The building of the northern breakwater

The original North breakwater was basically a rubble mound capped with a concrete core and apron. Around 1908/9 it became apparent that severe winter storms were causing major damage to the seaward side of the mound.

At this time the services of renowned civil engineers Coode, Mathews, Fitzmartin and Wilson were engaged to remedy the situation. This firm had experience of harbour construction at a number of major harbours around the world. They proposed the design that exists today.

The Titan crane was ordered from Stothert & Pitt specifically to lay the massive concrete blocks on the seaward side. The idea of the blocks is to break up and take the energy out of incoming waves before they reached the heart of the breakwater.

Work continued on the breakwater right up to 1920 when the lighthouse structure was finally completed. If you walk along the breakwater and look carefully at the blocks you will see the casting date of each block scribed into the top surface. This was done as the concrete used required 3 months to cure properly before they could be used. It also allows us to measure the progress of the work to it’s conclusion.