Cape Race Lighthouse is an active

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

located at

Cape Race Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", mean ...

on the

Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula () is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland in Canada. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of the province's population, according to the 2016 Ca ...

, Newfoundland, Canada. The light's characteristic is a single white flash every 7.5 seconds; additionally, a

foghorn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. ...

may sound a signal of two blasts every 60 seconds. It is located on one of Canada's busiest shipping lanes. The lighthouse is also a tourist attraction.

History

In 1856, the first

was installed by the British Government's

Trinity House The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond, also known as Trinity House (and formally as The Master, Wardens and Assistants of the Guild Fraternity or Brotherhood of the most glorious and undivided Trinity and of St Clement in the ...

. It was a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

tower with a coal oil lamp turned by

clockwork Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches (where it is also called the movement (clockwork), movement) or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or wei ...

. In 1872 the lighthouse keeper was Patrick Myrick; members of his family continued to operate the lighthouse for more than 100 years."‘Struck iceberg. Send help right away.’
''The Telegram'', Steve Bartlett Apr 13, 2012 In 1886 responsibility for operation of the lighthouse was transferred to the Dominion of Canada. In 1904 the

Marconi Company The Marconi Company was a British telecommunications and engineering company founded by Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 which was a pioneer of wireless long distance communication and mass media broadcasting, eventually becoming on ...

set up a wireless radio station at the lighthouse. The cast iron tower was replaced in 1907 by a concrete tower and a light with a massive

hyperradiant Fresnel lens Hyper-radial or hyperradiant Fresnel lenses are Fresnel lenses used in lighthouses. They are larger than First order Fresnel lens#Sizes of lighthouse lenses, "first-order" lenses, having a focal length (radius) of 1330 mm (52.36 inches). The ...

made by

Chance Brothers Chance Brothers and Company was an English glassworks originally based in Spon Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands (county), West Midlands (formerly in Staffordshire), in England. It was a leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glassma ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Its optic emitted a one million candle power flash. Great landfall lights like those at Cape Race provided the first sight of land for Atlantic travelers. After the new tower was built, the original lighthouse was moved to Cape North; it now stands in front of the

National Science and Technology Museum The National Science and Technology Museum (NSTM; ) is a museum of applied science and technology in Sanmin District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History The museum was established in November 1997. Architecture The museum covers an area of 19 hectares ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. The Cape Race Lighthouse was in the news in April 1912, when it received the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'' distress call, an unusual event for radio technology of the era. The lighthouse was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 1975. In 2006, David Myrick, with help from Noel and Liam Myrick - part of a lineage of Myrick lighthouse keepers at Cape Race, contributed wood from the cabinet housing the motor driving the Fresnel to the Six String Nation project. Part of this material serves as the heel brace at the joint of the neck and body of ''Voyageur'', the guitar at the heart of the project. As of 2020, the current lighthouse keeper is Clifford Doran.

References

External links

Aids to Navigation
''Canadian Coast Guard''
Cape Race Lighthouse
Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism {{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1856 Lighthouses completed in 1907 Lighthouses in Newfoundland and Labrador National Historic Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador Lighthouses on the National Historic Sites of Canada register Historic buildings and structures in Newfoundland and Labrador

History

See also

References

External links