Signal History
The Vieille's beam has undergone several changes over its history. First lit on 15 September 1887, it had white, red and green sectors, with a 50 cm mirror. At the same time, the twin lights of Pointe du Raz were extinguished. In 1898, the lighthouse was equipped with a 5-second occulting light.
Adapting to improvements in pharology, the type of fuel used by the burners has also changed. The original mineral oil was dropped in favour of petrol vapour, from 1898. In 1904 a second petrol burner was added.
A foghorn was added on 15 November 1913. In 1939 the light characteristic was changed to 3 occultations (2 + 1) of white, red and green, then 5 white, red and green sectors, with a range of 18 nautical miles (33 km). The same signal is still in use. During the second world war the light was extinguished, on 21 January 1944, and reinstated on 1 June 1945.
Although electricity was introduced in 1992, the generators installed were used only by the keepers; the light itself remained oil-powered until its automation. At the time of its automation, on 14 November 1995, it remained one of the last two lighthouses still operated by resident keepers. It was the penultimate French lighthouse to be automated, before Kéréon.
Nöel Fouquet, Jean Donnart, Michel and Guy Rozenn Lasbleiz spent their last night on the lighthouse before its automation on 14 November 1995. In protest against the decision, Jean Donnart and one of his colleagues had refused a previous departure, which explains the presence of four keepers in the lighthouse during its decommission instead of two. Since automation it is remotely controlled from Île de Sein.
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