Name and Location

Swallowtail Lighthouse stands on the exposed northern headland of Grand Manan Island, marking the approach to the Bay of Fundy's shipping lanes. Its official address is 50 Lighthouse Rd, Grand Manan, NB E5G 2A3, Canada.

Construction and History

The original Swallowtail Lighthouse was established in the late 19th century, with a present structure made of concrete and steel completed in the mid-20th century. The exact construction dates are unknown.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse is built with a functional, utilitarian design common to Canadian Coast Guard aids to navigation. Its materials include reinforced concrete for the tower, metal lantern housing, and a steel walkway.

Light and Navigation

The Swallowtail Lighthouse emits an occulting white light with a group pattern of "4 + 2". The light is visible up to 12 nautical miles, with sectors of white from 153° to 349°. The chart reference is H 4168. A fog signal is also present in the form of an automatic horn.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse is accessible by driving north from North Head village along Lighthouse Road, followed by a short walk over rugged terrain. However, the tower itself is closed to visitors for safety reasons, with maintenance being the only exception. The grounds are open year-round, but the approach may be hazardous at high tide or in bad weather.

Notable Views and Landscape

From the cliff-top platform and adjacent bluff, one looks north across the Bay of Fundy to the fundy tide-scoured rocky shoreline. On clear days, the foghorn echoes over the often-foggy waters where tidal currents swirl between Grand Manan and the mainland.

Anecdotes and Folklore

Local lore holds that generations of keeper families once lived in the adjacent dwelling (now removed), tending the light by hand and sounding the horn through harsh island storms. Ship-wreck legends and tall tales of rescuing seamen form part of the island's oral history.

Technical and Operational Details

The Swallowtail Lighthouse is an automated station managed by the Canadian Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Program, with no AIS/radar recorded. It does not have a heritage designation listed in federal or provincial registers.

Further Information

For further information, please consult OpenStreetMap Way 203479098 ("Swallowtail Lighthouse"), NRCan "CanVec 7.0" seamark dataset, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallowtail_Lighthouse), and the Canadian Coast Guard Aids to Navigation website (www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca).