La Coubre Lighthouse

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La Coubre Lighthouse
Pointe de La Coubre
Phare de La Coubre in 2018.jpg
The newly painted lighthouse in 2017
La Coubre Lighthouse
Location La Tremblade, France OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Coordinates 45°41′48″N1°14′00″W / 45.69667°N 1.23333°W / 45.69667; -1.23333 Coordinates: 45°41′48″N1°14′00″W / 45.69667°N 1.23333°W / 45.69667; -1.23333
Constructed1830 (first)
1842 (second)
1860 (third)
1895 (fourth)
Construction reinforced concrete tower
Tower height64 metres (210 ft) [1]
Tower shapetapered base cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite lower 2/3 tower, red upper 1/3 tower, black lantern
Heritageregistered historic monument  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Admiralty no.D1290  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
ARLHS no. FRA133
First lit1905 (current)
Automated2000
Focal height58 metres (190 ft)
Lens1st order Fresnel lens
Intensity250W bulb
Range28 nautical miles (52 km; 32 mi)
Characteristic Fl (2) W 10s.
at 42 m. F RW depending on direction
NGA no. 113-1476 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The La Coubre Lighthouse (French: Phare de la Coubre) is a historic lighthouse that is still in service in La Tremblade, in Charente-Maritime, in France. [2] [3]

Contents

La Coubre is 64 metres (210 ft) high and is the highest in the department. A museum tells the history of the different lighthouses that have existed in the region. It is possible to climb to the top from February to November.

Geography

The lighthouse is located in the "Pointe of La Coubre", 15 km from Royan and at the north of the Gironde Estuary, close to the Bonne Anse Bay.

The "Pointe of La Coubre" and the sandbank separate the calm water of the Gironde Estuary, and to the north, the Atlantic Ocean. It is the highest Lighthouse in Charente-Maritime[ citation needed ] and guides the ships into the estuary, avoiding the sandbanks, where many ships have wrecked.[ citation needed ]

History

Tourism and museum

After climbing the 300 steps among the opaline on the walls, visitors can see the Wild Coast (Côte Sauvage), the beaches, the La Coubre forest, the Gironde Estuary and the Cordouan Lighthouse (the oldest in France).[ citation needed ]

100 years after the lighthouse was put into service, a museum was built to tell the history of the different lighthouses that have guided the ships. The museum has a few rooms where the history of the lighthouses is told, from 1699 to nowadays. In another room, marine objects are shown, a device measuring the fog, old lenses and other mechanisms.[ citation needed ]

See also

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References

  1. Base Mérimée: Phare de la Coubre, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of France: Charente-Maritime". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  3. Jones, R. (2013). Lighthouse Encyclopedia. Globe Pequot. p. 109. ISBN   978-1-4930-0170-5 . Retrieved 18 May 2019.