Cilaibi Lighthouse

Cilaibi Lighthouse

Cilaibi Lighthouse
Location	Cilaibi, Hualien County, Republic of China
Coordinates	24°00′57″N 121°38′38″E / 24.015818°N 121.643983°E / 24.015818; 121.643983Coordinates: 24°00′57″N 121°38′38″E / 24.015818°N 121.643983°E / 24.015818; 121.643983
Year first constructed	1931
Year first lit	1931
Deactivated	Active
Foundation	Concrete
Construction	Concrete with brick
Tower shape	Pentagram tower
Markings / pattern	White(tower & lantern)
Height	7.6 m (25 ft)
Focal height	33.4 m (110 ft) above sea level
Original lens	Fourth order fresnel
Intensity	28,000 candlepower
Range	16.6 nm
Characteristic	Flashing white three seconds every six seconds

Cilaibi Lighthouse (Chinese: 奇萊鼻燈塔) is one of several lighthouses in Taiwan. It is located in Cilaibi to the north of Hualien Harbor in Hualien County. Today Cilaibi Lighthouse is overseen by the Directorate General of Customs, a part of Ministry of Finance of Taiwan. The lighthouse is built between the Central Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean. The lighthouse is not open to the public all year around.

History

Japanese rule period

The original lighthouse was built by the Japanese in 1931. The building is 7.6 meters high, concrete and white. The acetylene flashing light once used in this lighthouse utilized pressure-regulated acetylene and a timing device, to flash once at a regular 3-second interval. During World War II, the lighthouse was seriously damaged by Allied bombing.

Present

In 1963, in order to help nearby Hualien Harbor become an international port, a new lighthouse, consisting of a white pentagon concrete building, was built on the original lighthouse base. The newly built Cilaibi Lighthouse used a 4th class white light electric lamp, the light flashing 3 seconds and dimming 3 seconds at a regular 6 second intervals, and the luminous intensity is 28,000 cd. In 1973, a non-directional beacon pole was added, with output power 100 watts and range 100 nms, to function in coordination with the Lyudao Lighthouse, also a non-directional beacon pole, for the ships mutual positioning. In 1985, a radar beacon pole was set. Then finally, in 1992, the communication systems were comprehensively changed into a dual-frequency radar beacon pole.

See also

• List of lighthouses in Taiwan

References

1. Su-fang Li, "The Lighthouses in Taiwan", Yuan-zu Culture Publ. Inc., Taipei county, Taiwan, 2002, pp. 138-141. ISBN 957-28031-2-3 (Chinese)
2. Lun-hui Yue, "Ocean Navigator-The Fair of Taiwan Lighthouses", Kaoshiung History Museum, Kaoshiung, 2000, pp. 74-77. ISBN 957-02-7455-7 (Chinese)
3. Customs, Ministry of Fiance of Taiwan, "The Concise History of the Republic of China Customs", Taipei, 1998. ISBN 9570048611 (Chinese)

External links

• Cilaibi Lighthouse-Directorate General of Customs(Taiwan) (English) (Chinese)
• Taiwan Customs Museum (English) (Chinese)
• Cilaibi Lighthouse(Taiwan) (Chinese)