Ponta da Barca Lighthouse (Santa Cruz da Graciosa)

 lighthouse  Add category

The Ponta da Barca Lighthouse (Farol da Ponta da Barca) is a beacon/lighthouse located along the 24 meter cliffs of Ponta da Barca, near the hamlet of Bom Jesus, parish of Santa Cruz da Graciosa on the island of the same, the archipelago of the Azores. Immediately near the lighthouse, is the emblematic baleia de pedra, a curious geological basaltic rock that has resisted erosion, in the shape of a whale. The lighthouse includes a symmetrical single-floor building, and a 23 meter high cylindrical tower that extends its lamp to 71 meters above the ocean surface. It is considered a second-order lighthouse, which began operating on February 1, 1930.
The lighthouse, denoted as 797 (Internationally recognized as D-2676) is equipped with a 3-order leticular dioptric lamp with a 500mm focal distance, manufactured in 1927. Initially the beacon was produced by a mechanical system that rotated the incandescent lamp every 5 seconds, powered by a diesel engine (and with a butane reserve).