Lighthouse of Carapacho

The Lighthouse of Carapacho (Farol do Carapacho/Ponta da Restinga) is a beacon/lighthouse located along the cliffs of Ponta da Restinga, near the hamlet of Carapacho, civil parish of Luz on the island of Graciosa, the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.

History
The 1883 Plano Geral de Alumiamento (Illumination General Plan), proposed the construction of a fourth-order lighthouse, that would flash each minute and have a 19 nmi range.

On 11 November 1902, the Comissão dos Faróis e Balizas (Commission on Lighthouses and Beacons) proposed alterations to the General Plan approved in 1883, in which the lighthouse became a fifth-order structure, using a three-flash 10-second variable range beacon, with a range of use between 10 - 94 nmi for clear, medium and tempestuous weather.

The lighthouse began to function on 26 May 1956, equipped with diotropic fifth-order optics, with a focal distance of 187.5 mm, moved by a clockwork mechanism. This first beacon used an incandescent red acetylene light, in two groups with a 19 nmi range. By 1961, the light became a white beacon, improving its range to 20 nmi

A solar valve system was installed in 1978, that allowed the light to become active or inactive based on the atmospheric conditions.

It was only in 1987 that the lighthouse joined the electrical network on the island. At the same time the optics were substituted by a sixth-order lamp with a focal distance of 150 mm and the lamp was upgraded to a 50 Watt/12 Volt halogen light, supported by battery and secured by the exterior network.

Architecture
It is situated on the southeastern tip of the island of Graciosa, on a promontory a 1 km from the village of Carapacho.

It is comparable to similar structures on the island of São Miguel, specifically the lighthouses at Ponta Garça and Ponta do Cintrão. The lighthouse consists of a round concrete tower, constructed with ribs, rising from a one-story building.

Accessible by road, the site is open to the public with access to the interior on Wednesday afternoons.