Cape Point (New) Light
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Date of lens manufacture
1914
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Date of lighthouse construction
1919
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Country
South Africa
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Commissioning body
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Order of lens
1st order
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Fixed or revolving lens
Revolving
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Active/Inactive
Active
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Describe the character of light
[FL(2+1)30S32M&FR15M]
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Describe the lighthouses daymarks
9 m (30 ft) square cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery. Tower is unpainted stone; lantern painted white with a red dome.
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Which aspects of the lighthouse (other than the lens) were manufactured by Chance brothers
none
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Describe the history of the lighthouse
The original lighthouse was built too high on the cliffs, so its light could not be seen through low clouds or fog. Construction of the new tower took 5 years under very difficult conditions. Located atop a steep pinnacle above Cape Point. It is difficult to reach the lighthouse. Site and tower closed.
The new lighthouse is at a lower elevation (87 meters; 285.5 feet above sea level), for two reasons: the old lighthouse, located at 34°21′12″S 18°29′25.2″E (262 meters; 859.6 feet above sea level), could be seen 'too early' by ships rounding the point towards the east, causing them to approach too closely. Secondly, foggy conditions often prevail at the higher levels, making the older lighthouse invisible to shipping. On 18 April 1911, the Portuguese liner Lusitania was wrecked just south of Cape Point at 34°23′22″S 18°29′23″E on Bellows Rock for precisely this reason, prompting the relocation of the lighthouse.
The new lighthouse, located at 34°21′26″S 18°29′49″E, cannot be seen from the West until ships are at a safe distance to the South. The light of the new Cape Point lighthouse is the most powerful on the South African coast, with a range of 63 kilometres (39 mi; 34 nmi) and an intensity of 10 megacandelas in each flash.
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Current management body/ ports authority
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Historical preservation societies/manager/operator
South African National Parks (Table Mountain National Park)
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Is the site vulnerable to coastal erosion?
no -
Have you experienced any affects of climate change on the lighthouse?
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Observations on the condition of the lighthouse?
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Is the site open/closed to the public
Closed
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Is the tower open/closed to the public
Closed
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Latitude and Longitude
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On-site bookable accommodation available
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Associated web addresses
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Other details
Source: South African lighthouses . Chance Brothers and the rest. Copyright © Toby Chance 2008 Name: Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, Western Cape Date when a Chance apparatus was installed: 1919 The original light was first lit in 1860 using a first-order French lens which only produced 2,000 candlepower. Situated too high and often shrouded in fog, it was dismantled and a new light equipped with a Chance Brothers first-order lens was installed lower down the cliff in 1919 – the most powerful lens in South Africa to this day. A 400-Watt metal halide lamp is presently in use producing an intensity of approximately 10 million candela.
See also Cape Point (Old) Light https://new.opengreenmap.org/browse/sites/62b0c2fe640b470100158c95?map=6241b7a8d63fa5010056589b
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Which resources did you use to research this lighthouses?
Chance Lighthouses (1856-1917) (61 years)