Barra Rio Grande Lighthouse

The Barra Rio Grande Lighthouse is located in the municipality of São José do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It stands on a sandy strip between the Lagoa dos Patos and the South Atlantic Ocean. The lighthouse was first established in 1820, but the first tower was short-lived, going out of order at the first storm. A new lighthouse was built in 1842, but it was also deactivated in 1852.

The current lighthouse is a cylindrical cast iron tower with a balcony and lantern, standing at 31 meters high. It was commissioned in London and lit for the first time on January 18, 1852. The tower is painted with black and white horizontal bands, and the lantern emits a white occulting light visible up to 30 nautical miles. The lighthouse is managed by the Brazilian Navy and is identified by the country code number BR-4008.

The Barra Rio Grande Lighthouse has undergone several changes over the years, including the replacement of its catoptrics system with a 2nd order Fresnel lens in 1886. Today, the lighthouse is an active aid to navigation, providing a vital service to ships approaching the harbor. Its interesting history and unique design make it a notable landmark in the region.

Light and tower

It has a cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern tower. The tower is built of cast iron. Its daymark is black and white horizontal band tower, white lantern. The light has a focal height of 32 metres. The light has a range of 30 nautical miles. Its light characteristic is Oc (6) W 21s. It was first lit in 1852. It is managed by Brazilian Navy. The NGA list of lights numbers it 18964. The Admiralty list of lights numbers it G0620.