Farol do Gonçalo Velho

The Gonçalo Velho Lighthouse, located at Ponta do Castelo on the southeast of Santa Maria Island, was proposed in 1881 but only built after a 1925 project estimated at 250,000 escudos. It began operating on November 15, 1927, named after the navigator who discovered the island. The tower is 14m high at 114m altitude, equipped with a 3rd order optic (500 mm focal length), using BBT gas as the main light source, with petroleum vapor and a constant-level lamp as backup. In 1934, an additional keeper’s house was built, and in 1955, a machine house and fuel depot were added. Electrification occurred in 1957 with 3000W lamps, and in 1971, the clockwork rotation was replaced by an electric motor. In 1987, it was automated with the DF system and fitted with a 1000W halogen lamp, plus monitoring for Formigas Islets. It was connected to the public grid in 1991.