By Ed Guy
One of the first lighthouses ever built was the Colossus of Rhodes in Greece. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and stood over two thousand years ago at the entrance to the harbor on the Island of Rhodes – an important economic and commercial center – located off the southwestern tip of Asia Minor where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean.

This island was conquered by the Persians in 340 BC and was finally captured by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. War followed for many years after Alexander’s death as his generals fought bitterly after dividing his kingdom. The Rhodians, who were supported by Egypt, victoriously defended their island. They decided to build a giant statue of Helios, their patron god, to celebrate their victory and freedom at the entrance of Mandrakion Harbor. Construction started in approximately 304 BC and was completed in 292 BC.

Colossus was 110 feet high and stood on a 50 foot pedestal of white marble near the harbor. It was one of the tallest statues of its time. Although it is usually depicted with its legs set apart across the Rhodes Harbor so that the ships could pass beneath it, this is quite unlikely architecturally. Such a pose would mean shutting down the entire mouth of the harbor during the long construction period which would not be economically feasible. The best guess is that it stood on land along side the harbor – most likely with its legs together. The statue was constructed of bronze plates over an iron framework.

It is estimated that 15 tons of bronze were used along with 9 tons of iron. Several stone columns were used for support inside the statue. The iron beams were driven into the columns and the outer bronze “skin” was attached to iron tie bars. Dirt ramps were built around and up the statue to facilitate the material handling just as the workers did while building the Great Pyramids. Scaffolding was also used to reach the top of the statue.

Chares of Lindos, a sculptor from Rhodes, was the architect. He was also a patriot and had fought in defense of his city during the war years. It is reported that Chares did not live to see the completion of his project. A couple of legends report that he committed suicide. One story alleged that someone pointed out a minor construction flaw, causing such shame that the sculptor killed himself. Another version is that the city fathers decided to double the size of Colossus. Therefore, Chares doubled his fee but forgot that the new size would cause an increase in material costs by eight times. This miscalculation drove him into bankruptcy and suicide. No evidence has been found to verify either of these tales.

The Colossus stood proudly at the entrance of Rhodes Harbor for approximately 56 or 57 years. Each morning the sun reflected off the polished bronze “skin” and Helios shined brightly. It proudly became a symbol of freedom for the Rhodians. (A recent article by archeologist Ursula Vedder in P.M. History, a German Scientific Journal dated April 2008 suggests that the Colossus was never in the port but rather on a hill named Monte Smith overlooking the harbor. An enormous stone foundation at a temple site on Monte Smith is considered by Vedder to be the supporting base of the Colossus.)

In 225 or 226 BC, an earthquake hit Rhodes and the statue collapsed. Huge pieces of the lighthouse lay for centuries at the harbor. This fact also supports the belief that Colossus could not have been built with his legs straddling the harbor entrance since its debris would have stopped commerce in Rhodes until 654 AD. At that time, the Arabs conquered Rhodes and broke up the remains of Colossus and sold it for scrap metal. It has been reported that it took 900 camels to carry the statue away. Even while it was lying on the ground, due to its size, it was a marvel. Unfortunately, nothing remains of this great statue. (I anxiously searched the Mandrakion Harbor in Rhodes in June 2007 with no success.)

During the time that the remains of Colossus lay in the harbor, several offers were made to reconstruct the statue. However, the people of Rhodes refused to have it rebuilt since they feared that the lighthouse offended the god Helios who destroyed it with an earthquake.

The other Wonders of the Ancient World included: The Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus; The Mausoleum of Maussolos at Halicarnassus; The Great Lighthouse at Alexandria; The Great Pyramid of Giza; The Hanging Gardens of Babylon; and The Statue of Zeus at Olympia. The only ancient world wonder that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the greatest engineering feats of its time. From the Romans to the Americans, it has influenced many people throughout the centuries and will be remembered as one of the greatest statues of all times. Our Statue of Liberty, designed by French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, was modeled after the Greek statue and is often referred to as the “Modern Colossus”. It was almost identical to the original with a person on a pedestal holding up a torch with the right arm, and wearing a crown. Our statue, which also served as a lighthouse, was a gift from France and also celebrated our freedom. It stands the same height (120 feet) from toe to crown as the original Colossus.

There has been a petition circulating among the citizens of Rhodes to rebuild the Colossus of Rhodes to greatly boost tourism for the current millennium. The projected cost has been estimated at over 100 million Euros. Hopefully this will occur in our lifetime.

Ref: www.greekshops.com www.unmuseum.org http://Wikipedia.org
 

ARTIFICIAL REEF PROPOSED FOR DANA POINT

The California Ships to Reefs (CS2R), a 501(c) (3) non-profit public benefit corporation wishes to bring an artificial reef to Dana Point. The location would be within three miles of our coastline and between our North and South city borderlines.

They propose the creation of reefs along the California Coast by sinking ships and other environmentally cleaned objects, which might include military tanks, railroad cars, and perhaps even old school buses and obsolete lightships.

Congress passed legislation that directed the US Navy to get rid of some 300 “moth-balled” ships currently in storage. Funding was also designated to clean up these ships and to remove any hazardous materials.

Mayor Joel Bishop is a diver and an avid supporter of the artificial reefs. Other supporters and organizations – know as “Sink Groups” – are comprised of divers, business people, professionals, scientists, and a multitude of other professions, with the primary purpose of carrying out the CS2R vision.

The California Ships to Reefs vision is:

• To establish a statewide system of environmentally cleaned and strategically reefed ships along the California coast accomplished via a statewide group of Sink Groups
• To establish California as an international dive destination
• To enhance the tourism industry centered on fishing and diving
• To enhance California fish populations through habitat enhancement

 “Reefing Madness” is not an appropriate term for these Sink Groups, but “Reefing Gladness” seems to fit quite nicely.

JOEL GELDIN, Project Representative of California Ships to Reefs (CS2R) will give his presentation at our May 8th Dana Point Lighthouse Society Meeting @ 6:00 pm at the DP Community House, 24642 San Juan Ave (near PCH & Golden Lantern).

We hope you will be able to attend the DPLS Meeting to hear Mr. Geldin describe how reefing is a “Win-Win-Win” program for ourselves, our economic interests, and the ocean environment. The DPLS Meeting is open to the public.

AROUND THE WORLD FROM DANA POINT - A Photo Slide Presentation by Guest Speaker, Jim Leishman, at our February 28th DPLS Quarterly Meeting of a historic voyage around the world in a 40-foot Nordhavn motor yacht.

In November of 2001 in Dana Point, Pacific Asian Enterprises staffed a 40-foot private motor yacht, Nordhavn 40, in a trip around the world.

Pacific Asian Enterprises of Dana Point, CA designs and markets Nordhavn luxury trawler yachts. The current line of Nordhavn models range from 40 to 120 feet, and includes a new Motorsailer and an Expedition Yacht Fisher.

The crew of Nordhavn battled a typhoon in Micronesia and storms in the Mediterranean. They crossed the pirate-plagued waters on the South China Sea and the uncertain waters of the Middle East. They transited two canals, three oceans and seven seas.

Upon returning to California on June 30, 2002, Nordhavn completed the record-setting voyage around the world without a significant failure. After eight months and 24,000 nautical miles at sea, the Nordhavn 40 became the smallest production powerboat to circumnavigate the globe.

Captain Jim Leishman will give a first-hand account of this historic voyage with an exciting photo slide presentation at the meeting of the Dana Point Lighthouse Society on Thursday, February 28th at 6:00 pm at the Community House, 24642 San Juan Avenue in Dana Point. The public is invited.
Refreshments will be available.