Sunday, June 4, 2023

Kiipsaare Lighthouse, Harilaid Peninsula, Saaremaa, Estonia

 


The 25-metre-high (82 ft) lighthouse was between 100 to 150 metres (330 to 490 ft) inland, but due to erosion it is now a few meters offshore. A lack of supporting ground has caused the lighthouse to lean 

11 comments:

  1. It appears that the center of gravity is at about the middle window, directly over the left-most part of the base. All it needs to do is lean just a little more and it will topple... unless it's built deep into the sand beneath it.

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  2. Looks like it's stage-cast concrete. Me Boyo at the top is placing a pretty big bet on the integrity of very old iron re-bar in a salty environment.

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  3. We can fix that, half dozen deep helical piers and a new poured base. The trick would be getting it plumb without destroying it, maybe pull it up in small moves over a week.

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  4. OMFG! Greta and Al were correct, I live in the NC mountains about 400 miles from the Atlantic ocean at 2,400 ft in altitude and I'm setting off to Home Depot to get some Ark building material.

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    1. Make sure to buy gopher wood.

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    2. OK.... I'm too old for Morning Wood any more.

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  5. Re-bar corrosion is the #1 cause of failure of steel-reinforced concrete structures.

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    1. Because the mild steel expands as it corrodes. Restorers of the Parthenon in Athens (made of marble) discovered that after an earlier restoration used steel pins.

      However, the chlorine in seawater attacks the portland cement which causes the concrete to crumble.

      Probably the most rickety lighthouse I've climbed is Bodie because the interior staircase is wrought iron. Bodie is not too far from Hatteras. 2nd place would be at Point Arena for the same reason.
      Both have been restored.

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  6. 1999 was the year the Cape Hatteras lighthouse was moved. Made of brick, it stands nearly 200' tall. The move was necessary because of beach erosion (shifting sands).
    An international assoc. of engineers awarded the feat as the top engineering project of that year.

    If there is the will, the Kiipsaare lighthouse could be moved.

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    Replies
    1. and spiffed up with a new paint job

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