# Bascule light

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A **bascule light** or **tipping lantern** (Danish: *Vippefyr*) was a type of small navigational aid popular in [Denmark](/source/Denmark) in the 18th century and before. It consisted of a [basket](/source/Fire_basket) in which wood or coal was set; this was then burned. The [basket](/source/Fire_basket) was affixed to a [bascule](/source/Bascule_(disambiguation)) that allowed it to be manipulated as required. (The bascule – from the French for "seesaw" – refers to the counterbalancing of the [lever](/source/Lever), which facilitates raising and lowering the basket; when one end is lowered the other is raised.) The *vippefyr* system was generally viewed as ineffective, as it produced little light and was usually unreliable.

## Background

In 1560 [Frederick II of Denmark](/source/Frederick_II_of_Denmark) ordered the erection of beacons at [Skagen](/source/Skagen), [Anholt](/source/Anholt_(Denmark)) and [Kullen Lighthouse](/source/Kullen_Lighthouse) to mark the main route through Danish waters from the North Sea to the Baltic.[1] The current [vippefyr at Skagen](/source/Skagen's_Vippefyr) is a reproduction of the original, which dates back to 1626, preceding Frederick's decree. The design dates to 1624 and Jens Pedersen Groves.[2] The lighthouse was originally built and funded by the Danish state with the proceeds of the [Sound Dues](/source/Sound_Dues) for the use of the "[Øresund](/source/%C3%98resund)", which King [Eric of Pomerania](/source/Eric_of_Pomerania) introduced in 1429 and which remained in effect until 1857. In 1577, the [Danish](/source/Denmark) astronomer [Tycho Brahe](/source/Tycho_Brahe) became the lighthouse administrator at Kullen, a position he held until his death in 1601.[3]

The vippefyrs at Skagen, Anholt and Kullen were not the only such lights. For instance, in 1705 the Danish postal service established a bascule light on the island of [Bågø](/source/B%C3%A5g%C3%B8) in the [Little Belt](/source/Little_Belt) on the mail route [Assens](/source/Assens,_Denmark)-[Årøsund](/source/%C3%85r%C3%B8sund). The photo at left is a replica light built at [Verdens Ende](/source/Verdens_Ende), Norway. It is located on the southernmost tip of [Tjøme](/source/Tj%C3%B8me), an island on the west side of the entrance to [Oslofjord](/source/Oslofjord).

## References

1. Hahn-Pedersen, Morten (April 2003). ["Reports on Baltic Lights – Denmark"](https://prussia.online/Data/Book/ba/baltic-sea-identity/Baltic%20Sea%20Identity%20(2003),%20OCR.pdf). *Baltic Sea Identity: Common Sea – Common Culture?*. Jerzy Litwin (ed.). Gdańsk: Polish Maritime Museum in Gdańsk. p. 81. ISBN 83-919514-0-5.

1. Holland, F. Ross (1988 [1972]). *America's lighthouses: an illustrated history*. New York: Dover. p. 3. ISBN 978-0486255767.

1. ["Tycho Brahe's lighthouse description"](http://www.sjofartsverket.se/templates/SFVXPage____1581.aspx#tyco) (in Swedish). *sjofartsverket.se*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20061024125222/http://www.sjofartsverket.se/templates/SFVXPage____1581.aspx#tyco) 24 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine.

## External links

- [Worldlights.com page](http://www.worldlights.com/world/method.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20060617194756/http://www.worldlights.com/world/method.html) 17 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bascule light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bascule_light) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bascule_light?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.