Phare de la Vieille
| Phare de la Vieille | ||
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| Place: | Raz de Sein, France | |
| Location: | Finistère , Brittany , France | |
| Geographical location: | 48 ° 2 '26 " N , 4 ° 45' 23" W | |
| Height of tower base: | 7 m | |
| Fire carrier height : | 26.9 m | |
| Fire height : | 33.9 m | |
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| Identifier : | white, red, green within 12 seconds | |
| Scope knows: | 10 nm (18.5 km ) | |
| Scope green: | 10 nm (18.5 km ) | |
| Scope red: | 10 nm (18.5 km ) | |
| Function: | Sea fire | |
| Construction time: | 1882-1887 | |
| Operating time: | September 15, 1887 | |
La Vieille or shortly la Vieille (German: Lighthouse [of] the old and the old ) is the name of a lighthouse in the open sea off the headland Pointe du Raz , on the west coast of Brittany in the Finistere region . Together with the Phare de Tévennec and the nearby smaller tower Tourelle de la Plate (also called la Petite Vieille , 'the little old one'), it marks the passage between the Pointe du Raz and the island of Île de Sein . It was the penultimate lighthouse in France to be automated; until then it was manned constantly by lighthouse keepers , whose replacement was sometimes difficult due to the sea conditions in this area.
history
On November 30, 1861, the French Commission des phares approved the construction of a lighthouse on the rock "de la Vieille" (also Gorlebella , Breton: most distant rock) in front of the Pointe du Raz. In 1862 engineers presented a preliminary design, as well as for the Phare de Tévennec planned nearby . The development of “la Vieille” was postponed several times due to other projects (the construction of Ar Men has just started). In 1872 the Commission decided to postpone the construction of “La Vieille” indefinitely. It wasn't until 1879, two years before Ar Men was completed, that the project was pushed forward again, starting with feasibility studies . In the meantime, the Tevennec lighthouse was put into operation in 1875, which was able to alleviate the lack of lighthouses in the area around Raz.
In 1879 the first six cubic meters of building material were brought onto the rock, thereby improving the possibilities for ships to land on the rock. In 1880, work began on the platform on which the actual building was to stand. The work remained difficult as the rock is surrounded by strong currents that can reach over 6 knots . The rock could only be approached on six days during the flood current of the nipp tide (lower current at half moon) and when the sea was fairly calm. The engineer in charge of the project , Victor Fénoux , therefore reckoned, as with Ar Men, with only 30 possible landings per year.
In spite of all this, the construction was overall easier than at Ar Men, as the rock is 50 meters long and 20 meters wide and protrudes 14 meters out of the water even during floods. Finally, a 20 × 10 meter platform could be erected as a base.
On August 5, 1882, work began on the masonry of the basement. The exterior of the tower was completed in 1886, after three years. The masonry was reinforced with cement from Boulogne-sur-Mer , which was mixed partly with sea water and partly with fresh water. In 1887 - the year that is written above the door as the year of completion - the interiors were completed and on September 15, 1887 la Vieille shone for the first time.
Phare de la Vieille with the supply tower, the Sein lighthouse can be seen in the background
"La Vieille" and "La Plate" from Cap Sizun seen from
La Vieille and Tourelle de la Plate from the Raz de Sein
"La Vieille" and "Tourelle de la Plate" ("La Petite Vieille")
Phare de la Vieille shortly after completion
Phare de la Vieille 2015
architecture
The design is visually appealing and the tower can be easily distinguished from the nearby Phare de Tevennec. Its floor plan is square, slightly rounded on the north side. The signal unit is surrounded by a crenellated wreath .
The lower floors are in the basement , the higher in the corner stone style. The stone balustrade is supported by a console . The completely enclosed lighting system has a black zinc dome. Inside, there are water tanks and equipment on the ground floor . Above there are four rooms with petrol (originally diesel) tanks, a living room, a kitchen and a bedroom. There is a small generator room below the lighting system.
Life in the tower
The Phare de la Vieille was permanently manned by two guards, who were usually relieved at staggered periods. The supply of fuel and food was ensured by the two tenders Blodwen and Velléda .
As with other French lighthouses in the sea, the detachment always proceeded according to the same scheme: the tender tried to get as close as possible to the rocks. After a connection with a rope was established, a basket was attached to it and moved back and forth with a winch (comparable to a cable car). First the relieving lighthouse keeper was pulled up onto the lighthouse so that there were always at least two men there. Then the detached lighthouse keeper was lowered onto the ship, then food, luggage, etc. were transported. This maneuver was difficult and dangerous due to the strong current and the mostly strong swell. In strong storms it was sometimes impossible to relieve the crew for weeks.
War invalids on "La Vieille"
After the First World War there was a large number of disabled people in France . In February 1924, the French parliament passed a law that reserved certain activities for disabled war veterans in order to facilitate their reintegration. In addition to tasks such as bailiff , police officer in the office and postal workers, war invalids were also used as lighthouse keepers , also on lighthouses located in the sea.
From 1925 two demobilized Corsicans , Mandolini and Ferracci, were deployed on La Vieille . Madonlini was shot through the lung and severed muscles on his left arm; Ferracci still had a bullet in his lung. One of the usual tasks of the lighthouse keepers was to climb the 120 steps to the beacon every day, but also to pull the relieving colleagues back and forth between the ship and the tower in a winch or to use this basket themselves. The two invalids had a doctor certify that they were unsuitable for the job on “La Vieille”, but the submission of the relevant certificates was unsuccessful.
In the winter of 1925/1926, when the head lighthouse keeper from La Vieille was on his regular shore leave and only the two invalids were stationed in the lighthouse from December 2 and January 11, violent storms prevented the regular replacement for several weeks. It was only possible to transport new food onto the tower. The two guards finally hoisted a black flag on the top of the tower, an emergency signal to which the fishermen in the region - who were responsible for replacing the lighthouse keepers - could not react due to the weather, as they were still in the area around "La Vieille" ruling sea was threatened with shipwreck.
During these weeks, the identifier (the rhythm of light that is important for identifying a lighthouse) of “La Vieille” is said to have changed several times , and the light is said to have even failed in some cases. This is also said to have been the case on the night of February 19, when the schooner Surprise from the northern Breton town of Paimpol ran aground not far from the town of Plogoff - probably due to the lack of an orientation light . The lighthouse's foghorn is also said to have remained silent that night.
On February 21st, the head lighthouse guard and his son, who had volunteered for the job, replaced the two invalids. A transfer to the tower with the usual winch was not possible - probably due to the poor condition of the disabled. Thereupon the two relieving men swam on a rope, which had been thrown from the ship to the platform of the tower, through the current in the wintry sea to the tower.
The incident, which found its way into the outraged press, meant that invalids were no longer deployed in lighthouses at sea, but at most in lighthouses on land.
automation
On November 14, 1995 the lighthouse was automated. This made La Vieille the penultimate lighthouse in the sea in France that was automated. The penultimate lighthouse keepers had protested against the automation by ignoring their regular replacement, so that until November 14th four lighthouse keepers were stationed on La Veille . Since then, La Vieille has been operated from the Ile de Sein.
If repair work is necessary today, the lighthouse is approached by helicopter .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d without naming the author (February 27, 1926). Phare de la Vieille. La Dépêche de Brest , printed on Année 1926 on the website of the Association Sportive Brestoise ( stable archive version )