Lighthouse of Carapacho

The Lighthouse of Carapacho (Portuguese: Farol do Carapacho/Ponta da Restinga) is a beacon/lighthouse located along the cliffs of Ponta da Restinga, near the hamlet of Carapacho, civil parish of Luz on the island of Graciosa, the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.^[3][4]

The 1883 Plano Geral de Alumiamento (Illumination General Plan), proposed the construction of a fourth-order lighthouse, that would flash each minute and have a 19 nautical miles (35 km) range.

On 11 November 1902, the Comissão dos Faróis e Balizas (Commission on Lighthouses and Beacons) proposed alterations to the General Plan approved in 1883, in which the lighthouse became a fifth-order structure, using a three-flash 10-second variable range beacon, with a range of use between 10–94 nautical miles (19–174 km) for clear, medium and tempestuous weather.

The lighthouse began to function on 26 May 1956, equipped with diotropic fifth-order optics, with a focal distance of 187.5 millimetres (7.38 in), moved by a clockwork mechanism. This first beacon used an incandescent red acetylene light, in two groups with a 19 nautical miles (35 km) range.

By 1961, the light became a white beacon, improving its range to 20 nautical miles (37 km)

A solar valve system was installed in 1978, that allowed the light to become active or inactive based on the atmospheric conditions.

It was only in 1987 that the lighthouse joined the electrical network on the island. At the same time the optics were substituted by a sixth-order lamp with a focal distance of 150 millimetres (5.9 in) and the lamp was upgraded to a 50 Watt/12 Volt halogen light, supported by battery and secured by the exterior network.

It is situated on the southeastern tip of the island of Graciosa, on a promontory a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the village of Carapacho.

وهي تُشابه هياكل مماثلة في جزيرة ساو ميغيل ، وتحديداً منارتي بونتا غارسا وبونتا دو سينتراو. تتكون المنارة من برج خرساني دائري، مبني بأضلاع، يرتفع من مبنى من طابق واحد.

يمكن الوصول إلى الموقع عن طريق البر، وهو مفتوح للجمهور مع إمكانية الوصول إلى الداخل بعد ظهر يوم الأربعاء.

• قائمة المنارات في البرتغال