0131. Isle of Man - Ramsey North Pier and South Pier Lighthouse

Ramsey is the main town in the North and is the second largest town on the Isle of Man.  There is an attractive working Ramsey harbour.  The Ramsey North Pier and South Pier Lighthouse(s) are located at the end of two parallel piers at the entrance to Ramsey Harbour.  The South Pier was extended in 1876.

The Ramsey Harbour entrance has a channel trained between the two piers.  The channel to the harbour is effectively a navigable channel.  The Ramsey Harbour also has Ramsey Queen's Pier, now disused.  The Ramsey Queen's Pier was built as a low water landing pier.

The Ramsey Pier Lighthouse was commemorated by Isle of Man Post Office with the release of £1.30 (Manx Pound) stamp on 2-Apr-2012 under Harbour Lights (Minor Lighthouses around the Isle of Man).

Built in 1864, the Ramsey North Pier Lighthouse:

• Tower is HEXAGONAL cast-iron
• Tower Upper 2/3rd painted WHITE; Lower 1/3rd painted BLACK
• Height is 7 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is GREEN
• Light character is QUICK FLASHING

Built in 1876, the Ramsey South Pier Lighthouse:

• Tower is HEXAGONAL cast-iron
• Tower Upper 2/3rd painted WHITE; With single RED HORIZONTAL band in the middle; Lower 1/3rd painted BLACK
• Height is 7 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is RED
• Light character is QUICK FLASHING

0130. Isle of Man - Laxey Breakwater & Laxey Pier Lighthouse

About 10 km North-East of Douglas, the two Lighthouse(s), the Laxey Breakwater and Laxey Pier are located.  The Harbour of Laxey owes its origin to the lead mining industry.  The commissioning of a breakwater was started in 1890 and completed in 1893.   The Laxey Breakwater Lighthouse was on the seaward end and the Laxey Pier was the smaller inner light on the end of Rowe's Pier.

The Laxey Breakwater and Laxey Pier Lighthouse(s) were commemorated by Isle of Man Post Office with the release of £1.00 (Manx Pound) stamp on 2-Apr-2012 under Harbour Lights (Minor Lighthouses around the Isle of Man).

The Laxey Breakwater Lighthouse:

• Tower is masonry with domed lantern
• Tower is painted WHITE with SINGLE GREEN HORIZONTAL band
• Height is 4 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is GREEN
• Light character is FLASH 2 seconds ON and 1 seconds OFF

The Laxey Pier Lighthouse:

• Tower is masonry with domed lantern
• Tower is painted WHITE with SINGLE RED HORIZONTAL band
• Height is 4 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is RED
• Light character is FLASH 2 seconds ON and 1 seconds OFF

0129. Isle of Man - Peel Harbour Lighthouse

The Peel Breakwater Lighthouse is located on the outer breakwater extending North-Eastward from St. Patrick's Isle.  The Peel Breakwater Lighthouse is the oldest out of the five Lighthouses around the Peel Harbour.  The Peel Harbour is partly sheltered by St. Patrick's Isle, a small island crowned by Peel Castle. 

The Peel Breakwater Harbour Lighthouse was commemorated by Isle of Man Post Office with the release of 75p stamp on 2-Apr-2012 under Harbour Lights (Minor Lighthouses around the Isle of Man).

Built in 1896, the Peel Breakwater Lighthouse:

• Tower is OCTAGONAL cast-iron
• Tower is painted WHITE with a HORIZONTAL BLACK band at the base
• Height is 8 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is WHITE
• Light character is 5 seconds ON ; 2 seconds OFF
• The Fog signal is in the form of a BELL giving 4 rings every 12 seconds

0128. Isle of Man - Battery Pier (Douglas Harbour) Lighthouse

 

The Battery Pier Lighthouse is located on the Eastern end of the outer breakwater for the Douglas Harbour.  The Lighthouse was completed in 1876.  

The Battery Pier Lighthouse (Douglas Harbour) was commemorated by Isle of Man Post Office with the release of 68p stamp on 2-Apr-2012 under Harbour Lights (Minor Lighthouses around the Isle of Man).

The Battery Pier Lighthouse:

• Tower is TAPERED stone
• Tower is painted WHITE with SINGLE RED HORIZONTAL band
• Height is 10 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is RED
• Light character is QUICK FLASH

0127. Isle of Man - Castletown Harbour Lighthouse

Castletown in Isle of Man, is a heritage harbour which has an Outer and Inner drying harbours. The harbour is mainly used by inshore fishing vessels, pleasure craft and occasional coasters.  The Castletown Harbour Lighthouse hosts two Lighthouse(s) viz., Castletown Irish Quay and Castletown New Pier.

The outer harbour at Castletown is protected by a small breakwater on the end of which is a superb limestone built lighthouse, Castletown New Pier.  The Lighthouse was built when Castletown was the capital of the Island and the harbour was more important than now.

The approach to the inner harbour carries a smaller Lighthouse, Castletown Irish Quay. The Lighthouse was referred to as "Pepper Pot" Lighthouse.

The Castletown Harbour Lighthouse(s) were commemorated by Isle of Man Post Office with the release of 1p stamp on 2-Apr-2012 under Harbour Lights (Minor Lighthouses around the Isle of Man).

Built in 1849, the Castletown New Pier Lighthouse:

• Tower is CYLINDRICAL stone
• Tower is painted WHITE with SINGLE RED HORIZONTAL band
• Height is 7 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is RED
• Light character is FLASH 13 seconds ON and 2 seconds OFF

The Castletown Irish Quay Lighthouse:

• Tower is masonry
• Tower is painted WHITE with SINGLE RED HORIZONTAL band
• Height is 3.5 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is RED
• Light character is FLASH 3 seconds ON and 1 seconds OFF

0126. Isle of Man - Harbour Lights (Minor Lighthouses)

Isle of Man Post Office commemorated its Harbour Lights (Minor Lighthouses around the Isle of Man) with the release of stamp(s) on...

Castletown Harbour Lighthouse 1p

Douglas Harbour Lighthouse 68p

Peel Harbour Lighthouse 75p

Laxey Harbour Lighthouse £1.00 (Manx Pound)

Ramsey Harbour Lighthouse £1.30 (Manx Pound)

Port St. Mary Harbour Lighthouse £1.60 (Manx Pound)

The stamp(s) were released on 2-Apr-2012.  

The detail(s) about these Lighthouse(s) will follow in my next post(s)...

0125. USA - Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (US Coast Guard LH Series-1990)

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is located on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the community of Buxton.  The Outer Banks are a group of Islands on the North Carolina that separate the Atlantic Ocean from the Coastal sounds and Inlets.  The Lighthouse is considered an operational aid to navigation maintained by the US Coast Guard.  The Light Tower was decommissioned by the US Coast Guard due to the expensive maintenance cost as well as increasing reliance on GPS.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest US Lighthouse and on the tallest brick lighthouses in the World.  It is also the best-known building in North Carolina.  In 2003, the Lighthouse celebrated its 200th anniversary.

USPS commemorated the Cape Hatteras Head Lighthouse (State of North Carolina - US Eastern Coast) by the release of  25c stamp on 26-Apr-1990 in its US Coast Guard Lighthouse Stamp Series-1990.

The 1990 Lighthouse Stamp series is to commemorate the US Coast Guard Bicentennial and US Lighthouse Service and also the series represented one Lighthouse from each of the main coastal regions in the United States.

Built in the year 1803, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse:

• Tower is ROUND brick
• Tower is mounted on an Octagonal brick base which is unpainted red brick
• Tower is painted with BLACK and WHITE SPIRAL pattern
• Lantern painted BLACK
• Height is 61 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is WHITE
• Light character is FLASH every 7.5 seconds

0124. USA - Sandy Hook Lighthouse (US Coast Guard LH Series-1990)

Sandy Hook Lighthouse is located 3 kms inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey.  This Lighthouse is the oldest working Lighthouse in USA and also the only Lighthouse tower surviving from the colonial period.

The Lighthouse was designed and built by Isaac Conro.  During its construction, the Lighthouse was only 150 meters from the tip of Sandy Hook.  But, due to growth caused by littoral drift, the Lighthouse is presently 3 kms inland from the tip.

The Lighthouse helps mariners entering the Southern end of the New York Harbor.  The Lighthouse was originally called as New York Lighthouse. 

USPS commemorated the Sandy Hook Head Lighthouse (State of New Jersey - US Eastern Coast) by the release of  25c stamp on 26-Apr-1990 in its US Coast Guard Lighthouse Stamp Series-1990.

The 1990 Lighthouse Stamp series is to commemorate the US Coast Guard Bicentennial and US Lighthouse Service and also the series represented one Lighthouse from each of the main coastal regions in the United States.

Built in the year 1764, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse:

• Tower is OCTAGONAL rubble stone
• Tower is painted WHITE
• Lantern is painted RED
• Height is 26 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is WHITE
• Light character is continuous, day and night
  

0123. USA - West Quoddy Head Lighthouse (US Coast Guard LH Series-1990)

West Quoddy Head stands on the Easternmost point of the USA and the closest point to Europe from a point in the fifty US States.  This is one of the best known of all the American Lighthouse(s) as well as a familiar symbol of Maine Coast.  The Lighthouse is located South of Lubec.  The Lighthouse overlooks Quoddy Narrows, a strait between Canada and USA.

USPS commemorated the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse (State of Maine - US Eastern Coast) by the release of  25c stamp on 26-Apr-1990 in its US Coast Guard Lighthouse Stamp Series-1990.

The 1990 Lighthouse Stamp series is to commemorate the US Coast Guard Bicentennial and US Lighthouse Service and also the series represented one Lighthouse from each of the main coastal regions in the United States.

Built in the year 1858, the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse:

• Tower is ROUND brick
• Tower is painted with narrow RED and WHITE stripes
• This Tower painting pattern is unique in US
• Lantern painted BLACK with RED roof
• Height is 15 metres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is WHITE
• Light character is 2 (two) FLASHES every 15 seconds

0122. USA - American Shoals Lighthouse (US Coast Guard LH Series-1990)

American Shoals Lighthouse located South-East of Key West.  The Lighthouse is close to Looe Key in Florida, USA.  The Lighthouse was completed in 1880 and lit in 15-Jul-1880.  The structure of the Lighthouse was same as that of Fowey Rocks Lighthouse which was completed in 1878.

The Lighthouse was automated in year 1963 with a 4th order lens with Solar-powered light. The Lighthouse was on the outermost reefs and was covered with 1 metre of water. 

USPS commemorated the American Shoals Lighthouse (State of Florida - US Eastern Coast) by the release of  25c stamp on 26-Apr-1990 in its US Coast Guard Lighthouse Stamp Series-1990.

The 1990 Lighthouse Stamp series is to commemorate the US Coast Guard Bicentennial and US Lighthouse Service and also the series represented one Lighthouse from each of the main coastal regions in the United States.

Built in the year 1880, the American Shoals Lighthouse:

• Tower is OCTAGONAL PYRIMIDAL wrought-iron
• Tower has Octagonal 2-storey keeper's house
• Tower is painted REDDISH BROWN with central cylinder WHITE
• Height is 34 mtres
• Colour scheme of LIGHT is WHITE
• Light character is 3 (three) FLASHES every 15 seconds
• Flashes separated by 2.5 secs (2 red sectors cover dangerous shoals)