North Mole Lighthouse
Chance Brothers Lighthouse
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Date of lens manufacture
1902?
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Date of lighthouse construction
1906
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Country
Australia
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Commissioning body
Government of Western Australia
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Order of lens
4th order
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Fixed or revolving lens
Fixed
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Active/Inactive
Inactive
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Describe the character of light
VQ Fl (R)
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Describe the lighthouses daymarks
Painted red
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Which aspects of the lighthouse (other than the lens) were manufactured by Chance brothers
Pre-fab cast iron tower, lantern etc
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Describe the history of the lighthouse
The tower is cast iron and was prefabricated by Chance Bros. It was supplied with a fourth order optic, at the request of the harbour master at the time. When erected the tower was painted French grey with white lanterns, and remained in this colour scheme for many decades. It remained in storage until 1906 while engineers waited for the rocks of the North Mole to settle. A temporary wooden pyramidal structure preceded the cast iron lighthouse. When lit in May 1906, North Mole exhibited a fixed red light. It was powered by oil, but a newspaper report that month noted that it would be changed to electricity as soon as possible. In 1947 the light was changed to flashing red every second, and to very quick flashing red in 2018. In 1942 Fremantle harbour was closed and it became the largest submarine base in the southern hemisphere; 170 British, American and Dutch submarines were based there at different times throughout the rest of the war. In 1943 the lantern was removed from the lighthouse so that observation posts and anti-submarine guns could be placed on top. The lantern was reinstated after November 1946.
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Current management body/ ports authority
Fremantle Ports
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Historical preservation societies/manager/operator
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Is the site vulnerable to coastal erosion?
no -
Have you experienced any affects of climate change on the lighthouse?
Nil
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Observations on the condition of the lighthouse?
Good condition
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Is the site open/closed to the public
Open
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Is the tower open/closed to the public
Closed
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Latitude and Longitude
32° 03.2´ S 115° 43.5´ E
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On-site bookable accommodation available
no -
Associated web addresses
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Other details
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Which resources did you use to research this lighthouses?
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Where?