A lighthouse is actually an auxiliary building equipment. We learned from books when we were children that a lighthouse can guide ships lost in the sea. Later, it gradually became a symbol of hope, expressing beautiful wishes. So what are the practical functions of lighting lighthouses? Below is an introduction for you.
1. Escort lighting, lighting lighthouse is a tower shaped luminous navigation mark built near key parts of the waterway. It is a fixed indicator, whose fundamental function is to guide ships to fly or indicate risk areas (often used to mark risky coasts, dangerous sandbars or reefs, and navigation routes leading to ports).
2. Astronomical coordinates, with the rapid development of science and technology and the establishment of a comprehensive navigation system consisting of radar responders, DGPS systems, and AIS ship automatic identification systems, have increasingly weakened their navigation function and reduced their navigation value. However, they have potential historical and cultural value and have become sought after humanistic astronomical coordinates by various countries.
3. Military defense, also known as the "Maritime Beacon of Yantai", has been used for military purposes in the past to stop coastal surveillance and prevent illegal immigration. There are also defense equipment such as fortresses and castles located near lighthouses.
In addition, lighthouses can also play a role in psychological warfare. The Aiyufeng product is located on the border between North and South Korea, only 3 kilometers away from North Korea, and its history dates back to 1954. At that time, in order to convey the joy of Christmas to North Korean residents, a large pine tree was decorated as a Christmas tree. In 1971, a 30 meter high Christmas lighthouse was built here that could be seen from afar. Hundreds of small light bulbs were decorated on the top of the tower, and it lights up every December. I heard that the lights of the lighthouse can also be seen with the naked eye in the city of Kaesong, North Korea, which is 2-3 kilometers away.
4. Declaring territory, in disputed waters, lighthouses, outposts, boundary markers, etc. are often seen as symbols of status. At the end of 2010, China built a sea base stone monument and a tower style sea base marker on the sea base points in the East China Sea, which provided a theoretical basis for the delineation of China's sea base lines. Japan also erected buildings on the so-called "Okinoshima Reef" earlier.
So what are the requirements for designing lighting lighthouses? To be effective, the light must be high enough to be seen before the sailor reaches the risk. Typical tall brick and stone coastal buildings were constructed in the risk shoals far from flat beaches to assist navigators in landing after crossing the ocean. These are usually cylindrical in shape to reduce the impact of wind on tall structures. If there are high cliffs, a smaller structure can be placed at the top. Sometimes such positions may be too high, such as on the West Coast of the United States, where frequent low clouds can obstruct light. In these situations, lighting lighthouses are placed below the cliff top to ensure that they can still be seen on the surface during foggy or low cloud conditions, just like the Cape Reyes lighthouse. The above is the introduction about it, hoping it will be helpful to you.