Roman Rock Lighthouse
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Roman Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse in
False Bay False Bay (Afrikaans: ''Valsbaai'') is a body of water in the Atlantic Ocean between the mountainous Cape Peninsula and the Hottentots Holland Mountains in the extreme south-west of South Africa. The mouth of the bay faces south and is demarc ...
, near
Simon's Town Simon's Town (), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of Simon's Bay in False Bay, on the eastern s ...
. It is the only lighthouse in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
built on a single rock. The light was first exhibited on 16 September 1861. The light was electrified in 1992 at the request of the
South African Navy The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force. The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prote ...
.


History

Designed by Alexander Gordon of the British Lighthouse Authority, the lighthouse was a difficult endeavor due to the harsh conditions of the area, with fierce winds and turbulent seas, limited construction to a mere 96 working days annually, stretching the build over four-year. The original lighting mechanism was designed by James De Ville, a London-based lamp manufacturer, and consisted of a revolving platform that carried eight single-wick oil burners set in polished metallic reflectors. These burners made a full rotation every four minutes. John Williams served as the first head lighthouse keeper, overseeing a small team of two other men that rotated shifts every seven days. In 1914 the lighting mechanism was replaced and the tower was no longer staffed by lighthouse keepers, replaced by an acetylene gas cylinders that provided automatic flashes every six seconds. The lighting mechanism was updated again in 1992 to be electrical at the request of the South African Navy.


See also

* List of lighthouses in South Africa


References


External links



Lighthouses in South Africa Lighthouses completed in 1861 1861 establishments in the Cape Colony Articles containing video clips {{lighthouse-stub