Cape Don Lighthouse

Cape Don Lighthouse & Link to the MV Cape Don:

The Cape Don Lighthouse was built on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, Australia in 1917 in response to the urgent need for a navigational aid. The passage between the peninsula and Melville Island, a common route to Darwin, had previously lacked safe lighting for vessels undertaking the passage.

Construction on the tower commenced in May 1915. The intense tropical heat of the northern region precluded the use of iron, and local ironstone rock was unsuitable for concrete production. Instead, reinforced concrete was utilized, with materials transported from Melbourne due to the challenges posed by outlying reefs and mangroves. A jetty three miles to the east was constructed, accompanied by a tramway for horse-drawn trucks. Limited by the climate and logistics, construction was restricted to the dry season, spanning three years.

Rising 28 meters, the tower was completed by June 1917, followed by the installation of its lantern. In August 1917, a severe earthquake caused the tower to sway, resulting in the loss of 12 kilograms of mercury, though the structure itself remained undamaged.

The optical apparatus operated on a clockwork mechanism driven by descending weights, enabling it to revolve for 12 hours without needing rewinding. Equipped with a Chance Brothers lantern and originally featuring a third-order dioptric lens, the lighthouse initially utilized vapourised kerosene burned in an incandescent mantle, producing a beam of 150,000 candela visible up to 23 miles under optimal conditions.

In 1937, a radio link to Darwin was established, facilitating regular supply deliveries via launch every fortnight. Heavier supplies like kerosene were transported every three months by lighthouse tenders. The light system transitioned to a tungsten-halogen electric lamp powered by diesel generators in the early 1970s.

The Cape Don Lighthouse underwent significant modernization in 1983, becoming automated and the first of its kind powered by solar cells. It was also demand at this time.

Located within Gurig National Park, Cape Don itself was named in 1818 by Captain Phillip Parker in honor of Lieutenant General Sir George Don, the Governor of the Fortress of Gibraltar.

When the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service decided to draw up plans for a new class of Lighthouse maintenance vessels in the early 1960s it was decided to call the ships the Cape Class. The three ships were called Cape Pillar, Cape Don and Cape Moreton. The MV Cape Don is the last of these great three ships still afloat.