Maniguin Island Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The Maniguin Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....

 that marks the Cuyo
Cuyo, Palawan
Cuyo is a 4th class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 18,257 people in 3,609 households....

 East Passage, a main shipping route south into the Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...

. The island, also known as Maningning Island or Hammerhead Island, is located 26.5 miles (42.6 km) off of the coast of Culasi
Culasi, Antique
Culasi is a third class municipality in the province of Antique, Philippines. Located at the northern portion of the sea-horse shaped province. It is bounded on the north by the Municipality of Sebaste, on the south by the Municipality of Tibiao, on the west by Cuyo East Pass in the China Sea and...

, Antique in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. It has a narrow ridge 110 feet high across its southern end, and the remainder of the island is low and wooded, and not more than 15 feet high. It is fringed with coral reefs with deep water at their edges. The round cylindrical concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

 tower with a gallery on top is located near the southeastern point of the island.

History

The Spanish Plan for the Station

The Spanish Government's plan of building a second-order lighthouse on Maniguin Island was part of the Maritime Lighting program of the Philippine Archipelago which was in full swing in the latter part of 19th century. The original design was a beautiful and massive masonry tower similar to the Cape Melville Lighthouse
Cape Melville Lighthouse
Cape Melville Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located in the island of Balabac, the southernmost point of the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is also the southwest corner of the archipelago...

.

When the Americans took control of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

, the Spanish plans and records for all lighthouses were turned over to the United States. New, more economical plans were adopted to illuminate the islands as quickly as possible from the limited insular funds available, and the Spanish plans were scrapped.

Construction of the Lighthouse

In 1904, a preliminary examination was made of this island. A map has been made and the elevation of the site of the proposed station obtained. A new plan for the various structures to be erected was prepared. For the first time, reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...

 will be used instead of masonry for a lighthouse tower in the Philippines. A budget of ₱60,000 was set for the construction.

A party of two Americans, one Spanish mason, and 40 Filipinos was organized in December 1904, and sent to this station, leaving Manila on December 29. On March 20, 1905, the party was increased to a total of 106 by the employment of local laborers. A dedicated sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....

 named Jervey was used in transporting laborers and water.

On April 1, 1905, a temporary fixed white light from a lens lantern
Lens lantern
A lens lantern is a small, self-contained lamp structure which may sometimes be used to serve as a lighthouse. Unlike a regular Fresnel lens, the lantern requires no housing to protect it from the weather; its glass sides would refract and magnify the light in the same fashion as would the lens...

 was displayed from the highest point of Maniguin Island, at an elevation of 130 feet above mean high water. The light was visible all around the horizon, and in clear weather was visible at a distance of 13 miles.
Work on the tower was immediately begun after the construction of the temporary quarters. The dwellings and accessory buildings were also made with reinforced concrete. A contract had been let in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 for the iron stairs, which were delivered in August 1905.

On all previous stations, it has been necessary either to use materials purchased or plans prepared under the supervision of the Spanish Government. As this station was the first to be constructed throughout, construction was speedy and of higher standard at a much lower cost. At the end of the 1905, the tower was constructed to the balcony, cistern built, foundation of dwelling finished, doors, windows, and louvers made.

Work was completed the following year and the fourth-order light was lit for the first time.

Current Condition

This American lighthouse was recently abandoned. The Philippine Coast Guard
Philippine Coast Guard
The Philippine Coast Guard is a maritime law enforcement agency operating under the Department of Transportation and Communications of the Philippines....

 erected a new white tower powered by solar energy a short distance away from the original tower as a replacement.

External links

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