Green Point Lighthouse, Cape Town

Green Point Lighthouse
Location	Cape Town; South Africa
Coordinates	33°54′05.07″S 18°23′59.79″E / 33.9014083°S 18.3999417°E
Tower
Constructed	1824
Construction	masonry tower
Height	16 metres (52 ft)
Shape	square tower with balcony and lantern rising from one-story keeper's house
Markings	tower with red and white diagonal bands
Fog signal	Horn
Light
First lit	24 April 1824
Focal height	20 metres (66 ft)
Intensity	850,000 candela
Range	25 nmi (46 km; 29 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 10s.

The Green Point Lighthouse, Cape Town is an operational

dioptric flashing lights were installed.^[8] Its present characteristic is a white light flashing every 10 seconds.^[9] In 1926, a foghorn was installed in the lighthouse despite a letter of complaint sent to the Mayor of Cape Town in 1923 by Green Point residents.^[2]

Local Residents call the Green Point Lighthouse "Moaning Minnie".

History

The lighthouse was designed by Herman Shutte, who arrived in the Cape in 1790. Records state that his profession at the time of his arrival was a sculptor.[10] The building was commissioned in 1820 by Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin, who was the acting Commissioner of the Cape at the time. The building of the lighthouse took 3 years as the official governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset had not been consulted and he halted the project.^[7] The lighthouse was expanded to its current state in 1865 and certified a Provincial heritage site on 12 January 1973.^[5]

Senior lightkeepers

from	until	years	name
1823			John Fell
1840-07-01	1844	~4	W Daniels
1845-07-21	1859	~14	G Murray
1860-01-23	1878-05-21	18	J Hopson
~1885			H Franks
1888			J White
1889	1894-04-05	~5	N Johnson
1895	1901	~6	T Steele
1901-09-22			W S West
~1916	1924-03-31	~8	R W Holmes
1924-04-15			G W Ratcliffe
~1928			E D Bayes
~1939	1942-03-07	~3	T F Addison
1942			T H Browning
1942	1951-08-11	~9	A W Edwards
1948-10-17	1951-12-18	3	J G Roth
1951-12-07	1955-06-24	3	W G R Hayward
1955-07-01	1959-12-12	4	T L C Addison
1960-01-27	1964-01-26	3	J P Rossouw
1964-01-28	1968-06-26	4	D M Stewart
1968-06-25	1971-12-31	3	A W Barratt
1972-01-10	1978-04-30	6	L W Vallance
1978-05	1980-11-07	2	J H E Laubscher
1980-12	1985-03-01	4	P S Theron
1985-02-18	1990-11-13	5	R M Smith

1988-12-08	1991-12-13	3	E.P Crafford

^[11]

Accidents

The rotating beam of the lighthouse was stopped and focused on the wreck of the S.A. Seafearer in order to provide light for the rescue operation when the ship ran aground on 1 July 1966.^[2]

Sightseeing

The lighthouse is open to the public for an entrance fee. The lighthouse is part of various sightseeing tours in Cape Town.^[2]

References

Citations

^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Western South Africa". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Green Point Lighthouse, Cape Town". www.southafrica.net. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
^ Williams (1993), p.1.
^ Portnet (1991), p.17.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Green Point Lighthouse Cape Town". South African Heritage Resources Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ "Green Point Lighthouse". www.artefacts.co.za. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Green Point Lighthouse". www.greenpointlife.co.za. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ "Moaning Minnie in all her glory". www.citysightseeing.co.za. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
^ "Green Point Lighthouse (Cape Town, South Africa)". Lighthouse Explorer. Foghorn Publishing.
^ "Schutte, Herman". www.artefacts.co.za. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ Williams (1993), p.168.

Bibliography

Lighthouses of South Africa. Portnet. 1991.
ISBN 0-620-16367-4
.

Williams, Harold A. (1993). Southern lights: lighthouses of Southern Africa. Rivonia: William Waterman publications.
ISBN 0-9583751-1-9
.

External links

Green Point Lighthouse (Cape Town, South Africa) Archived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, Lighthouse Depot
Green Point [CT], The Lighthouse Company

[1] Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Western South Africa". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-03-21.

[SANET-2] "Green Point Lighthouse, Cape Town". www.southafrica.net. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.

[williams1993p1-3] Williams (1993), p.1.

[4] Portnet (1991), p.17.

[sahrc-5] "Green Point Lighthouse Cape Town". South African Heritage Resources Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2014.

[6] "Green Point Lighthouse". www.artefacts.co.za. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.

[gpl-7] "Green Point Lighthouse". www.greenpointlife.co.za. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.

[8] "Moaning Minnie in all her glory". www.citysightseeing.co.za. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.

[9] "Green Point Lighthouse (Cape Town, South Africa)". Lighthouse Explorer. Foghorn Publishing.

[10] "Schutte, Herman". www.artefacts.co.za. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.

[11] Williams (1993), p.168.

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