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Lighthouses

Museum of Maritime Navigation and Communication

By: Anika Thakkar, Kate Farhat, Kristen Farhat, Dea Zenelaj, Michele Chahwan

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Purpose of Lighthouses

Tool for ships for navigation and communication
Communication: ships use them to communicate with each other

Horns and bells - fog signals to warn ships
Painted differently (light or dark)
Different rates of light flashes
Radio signals now run remotely

Navigation: they guide and help navigate the ships

Lights projected out into the sea help when there is fog
Higher lighthouses have lights that reach farther out
Short lighthouses are for local navigation

Lighthouses are navigational tools for ships. Lighthouses play an important role in navigation and communication. Regarding communication, lighthouses are needed for ships to communicate with each other. Horns and bells act as fog signals to warn ships in the area. The lighthouses are painted differently based on their backgrounds (light or dark) to be identified by ships. They have different rates of flashes of lights to distinguish them from other lighthouses. Today, radio signals are used to communicate with ships and lighthouses are run and monitored remotely or by machines, contrary to the past when they were attended by lighthouse keepers.

Regarding navigation, the lighthouses have lights that are projected outward into the sea to guide ships and help them navigate the vast waters. When there is fog, the light illuminates the water so that barriers like rocks are more distinguished and stand out in the deep, dark waters. The higher the lighthouse is above sea level, the farther the light will be seen. So, some lighthouses are built to be short to help local ships navigate. Others are built taller to assist ships that are farther away in navigation.

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History of Lighthouses

Pharos of Alexandria, oldest lighthouse in the world, was built

Tower of Hercules, oldest lighthouse still standing, was built

Fog signal used for the first time in Boston

Sultan of Egypt built a fort at the location with the remains of Pharos of Alexandria

247 BC

200 AD

1303 AD

1480 AD

1719 AD

Pharos of Alexandria was destroyed by an earthquake

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History of Lighthouses

Congress’s 9th Act puts federal government in charge of lighthouses

Fog bell used for the first time in the US

Congress passes the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act

1789

1820

1968

2000

Start of Lighthouse Automation and Modernization Program (LAMP)

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Sources

https://capepoint.co.za/5-interesting-facts-about-lighthouses/

https://www.oldest.org/structures/lighthouse/

https://www.britannica.com/technology/lighthouse

https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/lighthouse.htm

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lighthouse.html

http://www.lighthousesforkids.com/book_timeline.php