Recalada a Bahía Blanca Light

Lighthouse

38°59′26.74″S 61°15′35.85″W / 38.9907611°S 61.2599583°W / -38.9907611; -61.2599583TowerConstructed1906Constructioncast ironHeight220 feet (67 m)Shapeoctagonal pyramidal skeletal tower with central cylinderMarkingsred and white horizontal bandsHeritageNational historical monument of Argentina

LightFocal height245 feet (75 m)^[1]Range28 nautical miles (52 km; 32 mi)CharacteristicFl W 9 s.

Recalada a Bahía Blanca Light, also known as Monte Hermoso Light or simply Recalada Light (lit. landfall), is an active lighthouse in Monte Hermoso, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, marking the entrance to the Bahía Blanca. At a height of 220 feet (67 m) it is the eleventh-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world, as well as the tallest lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere and the tallest lighthouse built of metal in the lattice tower configuration^[2]

History

The tower was prefabricated in France by the same company that built the Eiffel Tower.^[3] It was first lit on 1 January 1906.^[4]

In 1928 a Dalén light was installed. The light was replaced with an electric light 1974. An Automatic Identification System (AIS) beacon was installed on 1 January 2006.^[4]

Construction

It consists of a central cylinder of iron, 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) in diameter and eight cast-iron columns. There are a total of 331 steps.^[4]

Visiting

The light station is staffed and the tower is open to guided tours.^[3]

References

^ According to List of Lights. 246 feet (75 m) according to The Lighthouse Directory
^ Rowlett, Russ. "The Tallest Lighthouses". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
^ ^a ^b Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Northern Argentina". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Centenario del Faro Recalada a Bahía Blanca" [Centennial to Recalada a Bahía Blanca Lighthouse]. hidro.gov.ar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2010.

List of Lights, Pub. 110: Greenland, The East Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. Except the East Coast of Florida) and the West Indies (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2010. p. 269.