Location | Balabac Island, Palawan, Philippines |
---|---|
Coordinates | 7°49′02.7″N117°00′10.6″E / 7.817417°N 117.002944°E |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1892 (first) |
Construction | stone tower (first) fiberglass (current) |
Height | 27.5 metres (90 ft) (first) 20 metres (66 ft) (current) |
Shape | octagonal tower with balcony and lantern (first) cylindrical tower with flared top (current) |
Markings | unpaiunted tower, white cupola |
Heritage | National Historical Landmark |
Light | |
First lit | 1892 |
Focal height | 90 metres (300 ft) |
Lens | first-order Fresnel lens |
Range | 28 nautical miles (52 km; 32 mi) |
Characteristic | Fl W 5s. [1] |
The Cape Melville Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located in the island of Balabac, the southernmost point of the province of Palawan in the Philippines. [2] It is also the southwest corner of the archipelago. The first-order light was constructed by the Spaniards to light Balabac Strait, the treacherous body of water that separates the Philippines from the neighboring country of Malaysia.
The light is displayed from a 90-foot (27 m) tall granite tower, located on a hill 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwestward of the tip of Cape Melville, for a total elevation of 297 feet (91 m) above sea level. The station was built by the Spanish Government as part of their extensive lighting plan for the archipelago. The lighthouse of Cape Melville was first lit on August 30, 1892. [3]
Lighthouses in the Philippines are maintained by the Philippine Coast Guard.
The Spanish lighthouse is no longer in service and a white aluminum prefabricated tower with modern solar-powered light was erected near the grounds of the old tower by the Philippine Coast Guard. Because the station is still manned, the original lights and lenses are still intact except for a central glass pane which was stolen by vandals. The tower still retains its original clockwork but is inoperative. [4]
The lighthouse (or Minarit) located at Barangay Melville in Balabac Island, Palawan was declared as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. [5]
Balabac, officially the Municipality of Balabac, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,527 people.
The Cape Canaveral Light is a historic lighthouse on the east coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The light was established in 1848 to warn ships of the dangerous shoals that lie off its coast. It is located inside the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and managed by the Space Launch Delta 45 of the U.S. Space Force with the assistance of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. It is the only fully operational lighthouse owned by the United States Space Force.
Balabac Island is the southernmost island of the Palawan province, and therefore the westernmost undisputed island in the Philippines, only about 50 kilometers (31 mi) north from Sabah, Malaysia, across the Balabac Strait.
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, also known as Burgos Lighthouse, is a cultural heritage structure in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, that was established during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines. The lighthouse was first lit on March 30, 1892, and is set high on Vigia de Nagpartian Hill overlooking the scenic Cape Bojeador where early galleons used to sail by. After over 100 years, it still functions and serves ships that enter the Philippine archipelago from the north and guide them safely away from the rocky coast of the town.
The Pasig River Light was the first light station in the Philippines when it was established in 1642. The first lighthouse tower in the country was erected in the station and first lit in 1846. It was then located on the north jetty at the mouth of the Pasig River in San Nicolas, Manila, marking the entrance of the river for vessels cruising Manila Bay, looking to dock on the inland Port of Manila that was then located along the banks of the Pasig River in Binondo and Intramuros.
The Maniguin Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse that marks the Cuyo East Passage, a main shipping route south into the Sulu Sea. The island, also known as Maningning Island or Hammerhead Island, is located 42.6 kilometres (26.5 mi) off of the coast of Culasi, Antique in the Philippines. It has a narrow ridge 33.5 metres (110 ft) high across its southern end, and the remainder of the island is low and wooded, and not more than 4.5 metres (15 ft) high. It is fringed with coral reefs with deep water at their edges. The round cylindrical concrete tower with a gallery on top is located near the southeastern point of the island.
Batag Island Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse on Batag Island off the coast of the town of Laoang in the province of Northern Samar in the Philippines. The light marks the northeastern point of Samar Island and led international ships to the entrance of the San Bernardino Strait marked by the San Bernardino Light. One of the most traveled waterways in the archipelago, together with the Capul Island Light, these stations are invaluable to vessels coming from the Pacific Ocean and entering the country through the San Bernardino Strait on its way to Manila or any other ports of the Philippines.
The Cabra Island Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse built on Cabra Island, the north-westernmost of the Lubang group of islands in Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. International vessels entering the Philippines from South China Sea were welcomed by the Cabra Light and directed either towards Manila Bay or the center of the archipelago through Verde Island Passage, one of busiest sea routes of the Philippines.
The Apo Reef Light was a historic lighthouse built on Bajo Apo Island in Apo Reef Natural Park. The park is located in the middle of Mindoro Strait, west of the province of Occidental Mindoro, in the Philippines. The station was established to warn ships of the dangerous shallow reefs in that part of the strait.
Bagatao Island Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located on Bagatao Island on the eastern side of the entrance to Sorsogon Bay, in the province of Sorsogon in the Philippines. The 29-foot (8.8 m) white cylindrical iron tower is situated on the rocky headland that forms the southern point in the western end of the Island, giving the total light elevation of 135 feet (41 m). The light not only marks the entrance to the bay, but also assists ships in navigating the bend around Ticao Island of Masbate province as they head to San Bernardino Strait and exit to the Pacific Ocean.
Bugui Point Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located on Bugui Point in the town of Aroroy, in the northern tip of Masbate Island, province of Masbate, in the Philippines. It lights the entrance to the channel between Burias Island and Masbate Island and the channel between Burias and Ticao Islands leading to San Bernardino Strait.
Cape Engaño Lighthouse, also known as Faro de Cabo Engaño, is a historic lighthouse located at Cape Engaño on Palaui Island in the town of Santa Ana, the province of Cagayan, Philippines. Located at the northernmost part of Luzon Island and situated atop the summit of a hill, 92 meters above sea level, the lighthouse provides a 360-degree view of Babuyan Island and the Dos Hermanas Island on the North, Pacific Ocean on the West and Engaño cove on the East.
Capones Island Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located in Capones Island off the coast of Barangay Pundaquit, San Antonio, in the province of Zambales, in the Philippines. The light guides international vessels coming from the north to northwest towards Subic Bay or to Corregidor Island Lighthouse at the entrance of Manila Bay. It had first-order lenses when it was first lit on August 1, 1890.
The first Corregidor Island Lighthouse was a historic lighthouse located on the island of Corregidor, in the province of Cavite, Philippines. The light station was one of the most important lights in the archipelago. It was established in 1853 to guide ships to the entrance of Manila Bay on their way to the port of Manila, the most important trading center in the country. This light occupies the converging point of two lines of approach for vessels from the China Sea which steer for the entrance of Manila Bay. Vessels from Hong Kong and the ports of China to the northwest first sight the Capones Island light off the southwest coast of Zambales. Vessels from ports of Indo-China first sight the Corregidor lights in the center. Vessels from Singapore, Indonesia, India, and all the ports of the Philippine Islands, to the south, first sight the Cabra Island light. All lines converge on Corregidor light at the bay entrance.
Cape Santiago Lighthouse, also known as Faro de Cabo Santiago, is a historic lighthouse located about 130 kilometres (81 mi) southwest of Manila in Barangay Bagong Silang, Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines. It is the oldest working lighthouse in Batangas and one of the oldest working lighthouses in the Philippines. It serves as a guide for ships passing through the Verde Island Passage and entering Manila Bay.
Malabrigo Point Lighthouse, also known as Faro de Punta Malabrigo, is a historic lighthouse located about 115 kilometres (71 mi) southeast of Manila in Barangay Malabrigo, Lobo, Batangas, Philippines. Completed and lit in 1896, it is one of the oldest working lighthouses in the Philippines as well as the best preserved lighthouse in the country. It serves as a guide for ships passing through the Verde Island Passage going to either Batangas Bay or Sibuyan Sea.