St. David's Lighthouse is an active 19th century
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
sited at the eastern end of
St. David's Island on a hill overlooking the headland of
St. David's
St Davids or St David's (, , "David's house”) is a cathedral city in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies on the River Alun and is part of the community of St Davids and the Cathedral Close. It is the resting place of Saint David, Wales's p ...
in
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest.
Bermuda is an ...
. It is one of only two 'traditional lighthouses' in Bermuda, the other being
Gibbs Hill Lighthouse at the south-western end of the main island, both lights are well known tourist attractions.
[
]
History
Construction started in 1876 and it became operational in 1879, it consists of an octagonal tower of local limestone with two galleries and a lantern room. Originally painted white, it now has a distinctive red band daymark
A daymark is a navigational aid for sailors and maritime pilot, pilots, distinctively marked to maximize its visibility in daylight.
The word is also used in a more specific, technical sense to refer to a signboard or daytime identifier that ...
half-way up the tower. The original wick-type burner was replaced in the 1920s by a hood vapour kerosene unit.[
With a focal height of above sea level, the main light can be seen for 15 ]nautical miles
A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude at the eq ...
, and has a light characteristic
A light characteristic is all of the properties that make a particular somewhat navigational light identifiable. Graphical and textual descriptions of navigational light sequences and colours are displayed on nautical charts and in Light Lists ...
of a flash of white light every two seconds. A second light at a slightly lower level, displays fixed red and green lights to mark offshore shoals.[
In 1940, the ''SS Pelinaion'' a Greek freighter en route from Africa to Baltimore which was oblivious to the fact that the lighthouses had been switched off due to the war, ran aground and broke in two on a reef to the east of St. David's Head. The sizeable wreck is now a popular dive site, with the boilers and triple-expansion steam engine still visible.][
In 1976, some scenes from the motion picture '' The Deep'' were filmed in the lighthouse tower while a fake St. David's Lighthouse, built at Bermuda's ]Coney Island
Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
, was blown up as part of the movie's plot.Peter Benchley
Peter Bradford Benchley (May 8, 1940 – February 11, 2006) was an American author. He is best known for his bestselling novel '' Jaws'' and co-wrote its movie adaptation with Carl Gottlieb. Several more of his works were also adapted for both ...
had included the lighthouse as a significant plot point in his novel of the same name.[
]
See also
* List of lighthouses in Bermuda
Where was the lighthouse from THE DEEP?
References
External links
Department of Marine & Ports Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. David's Lighthouse
Lighthouses in Bermuda
Lighthouses completed in 1879
St. David's Island, Bermuda