Þrídrangaviti Lighthouse (transliterated as Thridrangaviti) is an active lighthouse 7.2 kilometres (4.5 miles) off the southwest coast of Iceland, in the archipelago of Vestmannaeyjar. It is often described as one of the most isolated lighthouses in the world.[1][2] Þrídrangar means "three rock pillars", referring to the three named sea stacks at that location: Stóridrangur (on which the lighthouse stands), Þúfudrangur, and Klofadrangur.[3] The lighthouse was commissioned on July 5, 1942.[4]
Construction edit
Þrídrangaviti Lighthouse was constructed during 1938 and 1939.[4] It was originally built by hand without machinery, and it was accessible only by scaling the tallest of the three rocky stacks, whose top is 36.576 metres (120 ft) above the sea.[1] It was built under the direction of Árni Þórarinsson, who recruited experienced mountaineers to scale the sea stack. Their climbing tools did not allow them to bite into the rock near the top, and there were no handholds, so they made a 3-person human stack - one man on his knees, a second atop him, and a third one climbing on the second one - for the final pitch.[5][6] According to Þórarinsson:
- The first thing we had to do was create a road up to the cliff. We got together of experienced mountaineers, all from the Westman Islands. Then we brought drills, hammers, chains and clamps to secure the chains. Once they got near the top there was no way to get any grip on the rock so one of them got down on his knees, the second stood on his back, and then the third climbed on top of the other two and was able to reach the nib of the cliff above. I cannot even tell you how I was feeling whilst witnessing this incredibly dangerous procedure.[5][7]
The crew stayed on the rock in tents for a month, during the construction.[4] Electronics were installed three years later.[4] The lighthouse was commissioned on July 5, 1942, during WWII.[4] A helipad for helicopter access was added in the 1950s.[8]
Technical features edit
- The lighthouse building is situated about 30 metres (98 ft) above the sea [1]
- The building is 4 metres (13 ft) square concrete whitewashed single-story hut, with a roof that resembles a battlement on a medieval castle tower, including embrasure-like openings. The red lantern sits on the roof and is 4 metres (13 ft) high.[1][9]
- The light is 34 metres (112 ft) above the sea (its focal plane), which determines the "height of sight",[10] meaning the light beam is first visible at sea level from 16.7 kilometres (9.0 nautical miles; 10.4 miles).[1][9][dubious ]
- The beam is a long white flash followed by a short white flash every 30s.[9]
- The lighthouse Admiralty No. is L4802[9] — cf. List of lighthouses in Iceland
Media edit
In 2009, a photo taken by Árni Sæberg and published in Morgunblaðið reached a global audience – Justin Bieber re-posted the same photo on his social media increasing its reach.[7] Yrsa Sigurðardóttir used the location in her novel Why Did You Lie? (2016/2013).[7] According to The Lighthouse Directory, videos and photos of the lighthouse "suddenly went viral in July 2016".[9] Video and photos of maintenance workers were uploaded to Facebook in July 2015.[11] The Icelandic band KALEO released a music video recorded on the helipad, on 5 July 2020, the light's 78th anniversary, soon after the start of COVID when the public was isolating and online interest in remote habitations was trending.[4][8][12]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Þrídrangaviti lighthouse". TheWanders.eu. November 29, 2020.
- ^ "Iceland's Loneliest Lighthouse". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
- ^ "Incredible location for a lighthouse perched on a rock in Iceland's wild surf". Iceland Monitor. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
- ^ a b c d e f "KALEO releases incredible live performance for "Break my Baby" at Þrídrangar". IcelandMusic. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ a b "The Most Isolated Lighthouse in the World". History Daily. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ Chen, Justine (2020-02-26). "Thridrangaviti Lighthouse: The Perfect Place To Survive Any Pandemic". Elite Readers. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
- ^ a b c "Panorama: Incredible location for a lighthouse (Iceland)". Iceland Monitor. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 2023-12-30 – via marine-pilots.com.
- ^ a b "Islandský maják Þrídrangaviti". Kabinet Kuriozit (in Czech). 25 May 2021. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ a b c d e Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of East and South Iceland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ In the context of lighthouses, "height of sight" refers to the elevation at which a lighthouse's light can first be seen from sea level.
- ^ Video of repair work at the lighthouse in 2015. (Archive)
- ^ KALEO (5 February 2021) [5 July 2020]. Break My Baby (Music video). Þrídrangaviti Lighthouse, Iceland. Archived from the original on 2021-02-21 – via YouTube.