Roman Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse in False Bay, near Simon’s Town. It is the only lighthouse in South Africa built on a single rock.[1][2]
The light was first exhibited on 16 September 1861.[3]
The light was electrified in 1992 at the request of the South African Navy.[4]
History
Designed by Alexander Gordon of the British Lighthouse Authority,[5] 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.[4] 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.[5] John Williams served as the first head lighthouse keeper, overseeing a small team of two other men that rotated shifts every seven days.[5] In 1914 the lighting mechanism was replaced and the tower was no longer staffed by lighthouse keepers,[4] replaced by an acetylene gas cylinders that provided automatic flashes every six seconds.[5] The lighting mechanism was updated again in 1992 to be electrical at the request of the South African Navy.[4]
See also
References
- ^ “Roman Rock”. Lighthouses of South Africa. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. “Lighthouses of Western South Africa”. The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ Williams, Harold A (1993). Southern Lights. William Waterman Publications. p. 49. ISBN 0-9583751-1-9.
- ^ a b c d “Roman Rock Lighthouse”. www.simonstown.org. Archived from the original on 2014-08-14.
- ^ a b c d “1861: Since Its Debut, This Lighthouse Has Been a Real Rock Star”. Transportation History. 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
External links
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
