Corregidor Lighthouse is a functioning historic lighthouse located 6,972 miles west-southwest of San Francisco, 3,044 miles north-northeast of Sydney, Australia, 692 miles south of Hong Kong and 628 feet above sea level, on the topside of Corregidor Island, Philippines.
Delight in the breathtaking view of the Manila Bay, the South China Sea, Bataan and a bird's eye-view of the island from atop the lighthouse.
The tower is 14.5 m (48 ft.) high. It consists of an octagonal whitewashed stone tower with a lantern and a double gallery that rises from the middle of the single-storey stone keeper's house. There are windows which are arranged in the shape of crosses on the four sides of the tower. The lighthouse emits three white flashes every 20 seconds. The light, generated by solar panels, is visible as far as 36 miles away in the South China Sea. It has a focal plane of 193 m (633 ft.).
The lighthouse is one of the most important in the archipelago. The old Spanish lighthouse was constructed by Spaniards in 1835. It was commissioned in 1863 to guide ships entering and leaving Manila Bay and was improved by the Americans in 1900's. Damaged in World War II in 1945, and repaired by Corregidor Foundation, Inc. (CFI) in 1989. The present-day complex includes Vessel Traffic System (VTS) Tower, Spanish Photo Exhibit and souvenir shops bounding the quadrangle. The lantern was replaced in the 1990's with a solar powered light as part of the Maritime Safety Improvement Project (MSIP) by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). In 1994, the MARINA improved the lighthouse tower by increasing its height and installing more luminous revolving lights.
Other facilities in the complex were constructed and maintained by CFI, the mandated administrator of Corregidor Island since 1987.
Adjacent to the Lighthouse Complex is the Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) radar station tower located outside the quadrangle which was constructed by Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and made operational in 2005 to monitor seacrafts in Manila Bay and guide them sailing similar with an airport control tower for aircrafts.
[Map/photo captions - left side column on marker panel]
Corregidor Island Tour Map . . .
The distance from Topside to Bottomside is three kilometers long. Its width is five kilometers at its widest point. Corregidor Island has an elevation of 626 feet above sea level at Topside and 50 feet above sea level at Bottomside.
The Lighthouse, 1899
The Lighthouse, 1945
[Photo captions - right side column on marker panel]
Topside: Aerial View
The Lighthouse Today
Vessel Traffic System (VTS) Tower
Seal of the Corregidor Foundation, Inc.
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