engineering

South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour

South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour rather than just read about it. In short: The South Mole is a breakwater located in the southern section of Gibraltar Harbour, in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. Previously known as the New Mole and New Mole Extension, the South Mole, with the rest of harbour, is just north of the east entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar.

Key takeaways

South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The South Mole is a breakwater located in the southern section of Gibraltar Harbour, in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. Previously known as the New Mole and New Mole Extension, the South Mole, with the rest of harbour, is just north of the east entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar.

History

The South Mole at Gibraltar Harbour is one of a trio of breakwaters that provides protection to the harbour, in addition to that which results from the presence of the Rock of Gibraltar on its east side. The South Mole is positioned at the southwestern aspect of the harbour, and is 1,100 feet (340 m) in length. The Gibdock shipyard and Royal Naval base are also in the southern section of the harbour, the wharfage of the shipyard including 435 metres (1,427 ft) of the South Mole. Repair berths along the breakwater can accommodate vessels up to 150,000 deadweight tonnage (dwt). During construction in the 1880s, a railway and two new tunnels were created to take large quantities of quarried stone to assist in the Mole's creation. One of these tunnels was by Camp Bay and the other was under the Parson's Lodge Battery. The north end of the South Mole, its "A" Head, is the site of the Gibraltar South Mole Lighthouse. The location gives the tower its alternate name of the Gibraltar "A" Head Lighthouse. Its light characteristic is a quick, flashing white light, with a range of fifteen nautical miles. The black, cast-iron, skeletal tower continues to be active as an aid to navigation and is operated by the Gibraltar Port Authority. The south entrance to Gibraltar Harbour, between the "A" Head of the South Mole and the "B" Head of the Detached Mole, is controlled by the Queen's Harbourmaster. Berths used by US Navy ships on the South Mole include Piers 48, 49, and 50. The South Mole was formerly known as the New Mole and New Mole Extension, to distinguish it from the Old Mole at the northeastern corner of the harbour. Construction of the New Mole was begun by the Spanish in 1620. It underwent extension a variety of times, eventually reaching a length of 1,400 feet (430 m). It was built of rubble stone. The New Mole Extension was added about the turn of the twentieth century. The 2,700 feet (820 m) extension, together with the New Mole length of 1,400 feet (430 m), resulted in a total length of 4,100 feet (1,200 m) for the New Mole and New Mole Extension together, by 1911. This is more than the length indicated by the Gibraltar Port Authority one hundred years later, in 2011. In 1916, the length of the south entrance to the harbour was reported to be 600 feet (180 m). At that time, coal stores lined almost the entire length of the South Mole.

SS Rosslyn In January 1916, the SS Rosslyn, a more than 3,600 ton steamship commanded by Captain William Fishey, departed from Liverpool, England. The ship was 340 feet long and built in 1902. After the ship's cargo was unloaded at Muros, Spain, the captain was directed to set a course for Gibraltar, where he was instructed to anchor off the South Mole, outside the harbour. After an uneventful week at anchor, the weather changed for the worse on 27 February 1916. The following day, gale-force winds repeatedly dashed the ship against the recently completed South Mole. Despite the efforts of tugs provided by the Royal Navy and the Gibraltar Harbour authority, the ship sank off the South Mole. The Gibraltar Chronicle of 1 March 1916 reported:

The Cardiff steamer Rosslyn, of 3,679 tons gross, in ballast, dragged her anchor on Monday afternoon and was driven by the South-West gale on to the new Mole Breakwater. The dangerous plight of the vessel was at once seen and two Government Tugs immediately went to her assistance and made several attempts to tow her off, but as the gale was increasing every moment, after taking off the crew, they gave up their efforts and brought the men safely to harbour. Owing to the battering received by the high seas, the Rosslyn foundered yesterday morning, only part of her masts being now visible above water. The SS Rosslyn was the largest wreck in Gibraltar and is now a popular site with divers.

References

External links Media related to South Mole, Gibraltar at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour

In research: South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Breakwaters, Buildings and structures in Gibraltar, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour in simple terms?

Why does South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on South Mole, Gibraltar Harbour.