Alte Weser (lighthouse)

34 42 674 59 70 610 (GK ); Weser- km 114.87;

Local control system, level, water level data transmission, anemometer, emergency power system, 2 cranes, mobile tower, accommodation for several people

The lighthouse Alte Weser is in the southern North Sea ( German Bight) on the Weser estuary. It replaces the built 1883-85 Lighthouse Roter Sand.

General

The Alte Weser Lighthouse was built in 1961-1964. It is made of reinforced concrete with steel sheath and steel constructions. He is ' offshore ' built in around -11 m NN in sand, the building height is approximately 40 m above sea level. The range is depending on the light sector 18-23 sm. The Alte Weser Lighthouse as well as the Roter Sand lighthouse are visible to the naked eye to see from inhabited land only from the North Sea island of Wangerooge. In good weather you can see from the Aussichtsdüne the island Spiekeroog without aids both towers also. Likewise, in the dark, the Alte Weser lighthouse is clearly visible as a white light towards the Weser estuary and even of the East Frisian island of Norderney on the horizon.

The Alte Weser Lighthouse took over on 1 September 1964, the functions of the lighthouse Roter Sand. He's antenna support for a station of the land-based radar chain Außenweser. Alte Weser has an orientation and a cross light for the New -Weser fairway and a leading light for the Old -Weser fairway. The international order number of the lighthouse Alte Weser B 1188th The Alte Weser Lighthouse was in the 1970s and 1980s motif of a 20 -pfennig stamp of the German Federal Post Office in the series " Industry and Technology ".

Construction of the lighthouse Alte Weser

The one in the outer Weser -standing, well-known lighthouse Roter Sand was severely damaged in the late 1950s by sand abrasion, corrosion and leaching of the concrete. As a substitute, therefore, Alte Weser was built near this site in 1961 to 1964, the lighthouse. Simultaneously, should the fairway conditions improved in the Outer Weser and means of the tower can be achieved as a member of a radar chain.

The novel design of the tower with its tapered towards the bottom tower shaft and projecting upper floors was based on a draft of the Bremerhaven graduate engineer Andreas Carstens. This conical shape of a tower should provide waves and ice drift lower resistance. By construction, the Waterways and Shipping Office (WSA ) Bremerhaven commissioned as the competent authority of the Federal Ministry of Transport, a working group of the company Philipp Holzmann, Strabag Bau AG, Hermann Möller, who had run from the Kiel Howaldtswerken the steel works.

The steel work for the tower shaft and the upper floors together with equipment were carried out in a dry dock in Kiel HDW, dragged the tower shaft on a jack-up rig, which was provided with a cut through the North Sea Canal to the North Sea and the proposed location on the outer Weser and there flushed and lowered to the intended depth. After introducing an underwater concrete layer of the shaft was pumped out and installed the rising reinforced concrete.

Particular difficulties and delays in the construction prepared the supply of the necessary materials by relatively weather or seegangempfindliche coasters. Especially had all building materials that were needed for the underwater concrete to be brought without interruption to avoid undue joints. For this purpose a period of fine weather situation was required. Further delays were caused by two Bauunfälle, the first of which with a strong intrusion of water into the tower went hand in hand, but the cause was not clear, and in which two people died. The lowered already in the bottom of the tower shaft had to be abandoned. Its upper part was spent separated and saved for later re-use of the jack-up rig to Kiel. He could then be taken and placed in the next year in the second installation attempt. The stump of the tower shaft remained in the underground and Alte Weser was therefore not affected by the storm surge of 1962. The accident forced a restart of the building in Kiel with a delay of one year. The second accident is due to a failure of the bonding circuit at the front Hubinselbeinen. Here the use of a second was required for the salvage and removal of the damaged jack-up platform. In the third year of construction - after repair of the jack-up platform - the construction work could be taken up and ended back at the tower shaft.

Now, could the jack-up platform also still stored in Kiel upper floors to pick up and bring to the Tower, where they could be pushed to the tower shaft without complications under favorable weather conditions. Now, the other important work could be completed, such as the installation of the optics with the corresponding aperture and the installation of emergency generators.

A special portion of the overall measure put the power of the lighthouse dar. Here is a 6 -kV cable was laid from the lighthouse Robbenplate ago, in the last section flushed with the aid of a " Einspülstiefels " and drawn by a conduit into the tower. In this case, a later insertion into the still to be built lighthouse Tegeler Plate was provided. The foundation of the building was secured by a riprap on bush mats against washout. 1964, the operation of the fire was recorded. The four -man crew was taken off in 1972 when connecting to the remote control.

Lighthouse Tegeler Plate

As a supplement to improve the fairway conditions, which should be achieved with the overall measure, the construction of a new lighthouse was, as mentioned above, is required. This revealed the same time the possibility to collect the lightship further landward lying Bremen. As the site the Tegeler Plate was provided. Tower shaft and upper floors of the lighthouse Tegeler Plate should be performed entirely of steel. The shaft height of around 46 meters, but also the local shallow water conditions (especially mean low water about 2.5 m above ground ), it could be, wash in the shaft in one piece 18 meters deep in the sand. In this case, this procedure should be limited to the ingress of the shaft, the tower head will be placed later compensate errors. After execution of steelwork in Wilhelmshaven tower shaft and upper floors were spent and flushed from a system equipped with powerful pumps salvage vessel to the designated location. The Alte Weser lighthouse already moved towards power cable was " looped " in the new tower. The company was incorporated in 1966 - by remote control from the outset and unmanned. Only for service personnel shelters were provided. The sole has been secured here by riprap.

With these measures, two important steps to deepen the outer Weser were done.