Friday, July 2, 2010

New Issue:Lighthouses Postage Stamps (Issue of 2010)/Les nouveautés:Les Timbres de Phares (l'Édition de 2010)


Date of issue: July 28, 2010

Chunghwa Post first issued a set of stamps on lighthouses in 1989, and now it is following up with another set of four stamps on the topic, featuring the following lighthouses:

1. The Chilung Tao Lighthouse (NT$5): The lighthouse is located at the highest point on Chilung Tao, off Keelung Harbor. Built in 1980, this octagon-shaped concrete tower, with a black-and-white vertical-striped daymark, uses air batteries for electricity. In 1998, the lighthouse switched to solar power. In 2006, wind power was added as a secondary power source. The lighthouse has a nominal range of 13.8 nautical miles.

2. The Wenkan Tui Lighthouse (NT$5): Built in 1914, this skeletal steel frame light tower is located on Waisanding Sandbar off Kouhu Township, Yunlin County. In 1974, due to sandbar shift, the lighthouse was rebuilt and placed in a new location nearby. The new structure is a square tapered steel frame tower, using a fourth-order AC light. In 2006, because of sandbar shift, the lighthouse was moved once again to present location, and a radar beacon pole was added. The lighthouse has a nominal range of 13.1 nautical miles.

3. The Paisha Chia Lighthouse (NT$10): Built in 1901, this round brick light tower is located in Guanyin Township, Taoyuan County. In 1956, the lighthouse was equipped with a third-order revolving lens light, producing one flash every 20 seconds, alternating between white and red lights. The white and red lights have a luminous intensity of one million and 310,000 candlepower respectively. In 2002 the Taoyuan County Government designated the lighthouse as a county monument. The nominal range of the red light is 22.6 nautical miles, and the range of the white light is 25.7 nautical miles.

4. The Liuchiu Yu Lighthouse (NT$25): Built in 1929, this round light tower is located at the highest point on the south-east coast of Liuchiu Yu off Pingtung County. In 1952, the lighthouse was equipped with a fifth-order acetylene flashing light. In 1980, the light was replaced by an AC light, which has a luminous intensity of 10,000 candlepower. The lighthouse has a nominal range of 14.3 nautical miles.

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