Elbow Reef Lighthouse

Elbow Reef is one of the last operational kerosene-fueled lighthouses in the world. This lighthouse was built in 1862 and became operational two years later,[1] it is striped horizontally red and white. Its light can be seen from 23 nmi (43 km) away.[2]

Elbow Reef Lighthouse

The red and white striped lighthouse in Hope Town is a noted local landmark
Location	Elbow Cay, Hope Town, The Bahamas
Coordinates	26°32′23″N 76°57′44″W
Tower
Constructed	1864
Construction	masonry (tower)
Height	27 m (89 ft)
Shape	conical tower with balcony
Markings	red and white (tower), white (lantern), grey (dome)
Power source	kerosene
Operator	Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society, owned by Ministry of Transportation and Local Government, The Bahamas
Light
First lit	1864
Deactivated	temporarily by Hurricane Dorian
Focal height	37 m (121 ft)
Lens	First order Fresnel (transferred from Gun Cay in 1936)
Intensity	325,000 candela
Range	23 nmi (43 km; 26 mi)
Characteristic	Fl(5) W 15s

The Elbow Reef Lighthouse[3] is one of only three manual lighthouses left in the world. It has a weight mechanism that has to be hand cranked every several hours to maintain the sequence of five white flashes every 15 seconds. The lamp burns kerosene oil with a wick and mantle, at the rate of one gallon per night. The light is then focused as it passes through the optics of a first order Fresnel lens[1] which floats on a bed of mercury.

The Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society, (a Bahamian non-profit) is responsible for keeping the site true to its historical past as a fully-working, non-automated, aid to navigation. Entrusted by the Ministry of Transportation and Local Government, (responsible for the Port Department and Maritime Affairs), The ERLS is the Elbow Reef Lightstation's infrastructural custodian, tasked with the oversight and ongoing preservation and restoration of the lighthouse and lightstation itself which comprises the lighthouse tower, two lighthouse keeper's quarters, six outbuildings, one gift shoppe and the wharf/dock.