Kvitsøy Lighthouse

Kvitsøy Lighthouse

View of the lighthouse
Location	Rogaland Norway
Coordinates	59°03′43.3″N 05°24′00.7″E
Tower
Constructed	1700 (first)
Construction	stone tower
Automated	1969
Height	27 metres (89 ft)
Shape	octagonal tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white tower, red lantern
Operator	Kvitsøy municipality
Heritage	cultural property
Light
First lit	1829 (current)
Focal height	45.2 metres (148 ft)
Lens	2nd order Fresnel lens
Intensity	909,000 Candela
Range	18.5 nmi (34.3 km; 21.3 mi)
Characteristic	Fl (4) W 40s.

Kvitsøy Lighthouse (Norwegian: Kvitsøy fyr) is a coastal lighthouse and heritage building in the municipality of Kvitsøy in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located on the west side of the village of Ydstebøhamn on the island of Kvitsøy. The lighthouse marks the entrance to the huge Boknafjorden, the main shipping route to the city of Stavanger, and inland Rogaland county. The first lighthouse at the site was established in 1700, and the present lighthouse was built in 1829. The lighthouse was automated in 1969, and has been a protected historic building since 1998.[1]

The 1829 tower

The 1829 lighthouse was 18 metres (59 ft) in height. The tower was extended by 7 metres (23 ft) in 1859 and it gained another 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in height when a first order lens was installed in 1910. The present 27-metre (89 ft) tall lighthouse is an octagonal stone tower. There is a 2nd order Fresnel lens at the top of the tower. The building is painted white, with the lantern on the top painted red. Today, the light sits at an elevation of 45.2 metres (148 ft) above sea level. The light emits four white flashes every 40 seconds.[2][3]

The lighthouse was automated and depopulated in 1969, and has been preserved as a protected historic building. Kvitsøy Lighthouse is the oldest stone tower lighthouse still in operation in Norway.[4]

The 1700 light

The first construction from 1700 was a pivotal "bucket light" fuelled by coal, which could be lifted about six metres above the ground.[5] The lamp was lit from 20 August to 20 March during the night. The bucket contained 170 litres (37 imp gal; 45 US gal) of coal, and the annual consumption was about 70 metric tons (69 long tons). The operation of the light was funded by a toll system for ships passing Kvitsøy. A replica model of the bucket light from 1700 was installed in 2005 near the current lighthouse.[6]

See also

• Lighthouses in Norway
• List of lighthouses in Norway

References

1. Henriksen, Petter (ed.). "Kvitsøy fyr". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
2. Rowlett, Russ (19 July 2011). "Lighthouses of Norway: Central Rogaland (Stavanger Area)". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
3. Kystverket (2014). Norske Fyrliste 2014 (PDF) (in Norwegian). ISBN 9788245015959. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
4. "Kvitsøy fyrstasjon" (in Norwegian). Norsk fyrhistorisk forening. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
5. "Kvitsøy fyr" (in Norwegian). Kvitsøy kommune. Archived from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
6. Jøssang, Tor Inge (2 June 2005). "Kvitsøy får nytt vippefyr". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.

External links

• Norsk Fyrhistorisk Forening (in Norwegian)