 The lighthouse in Balabac Island, shortly after its completion in 1892 | |
 | |
| Location | Balabac Island, Palawan, Philippines |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 7°49′02.7″N 117°00′10.6″E / 7.817417°N 117.002944°E |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1892 (first) |
| Construction | stone tower (first) fiberglass (current) |
| Height | 27.5 metres (90 ft) (first) 20 metres (66 ft) (current) |
| Shape | octagonal tower with balcony and lantern (first) cylindrical tower with flared top (current) |
| Markings | unpaiunted tower, white cupola |
| Heritage | National Historical Landmark  |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1892 |
| Focal height | 90 metres (300 ft) |
| Lens | first-order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 28 nautical miles (52 km; 32 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 5s.[1] |
The Cape Melville Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located in the island of Balabac, the southernmost point of the province of Palawan in the Philippines.[2] It is also the southwest corner of the archipelago. The first-order light was constructed by the Spaniards to light Balabac Strait, the treacherous body of water that separates the Philippines from the neighboring country of Malaysia.
The light is displayed from a 90-foot (27 m) tall granite tower, located on a hill 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwestward of the tip of Cape Melville, for a total elevation of 297 feet (91 m) above sea level. The station was built by the Spanish Government as part of their extensive lighting plan for the archipelago. The lighthouse of Cape Melville was first lit on August 30, 1892.[3]
Lighthouses in the Philippines are maintained by the Philippine Coast Guard.
- ^ "Coast Guard District Palawan". Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
- ^ List of Lights, Pub. 112: Western Pacific and Indian Oceans Including the Persian Gulf and Red Sea (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2009. p. 190.
- ^ Por Algunos Padres de la Mision de la Compañia de Jesus en Estas Islas, "El Archipiélago Filipino, Collecion de Datos", pg.527. Washington Imprenta del Gobierno, 1900.