, and can also assist in aerial navigation. Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and use of electronic navigational systems. Before the development of clearly defined ports, mariners were guided by fires built on hilltops. Since raising the fire would improve the visibility, placing the fire on a platform became a practice that led to the development of the lighthouse. In antiquity, the lighthouse functioned more as an entrance marker to ports than as a warning signal for reefs and promontories, unlike many modern lighthouses. The most famous lighthouse structure from antiquity was the Pharos of Alexandria, although it collapsed during an earthquake centuries later. The modern era of lighthouses began at the turn of the 18th century, as lighthouse construction boomed in lockstep with burgeoning levels of transatlantic commerce. Advances in structural engineering and new and efficient lighting equipment allowed for the creation of larger and more powerful lighthouses, including ones exposed to the sea. The function of lighthouses shifted toward the provision of a visible warning against shipping hazards, such as rocks or reefs. (more about Lighthouses...)Template:/box-footer Great Captain Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Great Captain Island in the western Long Island Sound off the coast of Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. Built in 1829, the first lighthouse, made of stone, was of such poor construction that the walls were severely cracked a decade later. In 1868, a new granite dwelling with attached lantern was completed. The lighthouse is of the same design as lighthouses at Sheffield Island in Norwalk; Morgan Point in Noank; Old Field Point Light and Plum Island in New York; and Block Island North in Rhode Island. In 1890, a fog whistle was added, in 1905 a siren was installed. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1970 when a skeletal tower replaced it. The Town of Greenwich acquired the property in 1973 and had full-time caretakers on the site until the lighthouse became too dilapidated in 2003. A successful restoration effort was completed in 2009 and a non-navigational light was activated in 2012. In 2010, a memorial plaque was installed to "honor the 23 people who lived in Greenwich, or had a connection to the town", who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks. In 1991, the Great Captain Island Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Richard Henry Brunton Richard Henry Brunton FRGS MICE (26 December 1841 – 24 April 1901) was the so-called "Father of Japanese lighthouses". Brunton was born in Muchalls, Kincardineshire, Scotland. He was employed by the government of Meiji period Japan as a foreign advisor (o-yatoi gaikokujin), primarily to build lighthouses. Over a period of seven and a half years he designed and supervised the building of 26 Japanese lighthouses in the Western style, which became known as Brunton's "children". To operate the lighthouses he established a system of lighthouse keepers, based on the one used in Scotland. He also helped found Japan's first school of civil engineering. In 1871, he was received by Emperor Meiji in recognition of his efforts. {{{caption}}} Rubha nan Gall lighthouse is located north of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. The name means "Stranger's Point" in Scottish Gaelic. It was built in 1857 by David and Thomas Stevenson and is operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board. ... that New Zealand's marine engineer, designer of the country's tallest lighthouse on Dog Island, drowned enroute to the funeral of a colleague—​​who had also drowned? ... that the 850-ton Belle Tout lighthouse was pushed 17 metres (56 feet) away from a cliff face to save it from coastal erosion? ... that legends say that Blackwell Island Light (pictured) on Roosevelt Island in New York was built by an inmate from an insane asylum? Join WikiProject Lighthouses Upload pictures for use in Lighthouse related articles Help select future pictures and articles. Add items to Did You Know? Add the portal link to the top of the See Also section of all relevant pages. This can be done by adding immediately under the section header.Template:/box-footer File:Keri majakas.jpg Keri Lighthouse on the islet of Keri, Estonia. Template:/box-header Featured lists 3 Good articles 3 Template:/box-footer Template:/box-footer Lighthouses ► Lighthouses by country ► Lighthouses by heritage register ► Lists of lighthouses ► Lighthouse builders ► Lighthouse keepers ► Lighthouse organizations ► Lighthouse fixtures ► Lighthouse museums ► Lighthouses by sea ► Lighthouse stubs More... Template:/box-footer 40x40px Nautical Transport Infrastructure United States Coast Guard Engineering Technology Architecture Template:/box-footer The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject: Template:/box-footer What are portals? List of portals Featured portals