Faro del Castillo San Felipe del Morro (English: Lighthouse of Promontory Castle of Saint Phillip), also known as Puerto San Juan Light (Light of Port San Juan), and most commonly referred to as Faro del Morro (El Morro Lighthouse), is a lighthouse atop the walls of Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan. It's the first lighthouse built in Puerto Rico.[2]
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| Location | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 18°28′15.79″N 66°7′25.01″W / 18.4710528°N 66.1236139°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1846  |
| Foundation | Fort |
| Construction | Brick/Masonry (1908 tower) |
| Automated | 1962 |
| Height | 15.5 m (51 ft) |
| Shape | Square tower on castle |
| Markings | Gray "Moorish revival" |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1908 (rebuilt tower by the U.S Coast Guard ) |
| Focal height | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Lens | Third order, Fresnel 1908 |
| Range | 24 nmi (44 km; 28 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl(3) W 40s |
Faro del Morro | |
| MPS | Lighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000693 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 22, 1981 |
The first Castillo San Felipe del Morro Lighthouse was built in 1846 and exhibited a light using five parabolic reflectors.[2] In 1876, a new octagonal iron tower was constructed atop the walls of the fort .[1] The tower was hit by U.S. artillery fire in the Puerto Rican Campaign of the Spanish–American War on May 12, 1898. The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1899 but developed structural problems and was demolished in 1906. The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1908.[3] Public admission tours into the tower are held, and the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, along with Castillo San Cristóbal and much of the city walls are part of the San Juan National Historic Site also open to the public.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Inventory of Historic Light Stations National Park Service". Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ a b "Lighthouse Friends- Puerto San Juan". Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Puerto Rico". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
External links
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Media related to Castillo San Felipe del Morro Lighthouse at Wikimedia Commons- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PR-48-A, "Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, Lighthouse, Northwest corner of San Juan, San Juan, San Juan Municipio, PR", 5 measured drawings
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PR-23, "Castillo de San Felipe del Morro Lighthouse, Summit of Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, San Juan Antiguo (subdivision), San Juan Municipio, PR", 1 photo, 3 data pages, 1 photo caption page
