Built in 1835 at the end of Pointe de Barfleur, the Gatteville lighthouse is the second-highest in France, at 246 ft (75 m). It highlights the Raz de Barfleur famous for having caused numerous shipwrecks. Next to it stands the first lighthouse, 82 ft (25 m) high, erected in 1774. It became a semaphore, an observation post for military ships, equipped with an optical signal transmitter.