Cabo Raso Lighthouse

The small maritime fort of São Brás of Sanxete was originally erected, together with the nearby fort of Cresmina, to protect the Guincho Beach, a vast sandy area where enemy ships could easily disembark troops. In 1894 the fort ceased to serve a defensive function and a lighthouse beacon was installed on the site.

In 1884, the Portuguese Commission on Lighthouses and Beacons decided on the need for construction of a lighthouse at Cabo Raso. The original plan was modified in 1893, because it was going to prove too expensive. The cheaper solution involved building a house for the lighthouse keeper, with 4 rooms. The light was installed on a slab positioned in front of one of the windows of the house, and, after its use, was moved into the interior of the room on a wooden carriage that rested on rails. This lighthouse went into operation on January 1, 1894, with a fixed oil light. In 1914, a sound signal was added, created by a tube of compressed air. The following year, the light of the lighthouse was finally transferred to the current iron tower, which is painted red and has a range of twenty nautical miles.[1][2]

This lighthouse was electrified in 1947, connected to the public power grid in 1969 and automated in 1984. In December 2003 the previous light system was replaced and an ML-300 flashlight with TF 3B flasher and 50W12V lamps was installed.[2]

• List of lighthouses in Portugal
• Directorate of Lighthouses, Portugal

• Media related to Cabo Raso Lighthouse at Wikimedia Commons