St Lucia
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LIGHTHOUSE DETAILS
| Name | St Lucia |
| Structure | Eight metre circular cast iron tower painted with black and white horizonta |
| Other Features | |
| Date Installed | 1906/1915 |
| Description | The St Lucia Lighthouse is situated on a densely wooded sand dune, rising to a point of 113m above the sea on the northern side of the Umfolozi River in Kwazulu-Natal. First erected in 1906, which was quite a achievement due to the inaccessible spot, heavy vegetation and the fact that no road had been created prior to the building, it is one of the oldest lighthouses on the Zululand coast. The 8 metre circular cast iron tower was first utilised in the Aliwal Shoal vicinity. Today the tower is painted with black and white horizontal stripes and is equipped with a radio beacon. The lighthouse is fully automatic with triple mutual diesel/alternator sets. The name St Lucia was first given, in June 1554, to the mouth of the Tugela River by survivors of the wrecked Portuguese ship, the Saint Benedict. The same party named the St Lucia estuary "Rio de la Medaos do Ouro" (River of the Sands of Gold), but in 1575 the name St Lucia was moved from the Tugela River to the St Lucia estuary This vast lake has an average depth of 1 metre, and has become a paradise for enormous numbers of water birds. Crocodiles and hippos find the warm waters to be a favourable spot and from November to January, loggerhead and leatherback turtles come ashore at night north of Cape Vidal to lay their eggs in the sand on the beach. Life at Cape St Lucia for the lightkeepers and their spouses has always been a lonely one. With the exception of the period 1908-1912 and 1947-1951, one man has staffed the St Lucia lighthouse only. During the period of 1942 to 1946 however, the wife of lightkeeper Coward was the only women lightkeeper to be employed in the light service. |
LIGHT DETAILS
| Light Type | Revolving electric |
| Light Character | Group flashing two every ten seconds |
| Light Range | 24 sea miles |
| Light Power | 600 000 CD |
| Height of focal Plane | 113 metres above high water |
POSITION
| Position | 28 31 08 South, 31 23 50 East |