Jomfruland lighthouse lense. Photo: Kystverkmusea
27 June 2023
The Norwegian Coastal Administration Museum’s summer cruise 2023 was carried out in June with the museum ship MS Gamle Oksøy. The cruise has sailed along almost the entire Norwegian coast from Kristiansand to Gamvik, and back to Kristiansand, where Gamle Oksøy has its home port.
Until 1996, the boat was a transport ship for the Norwegian Coastal Administration and carried oil and other necessities to the lighthouses along the coast. In several ports we met many interested parties, and there are many who still remember the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s workhorse. The boat went out of service in 1996 and was then converted into a museum ship and protected by the Directorate for Cultural Heritage.
The theme for this year’s cruise was the 200th anniversary of Fresnel’s lighthouse lenses
French engineer Augustin Fresnel invented a new type of lens that amplified light to give it a considerably longer range, while keeping the lens thinner and weighing less. Fresnel’s lenses were therefore well suited for use in lighthouses. The first lens was installed in the French lighthouse Cordouan in 1823, and already nine years later the innovation was adopted in Norway. Fresnel lenses come in many different shapes and sizes, and in many places the lenses are still in use.
Along the coast, the Norwegian Coastal Administration Museum held several events with films, lectures and an open boat for audience members who wanted to take a closer look at the protected ship Gamle Oksøy.
Do you want to know more about Gamle Oksøy? Read more about the ship here.
Documentation of lighthouses
The Norwegian Coastal Administration Museum also had another important assignment in connection with the expedition. In cooperation with the Norwegian Coastal Administration, seven lighthouses have been selected for thorough documentation. The Norwegian Coastal Administration Museum’s professional council are professionals and advisors in this job. The lighthouses were photographed with 3D scanners, 360 degree cameras, photogrammetry and in addition photos and video were taken by drone. The material is processed to create the most complete “digital twin” of the lighthouses. The models will be used by the Norwegian Coastal Administration in their FM work.
The same models will also be adapted so that we at the Norwegian Coastal Administration Museum can use them in our dissemination and offer virtual visits to completely inaccessible lighthouses. In this way, we can offer exciting lighthouse walks for everyone, no matter where you are. The Norwegian Coastal Administration Museum is pleased to contribute to environmentally friendly management, a solid acquisition of knowledge and a broad dissemination that many can benefit from.
