Phare du Cap Lévi, Historical lighthouse in Fermanville, France.
The Phare du Cap Lévi is a 28-metre granite tower on the cliff at Fermanville, its square faces curved inward and rising to a glazed circular top under a red-domed lantern. It was built in 1947–1948 by the architects Levavasseur and Chauliat, 100 metres behind the site of the 1858 tower, and its light stands 36.85 metres above the sea.
The lighthouse was built in 1858 to serve maritime traffic at this exposed stretch of coast. After its destruction during World War II, it was rebuilt in 1948 and has continued to serve as a navigation point for the region ever since.
The cape's name comes from the wreck of the frigate La Résolue in June 1833, one of many on the Biéroc shoals and their raz, the violent current off the point. The light was approved in March 1851 and serves as a relay between the lighthouses of Goury and Gatteville.
The lighthouse stands on the cliff of Cap Lévi in Fermanville, about 500 metres from the old watchtower post. The tower is not open to visitors; the light was automated in 1975. The present tower was built 100 metres back from the first one, higher up the slope, so its focal height of 33 metres above the sea stayed the same.
The 1901 mercury bath, which eased the turning of the lens and raised the light's power, belonged to the first tower, blown up by German troops in June 1944. The rebuilt 1948 tower by architects Levavasseur and Chauliat stands 100 metres back from the old site and was automated in 1975.
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