Cape Beale Light

"Cape Beale" redirects here. For the cape in the Southern Ocean, see Cape Beale (Antarctica).

Cape Beale Lightstation is an active manned lighthouse on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Cape Beale Lighthouse

Cape Beale Lighthouse
Location	Cape Beale Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada
Coordinates	48°47′11″N 125°12′56″W
Tower
Constructed	1874 (first)
Construction	steel skeletal tower
Height	10 metres (33 ft)
Shape	square pyramidal tower with balcony and lantern, central cylinder, slatted daymarks on three sides
Markings	red tower and lantern
Operator	Canadian Coast Guard
Heritage	heritage lighthouse
Light
First lit	1958 (current)
Focal height	48 metres (157 ft)
Characteristic	Fl WR 5s.

History

The lighthouse was built in 1874 and its focal plane is 51 meters above sea level. The present tower was built in 1958 and marks the entrance to Barkley Sound. It is 10 metres tall. Cape Beale received its name from Charles William Barkley, captain of the Imperial Eagle, who named it for his ship's purser, John Beale. The lighthouse is best known for its proximity to the West Coast Trail which is the theoretical route survivors of shipwrecks would take to get to the nearby community of Bamfield.

From 1971 to 1998, the Cape Beale Light was part of the British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program, collecting coastal water temperature and salinity measurements for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans everyday for 27 years.

See also

• List of lighthouses in Canada
• List of lighthouses in British Columbia
• Graveyard of the Pacific
• SS Valencia

References

• Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Southern British Columbia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

External links

• "Cape Beale". BC Geographical Names.
• Aids to Navigation Canadian Coast Guard
• Cape Beale Lightstation
• Mills Landing Cottages and Charters
• Bamfield, British Columbia