Fort Of Cavalo Lighthouse
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The Fort of Cavalo Lighthouse is located in the Fort of ''São Teodósio da Ponta do Cavalo'', on the western edge of
Sesimbra Sesimbra () is a municipality of Portugal, in the Setúbal District, lying at the foothills of the ''Serra da Arrábida'', a mountain range between Setúbal and Sesimbra. Due to its particular position at the Península de Setúbal, Setúbal Bay, ...
, in the
Setúbal District The District of Setúbal ( ) is a district located in the south-west of Portugal. It is named for its capital, the city of Setúbal. Geography It is delimited by Lisbon District and Santarém District on the north, Évora District on the eas ...
of Portugal. It started operations in 1896.


History

Work on installing the lighthouse and lodgings for the lighthouse keepers on the upper
battery Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device whic ...
of the fort began on 12 November 1895. It began to operate on 15 September 1896 with a fixed red light beacon using a 6th-order
dioptric Dioptrics is the branch of optics dealing with refraction, especially by lenses. In contrast, the branch dealing with mirrors is known as ''catoptrics''. Telescopes that create their image with an objective that is a convex lens ( refractors) are ...
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catadioptric A catadioptric optical system is one where refraction and reflection are combined in an optical system, usually via lenses ( dioptrics) and curved mirrors ( catoptrics). Catadioptric combinations are used in focusing systems such as searchlig ...
Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...
. The tower is cylindrical and made of iron, with vertical reinforcing strips and was originally painted white. It is 7 metres high and the light is at an altitude of 35 metres. In the context of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(1914-1918), the light was not used between 1916 and 1918. In 1927 the light was modified to a fixed white light, with regular
occultations An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden from the observer by another object that passes between them. The term is often used in astronomy, but can also refer to any situation in which an object in the foreground blocks f ...
. For this purpose a mechanical clockwork device was installed. In 1953 the lighthouse began to use gas to fuel the light, with acetylene gas being introduced in 1958. In 1959 the tower was painted its present red colour. The lighthouse was electrified in 1972 with a mains supply and remodelled in 1983 to use 12V/40W halogen lamps. It now has a fifth-order Fresnel reflective dioptric lens, with a focal length of 187.5 millimetres and a range of 14
nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude at t ...
s. On 14 February 1940 the Ministry of War handed over the fort of S. Teodósio and adjacent land to the Ministry of Finance. At the same time the Ministry of Finance handed over the lighthouse and keeper’s accommodation to the Ministry of the Navy.


See also

* List of lighthouses in Portugal * Directorate of Lighthouses, Portugal


References

{{Lighthouses in Europe Lighthouses in Portugal Lighthouses completed in 1896 Buildings and structures in Setúbal District