200 - Tallinnamadala tuletorn
| Region: | Põhja-Eesti | Light ordinates: | 59.71205 N, 24.7315 E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light running: | night | Light characteristics: | Fl W 15s | |
| Light height from ground: | 31m | Light height from sea: | 29m | |
| Light visibility: | 10M | Built, y: | 1858 |
The lighthouse of the Shoal of Tallinn (the lighthouse Revelstein, Revalstein)is located in the Gulf of Finland, in 7,5 miles to North from the Aegna island, in the shoal, which is named as the lighthouse, and warns ships about dangerous shoals in the Gulf of Finland and in the Giulf of Tallinn. The shoal which is located on the territory of big crossroads of marina passages disturbs sailors since the times of the Hanseatic league. In 1695, it was also marked in the Baltic atlas by Petter Gedda.
In 1718, Peter I issued an ordinance to establish the warning mark near the Shoal of Tallinn or, if this was impossible, to build 4 posts of stone on the tree-tops on the islands of Naissaar and Aegna, so there would be any warning marks. Probably, these marks were invented to warn the ships on the marina passages.
In 1828, major-general Leonti Spafarjev offered to build a lighthouse in the Shoal of Tallinn. By having no opportunities, this plan was never realized. At the same time, there appeared an opportunity to replace the mark, situated on Aegna, to the tower of the church of Oleviste, so ships could safely go through the Shoal of Tallinn to the West.
In 1837, captain Treskin introduced the project of the swimming lighthouse of the Shoal of Tallinn. According to that plan, it might be 90 foot in length, the mainmast might hold weight of the small reflex lantern and fog bell. The project was not realized due to absence of the necessary tools.
In 1856, the check of the lighthouses and marina passages took place, organized by the Department of Hydrography with the aim to establish the lightship in the Shoal of Tallinn. Since 1858, this special sailing-ship began to anchor near the northern part of the Shoal of Tallinn (59° 43,3’ N, 24° 45,1’ E) for the period of departures of ships. The lightship was picked out of water, and a new lamp was put there. In 1864, the lightship was replaced by the black three-mast, bought in England and rebuilt in St.-Petersburg sailing-ship with the iron frame, on which sides there were drawn big white letters „R” and „P”, which stood for the first letter of the name of the ship – «Revelstein» - in German and in Russian. The main- and mizenmasts were frames, painted in black and white pedimental lines. At the daytime there was lifted the flag of the lightship on the mainmast – blue cross on yellow background. At night there were placed the lanterns on the masts. From the height of the mainmast (12 m above the sea level), the light of the lantern could be noticed from the distance of 7 miles. The lantern was equipped by the oil lamp with 8 reflexes. In case of fog, there was a siren on the lightship, sound of which could be heard from the distance of 1,5 miles.
By the year 1898, there was brought an additional lightship to Tallinn – «Revalstein» № 2, which was built in 1871 in St.-Petersburg. The ship was equipped by three dioptric lanterns which were on the masts. The light of the lantern of the mainmast, which was situated on the biggest height (9 m above the sea level) could be seen from the distance of 6 miles. There was a steam siren on a board of the lightship, sound of which could be heard from the distance of 4 miles.
By the year 1909, there were made some changes on the lightship. On the sides of ship on the light-yellow line in black Cyrillic letters was written the name of a ship – «Revelstein». By the year 1914 the lightship was repainted into red. On the sides of ship on the white line in black Cyrillic letters was written the name of a ship. By the year 1916, on the mainmast of the lightship there was placed the red sphere. At night, the lanterns on the main- and mizenmasts shone as they did before. In 1922, there was placed a flashing acetylenic lantern on the mainmast of «Revelstein» on the height of 30 m above the sea level, and the ship itself was equipped by the radio transmitter, and the name of the ship now was written in Latin letters.
In 1925, this ship was replaced by the two-masted steamer «Nekmangrund», which swam in the Shoal of Hiju before. On the sides of ship with the red sphere there was written in white letters «Revalstein». On the first mast of the ship, there were two red spheres. The light of the acetylenic lantern which was situated on height of 17 m above the sea level could be seen from the distance of 11 miles. The lightship had a signal station, lantern of Morse, radiostation, fog siren, fog bell and submarine. On the 11th of December in 1933, the lightship was renamed into «Tallinn». In 1936, there had already been a beacon on the boad of the lightship. In 1940, the nautiphone started to be used.
After the WWII in 1950, the lightship «Tallinn» was included into the list of the lighthouses. It was described as two-masted red steamship on the seventeen meter high foremast of which there was a flashing acetylenic lantern, and on the sides of ship in the white Cyrillic letters was written the name of the ship. The lightship had the nautiphone, fog siren, bell and beacon. Whether the lightship worked in 1950 in the Shoal of Tallinn (59° 43’ N, 24° 43’ E) is unknown. According to the data of the sea book, the lightship was working in the shoal until 1949, when it was replaced by the buoy.
The building of the lighthouse in the Shoal of Tallinn began in 1960. The reinforced concrete block-shaped foundation was prepared on the building berth in the harbor of Tallinn. It was sent to the sea, dragged to the in advance prepared foundation and sent to the bottom. In spring of 1961 the melting ice floes destroyed the first construction because in autumn the foundation was not finished due to not having enough stones of necessary size and concrete. All work might be started again from the very beginning.
New floating platform, weight of which was 2000 t, was made and dragged to the shoal, where it had been submerged on the depth of 7 m and was covered by gravel. So the foundation for the lighthouse had been formed. The bottom of the main body of the lighthouse was made of monolithic concrete and the top – of steal. The bottom was painted black, the middle part – red, and the top – yellow. The height of the lighthouse above the sea level (including lamp room and three balconies) is 31 m.
The lighthouse of the Shoal of Tallinn was finished in 1969. It has 8 floors where are placed the devices of computer-aided management. The lighthouse has double lightning set, beacon, nautiphone and other necessary things. The energy for the light is made in one electrical generator and four diesel generators.
The light of the lantern was seen from the distance of 15 miles. Its characteristics: LFl (2) W 15 s; 2 + 4 + 2 + 7 = 15 s. The distance control of the lighthouse is carried out from the check point in the main lighthouse of Tallinn.
As there appear problems in devices of the diesel generators when the temperature is low, the lighthouse of the Shoal of Tallinn in 1974 became the first lighthouse, where was used the generator, working on unstable isotopes (RITEG), which produced electrical energy. There were used two ninety volt power supplies. By the year 1983 the characteristics of light had changed: LFl (2) W 15 s; 1,5 + 2 + 1,5 + 10 = 15 s.
In September of 1994 the radionuclide generator was improved, and after that there stared usage of the sun batteries on the lighthouse. Now the light of the lighthouse is seen from the distance of 10 miles, the light characteristics became Fl(2) W 15 s; 1+1+1+12 = 15 s.
In 1997, the lighthouse was mended, and new light and controlling devices were established there, and the light characteristics became different, and it stayes the same until nowadays. In 2005, in the lighthouse there was established the LED lamp LED-350-3W. Since 1995 in the lighthouse of the Shoal of Tallinn is used radiolocator „K“.