Year first lit 1909 Height 30 m Focal height 38 m | Construction concrete tower Opened 1909 | |
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Location Hesquiat Peninsula
Vancouver Island
Canada Tower shape octagonal prism tower with buttresses Markings / pattern white tower, red lantern Original lens First order Fresnel by Chance Brothers Similar Big Interior Mountain, Mount Colonel Foster, Golden Hinde, Hesquiat Peninsula Provincial, Della Falls | ||
Estevan Point is a lighthouse located on the headland of the same name on the Hesquiat Peninsula on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada.
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During WWII,1942, the Estevan Point lighthouse was attacked by Japanese submarine I-26, marking the first enemy attack on Canadian soil since the Fenian Raids of 1866 and 1871. This attack on Estevan Point Lighthouse was followed by Japanese balloon bomb (Fire balloon) attacks in 1944-45.
Currently the Canadian Coast Guard uses Estevan Point as a station. The light is still active though as of 2008 and emits a signal of a double flash every 15 seconds. The focal plane is located at 37.5 metres (123 ft) above sea level.
History
The Spanish explorer Juan José Pérez Hernández, originating from Mallorca, traded with the natives of the region (the Nuu-chah-nulth people) when he explored the area in 1774 and named the headland "Punta San Esteban". Four years later, James Cook's expedition arrived in the Nootka Sound and made contact with the local population.
The lighthouse was established in 1909 as one in a series of buttressed lighthouses designed by engineer William P. Anderson. The lighthouse was constructed in concrete as a 30.5 metres (100 ft) tall octagonal tower supported by buttresses. Originally, a first order Fresnel lens made by Chance Brothers of England had been used but together with the lantern it was dismantled during the 1980s and was then donated to a regional museum in 2004.
Estevan Point lighthouse attack
During the Second World War, the Estevan Point lighthouse was attacked by the Japanese submarine I-26 On June 20, 1942, the I-26, under the command of Yokota Minoru, fired 25-30 rounds of 5.5" shells at the Estevan Point lighthouse but failed to hit its target and the lighthouse remained undamaged. Though no casualties were reported, the subsequent decision to turn off the lights of outer stations was disastrous for shipping activity.