Phare du Chenal du Four
| Phare du Chenal du Four | ||
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| Place: | Porspoder , France | |
| Location: | Finistère , Brittany , France | |
| Geographical location: | 48 ° 31 '24 " N , 4 ° 48' 19" W | |
| Height of tower base: | 3 m | |
| Fire carrier height : | 28 m | |
| Fire height : | 25 m | |
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| Identifier : | 5 white flashes every 15 seconds | |
| Scope knows: | 24.5 nm (45.4 km ) | |
| Optics: | Fresnel lens | |
| Operating mode: | Halogen 250 W | |
| Function: | Orientation fire | |
| Operating time: | March 15, 1874 | |
Phare du Chenal du Four is a lighthouse in the municipality of Porspoder off the French Atlantic coast in north-west Brittany .
Location and identifier
The Le Four lighthouse stands on a granite island 25 meters in diameter that rises out of the sea about two nautical miles from the uninhabited small peninsula of Saint Laurent. The granite island marks the point advanced into the sea that ships have to go around from the English Channel to the Iroise (or: Mer d'Iroise) in western Brittany (or vice versa) and has been called Le since at least the end of the 17th century Four . In detail, the lighthouse shows the rocks of Argenton and the rocks of Portsall in the north and the passage of the Pierres Noires (French: black stones; shoals in the south of the islands around the Molène island, in front of the headland Pointe Saint-Mathieu) in the south ).
The lighthouse is located in the northeast of the Chenal du Four , a natural strait between the Phare de Saint-Mathieu on the French mainland ( Finistère department ) and the island of Béniguet (west of the Molène island , in the east of Ouessant ). The passage connects the waters of the Iroise and the English Channel. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the passage was a busy waterway , which saved the ships from having to detour around the offshore island of Ouessant, which was up to a day or two longer. Today the Chenal du Four is mainly used by smaller ships and boats, while ocean-going ships use the coastal shipping route around Ouessant (so-called rail d'Ouessant - Ouessant track), to which the fire from Le Four also extends.
The Le Four lighthouse shows a group of 5 white flashes every 15 seconds as an identifier and has a range of 18 nautical miles (about 33 kilometers). Together with the rock on which it stands, the 28 meter high tower (128 steps) rises 31 meters above sea level when the water is high ; the fire is located at a height of 25 meters. In foggy conditions, the lighthouse emits a low tone every five seconds.
history
The rock-lined passage through the Chenal du Four is narrow and winding and very difficult, not least because of the strong currents. Therefore, in addition to the already built lighthouses of Saint-Mathieu von Kermorvan, seafarers demanded a lighthouse each at the entrance and exit of the passage. The Le Four lighthouse was then planned from 1862 and finally built from 1869 to 1873 on the granite island of Le Four . The building is a compact, stone round tower with indicated machicolations . In rough seas, waves breaking on the granite island can still reach over the lantern of the lighthouse. The lighthouse is oriented to the southeast and northwest, the door that can be seen in some pictures opens to the southeast. The lighthouse is now recognized as an architectural heritage in France ( établissement de signalisation maritime No. 619/000, for example: maritime signaling device).
After initial tests in 1873, the beacon in the tower went into service on the night of March 14th to 15th, 1874. Mineral oil was initially used for the fire. Two lighthouse keepers lived in the tower and were relieved every two weeks. They spent their free time with their families in nearby Argenton on the mainland. Around 1905 the fire was switched to oil vapor. On February 13, 1913, the head lighthouse keeper died after oil fumes had escaped. On July 10, 1942, the tower was evacuated by order of the German garrison, and the fire was not re-lit until June 4, 1945. On the night of May 12th to 13th, 1952, there was a fire in the light dome of the tower, causing material damage. In 1990 the fire was switched to electricity. Its range is 24.5 nautical miles .
The approach to the lighthouse is difficult and the waters near the tower are dangerous. During the construction phase, the supply boat capsized at the foot of the rock, which killed three sailors on April 27, 1873. In total, a dozen people died when approaching the tower. In the most recent accident on December 9, 1978, two seamen died when the anchored supply ship Ouessantine was overturned by a large wave. The lighthouse has been operated automatically since 1993 and monitored electronically from the Phare de l'Île Vierge lighthouse, located about 22 kilometers east-northeast .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Le Four on the DDE du Finistère website ( Memento of the original of November 27, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (French, accessed April 5, 2007)
- ↑ Map of the English Channel from 1692 in the Collections Online of the British National Maritime Museum (accessed April 14, 2007)
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Inventaire général du patrimoine culturel on the website of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication (French; accessed on April 5, 2007)
- ↑ a b c Le Phare du Four on the Landunvez Argenton Trémazan Kersaint website ( Memento of the original dated November 23, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (French; accessed April 5, 2007)
- ↑ a b Inventaire général du patrimoine culturel on the website of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication as well as Le Four on the website DDE du Finistère ( Memento of the original of November 27, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked . Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (both in French; accessed on April 5, 2007)
- ↑ Le phare du Four on bretagne.com ( Memento of the original from March 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (French; accessed April 5, 2007)
