La Coubre Lighthouse

The La Coubre Lighthouse (French: Phare de la Coubre) is a historic lighthouse that is still in service in La Tremblade, in Charente-Maritime, in France.[3]

La Coubre Lighthouse
Pointe de La Coubre
The newly painted lighthouse in 2017
La Coubre Lighthouse
Pointe de La Coubre
France
LocationLa Tremblade, France
Coordinates45°41′48″N 1°14′00″W
Year first constructed1830 (first)
1842 (second)
1860 (third)
1895 (fourth)
Year first lit1905 (current)
Automated2000
Constructionreinforced concrete tower
Tower shapetapered base cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / patternwhite lower 2/3 tower, red upper 1/3 tower, black lantern
Tower height64 metres (210 ft)[1]
Focal height58 metres (190 ft)
Current lens1st order Fresnel lens
Intensity250W bulb
Range28 nautical miles (52 km; 32 mi)
CharacteristicFl (2) W 10s.
at 42 m. F RW depending on direction
Admiralty numberD1290
NGA number1476
ARLHS numberFRA-133[2]
Heritageregistered historic monument 

La Coubre is 64 metres (210 ft) high and is the highest in the department. A museum tells the history of the different lighthouses that have existed in the region. It is possible to climb to the top from February to November.

Geography

The lighthouse is located in the "Pointe of La Coubre", 15 km from Royan and at the north of the Gironde Estuary, close to the Bonne Anse Bay.

The "Pointe of La Coubre" and the sandbank separate the calm water of the Gironde Estuary, and to the north, the Atlantic Ocean. It is the highest Lighthouse in Charente-Maritime and guides the ships into the estuary, avoiding the sandbanks, where many ships have wrecked.

History
  • In 1690, there was a beacon on the "Pointe de La Coubre". Some structures were later constructed during the 19th century, but they have since been destroyed.
  • In 1860, because of a number of shipwrecks, an imperial decree put in order the construction of a lighthouse, on the northern part of the estuary.
  • This wooden lighthouse would soon be replaced in 1895 by a 57-meter-high-stoned lighthouse. In 1892, the construction of this new lighthouse started, 1.5 km away from the ocean. However, 10 years later, the erosion threatened it. Therefore, a breakwater was built to try and slow the ocean.
  • It is decided to build a new one, 1.8 km away from the previous stoned lighthouse. This one was built with concrete and the stoned lighthouse collapsed in 1907.
  • In 2016, the 1905 lighthouse was repainted to be better seen by ships. A ton of paint was used during the 3-month-work.

Tourism and museum

After climbing the 300 steps among the opaline on the walls, visitors can see the Wild Coast (Côte Sauvage), the beaches, the La Coubre forest, the Gironde Estuary and the Cordouan Lighthouse (the oldest in France).

100 years after the lighthouse was put into service, a museum was built to tell the history of the different lighthouses that have guided the ships. The museum has a few rooms where the history of the lighthouses is told, from 1699 to nowadays. In another room, marine objects are shown, a device measuring the fog, old lenses and other mechanisms.

See also
  • Lighthouse in 2004
  • Lighthouse in 2012
  • Lighthouse in 2012
  • The sea at La Coubre

References
  1. Base Mérimée: Phare de la Coubre, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of France: Charente-Maritime". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  3. Jones, R. (2013). Lighthouse Encyclopedia. Globe Pequot. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-4930-0170-5. Retrieved 18 May 2019.


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