Cape Spear
Cape Spear | |
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Coordinates: 47°31′25″N 52°37′10″W / 47.52361°N 52.61944°W | |
Location | Newfoundland, Canada |
Elevation | 75 m (246 ft) |
Current light | |
Constructed | 1955 |
Construction | concrete |
Height | 13.7 m (45 ft) |
Markings | white (tower), white (lantern), red (guard rail) |
Operator | Parks Canada |
Heritage | recognized federal heritage building of Canada |
Focal height | 71 m (233 ft) |
Range | 20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi) |
Characteristic | Fl(3) W 15s |
Original light[2] | |
Constructed | 1836 |
Construction | limestone |
Markings | white (tower), white (lantern), red and white (dome) |
Heritage | national Historic Sites of Canada, classified federal heritage building of Canada, heritage lighthouse |
Deactivated | 1955 |
Cape Spear (
Cape Spear is within the municipal boundaries of the city of St. John's, located about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from downtown St. John's.[3]
The Portuguese named this location Cabo da Esperança, meaning "cape of hope", which became Cap d'Espoir in French and finally "Cape Spear".
Cape Spear is the trailhead/trail end for two components of the East Coast Trail.[4]
History
The Cape Spear region[
World War II
Because of its proximity to
Lighthouses
A
Nicholas Croke and William Parker, two St. John's builders, won the contract for the lighthouse and work began in 1834 or early in 1835.[9] The first lighthouse was a square wooden building with a tower in the middle containing the light. A foghorn was added in 1878. The first light used at Cape Spear had already been used since 1815 at a lighthouse on Inchkeith on the east coast of Scotland. The original light used seven Argand burners and curved reflectors. This was later replaced by a dioptric lens system; the light was first lit by oil, then acetylene, and finally electricity in 1930.
A new concrete lighthouse was built in 1955, and the original light was moved to the new building.[3]
Lightkeepers
In 1835, dense fog enveloped an approaching warship carrying a VIP visitor to St. John's. The Governor sent out several pilot boats, and a young harbour pilot names James Cantwell succeeded in locating the ship and guiding it safely into harbour. Asked what reward he would like, he requested the job of keeper at the Cape Spear lighthouse, then under construction. It had been promised to another man, Emmanuel Warre, but when Warre died ten years later Cantwell became the second keeper. He served for 35 years; his son Dennis, who had been his assistant, later took over and, with two intermissions, the Cantwell family kept the Cape Spear light for over 150 years.[10]
Name | Years |
---|---|
Emanuel Warre | 1836–1846 |
James Cantwell | 1846–1879 |
Austin Oke Sheppard | 1880–1886 |
Dennis Cantwell | 1886–1909 |
James Cantwell | 1909–1918 |
William Cantwell | 1918–1925 |
Jack Cantwell | 1925–1939 |
Weston Cantwell | 1939–1944 |
Frank Cantwell | 1944–1965 |
Martin Hefferan | 1965–1982 |
Gerald Cantwell | 1982–1997 |
National Historic Site
The original Cape Spear lighthouse is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and the location has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.[12] The original lighthouse building and the lightkeeper's residence have been restored to the period of 1839, and are open to the public. The visitor centre includes a gift shop. The lighthouse was designated under the federal Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act in June 2016.[13]
Some visitors attracted by the scenery and history have been swept away by the large and unpredictable waves at Cape Spear, prompting Parks Canada to post numerous warning signs in the area.
Radar Station
Cape Spear Radar Station Newfoundland Base Command | |
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Site history | |
Built | 1942 |
Built by | United States Army |
In use | 1943-1945 |
Garrison information | |
Garrison | 685th Air Warning Company |
Cape Spear Radar Station (Prime) was a United States Army General Surveillance Ground Radar Early Warning Station in the Dominion of Newfoundland.[14][15] It was built during World War II and responsible for monitoring air traffic from RCAF Torbay and into the Atlantic Ocean.[16][17][18][19] It was closed in 1945.[20]
The site was established in 1942 as a United States Ground Radar Early Warning Station, funded by the
United States Army Air Forces units and assignments
Units:
- Inactivated November 1944
Assignments:
- Newfoundland Base Command, Winter 1943
See also
- Cape St. Charles, the easternmost point of mainland North America
- List of lighthouses in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act
Further reading
- Environment Canada – Parks, Cape Spear National Historic Park brochure, 1986.
References
- ^ a b Staveley, Michael (February 6, 2006). "Cape Spear". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Southeastern Newfoundland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ a b "Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site". Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-7537-1592-5.
- ^ ISBN 9781845415235
- ^ ISSN 1715-1430
- ISBN 978-0-9748167-3-9.
- ^ "Defenses in Newfoundland, Canada". Coast Defense Study Group. May 24, 2016.
- ^ "Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada". Parks Canada. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ISBN 1550810960.
- ^ Cape Spear Lighthouse Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Lighthouse Friends
- ^ Cape Spear Lighthouse. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- ^ "Cape Spear Lighthouse Receives Heritage Lighthouse Designation". News, Government of Canada. Government of Canada. June 30, 2016. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
Cape Spear Lighthouse is one of 76 lighthouses from across Canada to be designated since the Act was adopted in 2008, with more designations to come.
- ^ "Searching the Skies, The Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program" (PDF).
- ^ "Cape Spear Battery - FortWiki Historic U.S. And Canadian Forts".
- ISBN 0-920911-85-4.
- ^ "Fort Cape Spear - Cape Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador - Historic Forts on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com.
- ^ "The CADIN Pinetree Line Locations".
- ISBN 0920508146. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 21, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ "Other American Stations".
- ^ "A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 13, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ISBN 0-9681973-0-2.
- ^ "Newfoundland Forts".
- ^ "Cape Spear, NF".
- ^ "Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Cornett, Lloyd H. and Johnson, Mildred W., A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980,[1] Archived February 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson AFB, CO (1980)
External links
- Parks Canada site Archived October 9, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
- Aids to Navigation Canadian Coast Guard