Phare du Portzic

Portzic Lighthouse Rear Range
Phare du Portzic

File:Phare du portzic.jpg = The lighthouse from the sea in January 2006
Portzic Lighthouse Rear RangePhare du Portzic is located in Finistère Portzic Lighthouse Rear Range Phare du Portzic Finistère
Location	Goulet de Brest Finistère France
Coordinates
Year first constructed	1848
Automated	1984
Construction	granite tower
Tower shape	octagonal prism tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern	unpainted tower, red lantern
Height	35 metres (115 ft)
Focal height	56 metres (184 ft)
Light source	mains power
Range	20 nmi (37 km)
Characteristic	Oc (2) WR 12s.
Admiralty number	D0790.1
NGA number	0160
ARLHS number	FRA-034
France number	FR-0655

The phare du Portzic is situated on the north-eastern extremity of the Goulet de Brest (Finistère, France) and is the nearest lighthouse to the town of Brest. It was inscribed as a monument historique before 1987. On the seaward side of the bottleneck entrance to the goulet, the lighthouse faces the Pointe des Espagnols.

It was built on military land in 1848, at the same time as the phare du Petit Minou (started slightly earlier to the north of the Goulet. It was electrified in 1953 and automated in 1984 (though a semaphore post set up at its base in 1987 to regulate traffic in and out of the goulet is still permanently manned).

Characteristics

• Signals : 1 main light for the sector with 2 flashes every 10 seconds (2 second flash then 6 second flash), accompanied by 2 twinkling directional lights in the direction of the Goulet, one continuous (one flash per second, known as the North signal, indicates to a navigator that he finds himself to the north of the channel), the other with 6 short flashes (one per second) and a long flash, known as the South signal, indicating to the nvaigator that he finds himself to the south of the channel.

See also

• List of lighthouses in France

External links

• Phare du Portzic Ministère de la Culture