La Jument
La Jument in 2007
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 La Jument
Finistère
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| Location | Ushant, France (offshore) |
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| Coordinates | 48°25′0″N 5°7′59″W / 48.41667°N 5.13306°WCoordinates: 48°25′0″N 5°7′59″W / 48.41667°N 5.13306°W |
| Year first constructed | 1911 |
| Year first lit | 1911 |
| Automated | 1991 |
| Foundation | concrete base |
| Construction | stone tower |
| Tower shape | octagonal prism tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings / pattern | unpainted tower, red lantern and balcony |
| Height | 48 metres (157 ft) |
| Focal height | 36 metres (118 ft) |
| Original lens | Fresnel |
| Current lens | Fresnel |
| Light source | solar power |
| Range | 22 nautical miles (41 km; 25 mi) |
| Characteristic | 3 Fl R 15s 1990 electrification |
| Admiralty number | A1848 |
| NGA number | 113-0024 |
| ARLHS number | FRA-026 |
La Jument is the name of a lighthouse at the Northwestern part of France, Brittany. The lighthouse is built on a rock (that is also called La Jument) about 300 metres from the coast of the island of Ushant, which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. There is also a very different lighthouse about 3 kilometres to the North, the Nividic lighthouse. Together with the Kreac'h lighthouse, they are the 3 most famous lighthouses of the region.
This section of the coastline of Brittany, the west coast of Northern France, had always been known by sailors to be a rugged and dangerous area. Being the westernmost point of land, it is a heavily trafficked sealane, and additionally experiences severe weather during much of the year. As such, the area has experienced many shipwrecks over the centuries. One such accident, the wreck of the steam ship SS Drummond Castle in June, 1896, was responsible for the deaths of around 250 people. Between 1888 and 1904 thirty-one ships were wrecked there.
Plans to build a lighthouse on La Jument started not long after the wreck of the Glasgow-built steam ship SS Drummond Castle in 1896. The building works were privately financed by a wealthy Frenchman who had almost died in another shipwreck. Construction began in 1904 but the lighthouse could not be finished until 1911 because of the sea's often challenging weather conditions.
The lighthouse became well known in 1989, through a series of photographs taken by Jean Guichard.
Over the past century La Jument lighthouse has effectively increased maritime safety in the area, known to the Bretons as Mer d'Iroise or Iroise Sea. However, the waters off Brittany's west coast still remain one of the most dangerous seas in Europe with frequent violent storms, huge waves and strong currents.
One of those infamous storms on the Iroise Sea happened on 21 December 1989. A front of low pressure coming from Ireland brought gale force winds and huge waves of 20 to 30 metres high which crashed spectacularly against the lighthouse.
The waves smashed through the lower windows of the lighthouse, ripped the front door, flooded the tower and washed away the furniture.
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Wikipedia