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29-530: The Formigas were discovered by Portuguese explorers Diogo de Silves and Gonçalo Velho Cabral in 1431 during their journey to Madeira . The islets were neglected due to the contemporaneous discovery of the neighboring inhabitable islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel. In the 16th century, Portuguese chronicler Gaspar Frutuoso reported on the Formigas' rich marine life. The Formigas served as both an aid and hindrance to navigation from their discovery well into

58-536: A wharf . Despite various interruptions to the work due to rough seas and inclement weather, in 36 days the workers managed to build a small beacon. In 1962, the Portuguese Navy 's lightship NRP Almirante Schultz anchored at the Formigas and was used as a work base for renovating and modernizing the lighthouse. In the succeeding years the lighthouse was further modernized; the beacon now runs on solar power and its old acetylene lamp has been replaced with

87-570: A Portuguese naval vessel based in Ponta Delgada . Since 16 June 2008, the Formigas Islets and neighboring Dollabarat Reef have been recognized as a Ramsar Convention wetland under the name Ilhéus das Formigas e Recife Dollabarat . The Formigas Lighthouse ( Portuguese : Farol das Formigas ) is located on Formigão, the largest islet of the Formigas. The current beacon is a 19-metre (62 ft) stone tower painted white. As

116-590: A dense layer of seaweed , dominated by the Cystoseira species, a seaweed found in deeper areas. In shallower depths less than 50 metres (160 ft) from the surface there are populations of Laminaria (large colonies of chestnut seaweeds). The Department of Oceanography and Fisheries at the University of the Azores ( Ponta Delgada ) monitors and studies these species annually through scientific missions to

145-418: A maximum altitude of 11 metres (36 ft) above sea level. Generally the islets are useful for navigation and visible up to 19 kilometres (12 mi) away on clear days, but during inclement weather a ship can run aground on the rocks without even seeing the lighthouse. The Formigas Bank is essentially a submarine volcano inhabited by deep-dwelling marine species such as coral and sponges. The volcanic cone

174-446: A newer model. The islets are composed of basalt flows that occurred approximately 4 million years ago, although calcareous fossiliferous sediments dating to 4-6 million years ago have been discovered. The bank extends for 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from northwest to southeast and is 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) wide. Due to strong currents and frequent large swells, the linear rock outcroppings lack any terrestrial flora or fauna. Along

203-478: A routine trip to Madeira , and it has even been speculated he might have been part of a failed Portuguese attack or slave raid on the Canary Islands . How he ended up in the Azores is uncertain - he may have been blown off course, or may have been gathering intelligence about oceanic winds and currents, perhaps experimenting with one of the earliest volta do mar routes for Henry. Finally, the note that he

232-456: A small reef habitat. There is a large abundance of sea animals in the vicinity. In addition to species of sharks, other aquatic animals such as sea chub , trigger fish , mantas , turtles and dolphins have been observed in the waters around Dollabarat, including the Atlantic goliath grouper (usually found in depths between 10–40 m). The floor of the seamount is generally covered by

261-566: Is delimited approximately by the Formigas islets of the northwest and Dollabarat Reef to the southeast. In the ancient crater there is a rich community of species common to the Azores. Among the species typical of the area are wrasse ( Mediterranean rainbow wrasse and ornate wrasse ), damselfish , sergeant fish (yellow and black), grouper , Mediterranean parrotfish , and the emblematic Atlantic goliath grouper , serranidae and barred hogfish . Alongside these are African threadfish and longbill spearfish , pelagic predators that also reside in

290-627: Is no other record or information about Diogo de Silves, whom he worked for or what his objective was. It is often assumed (albeit without corroboration) that Diogo de Silves was a captain in the service of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator . If so, he may have been sent out in 1427 as just one of Henry's several expeditions in the 1420s down the West African coast in an attempt to double Cape Bojador , or that he may have been going on

319-528: Is one of the higher parts of the Formigas Bank, a seamount with similar volcanic origins as the Azores islands. The reef was formed from rocks emerging from volcanic activity in submarine volcanoes and deeper spaces composed of drained lava holes with an irregular morphology. The deeper parts of the Dollabarat are covered with large rocks and irregular plains covered with a carpet of seaweeds. Given

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348-528: Is only known from a reference on a chart drawn by the Catalan cartographer , Gabriel de Vallseca of Mallorca , dated 1439. The map, marred by an inkwell accident in 1869, has a note by the Azores archipelago, presumably written by Vallseca, stating: Aquestes isles foram trobades p diego de ??? pelot del rey de portugal an lany MCCCCXX?II (Transl. "These islands were found by Diego de ??? pilot of

377-555: Is part of the Formigas Islets Nature Reserve which covers 35.42 square kilometres (13.68 sq mi). Around the Formigas Reserve, including the Dollabarat, sea cliffs fall rapidly between 50–70 metres (160–230 ft), although gently to the north and south. The gradient around the Dollabarat is less accentuated. The highest point is 3 metres (9.8 ft) below sea level. Dollabarat Reef

406-460: Is that he probably only discovered the eastern and possibly central clusters of the Azores archipelago, that he probably did not reach the western islands of Flores and Corvo (although westerly islands are drawn, they are probably fantastical; Vallseca seems to have lifted the names directly from earlier maps, e.g. Catalan Atlas of 1375). Dollabarat The Dollabarat Reef is a shoal situated 5 km (3 nautical miles) south-southeast of

435-561: The Formigas Islets on the Formigas Bank in the Azores archipelago. The reef is named after Pierre Dollabarats, Basque captain of the ship Maria de Sebourre , who accidentally discovered the reef when his small boat wrecked on it on 7 March 1788. Since 16 June 2008, Dollabarat Reef and the neighboring Formigas Islets have been recognized as a Ramsar Convention wetland under the name Ilhéus das Formigas e Recife Dollabarat (reference number 1804). The Dollabarat Reef

464-462: The Italian ship Corsaro visited the Formigas Islets, dredging the area for the first time for scientific research purposes. Prince Albert I of Monaco's Princess Alice expedition also visited the islets in 1895 to investigate the marine life, for both scientific and commercial fishery purposes. Since 4 April 1988, the Formigas Bank has the status of Nature Reserve and is protected by a decree of

493-535: The Legislative Assembly of the Azores (Regional Legislative Decree Nº11/88/A). It is also considered a European Site of Community Importance (Rede Natura 2000). The habitats protected by the Azorean decree include the area from the emerged islets to depths of more than 1,700 metres (5,600 ft), yet this has not stopped incidents of commercial fishing. Consequently, the area is regularly patrolled by

522-507: The 20th century. On 8 April 1832, the British ship Zyllah wrecked on a subsurface rock at the Formigas and its crew had to be rescued the next day by the British merchantman Morley . Nearly ninety years later on 16 June 1921, the Greek cargo ship Olympia ran aground and wrecked at Formigas; the crew survived. The islets have long garnered scientific and commercial interest. In 1886,

551-495: The Azores in 1431). Others have proposed de Sevill or de Seville or de Sunis, Survis, Sinus, Simis, Sines , Sivils. The date has been variously interpreted as MCCCCXX V II (1427) or MCCCCXX X II (1432) or MCCCCXX XV II (1437). In 1943, Portuguese historian Damião Peres proposed that only Diogo de Sunis or Diogo de Silves should be entertained as readings from the smudged surname, and opted for Silves simply because Portuguese surnames of that era are usually toponyms and that

580-415: The Azores; the fields of kelp are situated between 45 metres (148 ft) and 60 metres (200 ft) below the crater at the Formigas, while at Dollabarat the brown algae is located along the reef's flanks. Diogo de Silves Diogo de Silves ( fl. 15th century) is the presumed name of an obscure Portuguese explorer of the Atlantic who allegedly discovered the Azores islands in 1427. He

609-512: The King of Portugal in the year 14??") The surname and part of the date are smudged. The earliest known reading of this portion of the map is by a Majorcan named Pasqual in 1789 (before the ink accident) who jotted the surname down as "Guullen". It has since been read by other investigators as Diego de Senill ('the Old' - a hopeful reference in the direction of Gonçalo Velho , who officially discovered

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638-522: The archipelago's perimeter, the seabed drops steeply to a depth of 50–70 metres (160–230 ft) on either side, and gently at the northern and southern tips. The area of the bank referred to as the Dollabarat Reef is an area of shallower gradient, situated 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) along the southwest of the Formigas Islets. Formigas is Portuguese for ants, as the small and dispersed rocks resemble scattered ants. The largest islet Formigão has

667-520: The bank, and migratory species like manta ray and whale shark . The base and surface of the volcano is covered in various types of black coral , soft corals , sponges , and other invertebrates, as well as various algae , forming a mosaic of micro-habitats. The geological differences of the Formigas Islets and Dollabarat Reef relative to the rest of the Azores are accentuated by the types of flora present there. The Formigas and Dollabarat both have an elevated biomass of brown algae considered unique to

696-406: The base of the tower is at an elevation of about 3 metres (9.8 ft) above sea level, the beacon is at 22 metres (72 ft) above sea level. The lighthouse's signal is visible from 12 nautical miles (22 km) away on clear days, although there have been reports of seeing it from the southeastern part of São Miguel and the northeastern part of Santa Maria. In rough seas, waves completely immerse

725-402: The relatively shallow waters, the reef is a peril to navigation, similar to sandy shorelines. The strong currents, deep waters, and presence of sharks make diving difficult for those not familiar with open-ocean diving. The sub-tidal zone is a shelter for many fish species, and the abundance of black coral located about 15 metres (49 ft) deep in the eastern part of the reef has resulted in

754-420: The technical difficulties of building a lighthouse in that era in a place so inhospitable as the Formigas, construction of a lighthouse on the islets themselves was further delayed. Finally, in the summer of 1948 the Portuguese government began a complex operation to build a lighthouse on Formigão. In order to land personnel and equipment on the islet, the workers first had to break away subsurface rocks and build

783-607: The tower. As early as 1883 the Portuguese government formally recognized the dangers posed by the Formigas to navigation and proposed building a lighthouse on the islets, but nothing was constructed at the time. On 2 March 1895, at the General Meeting of the Autonomous District of Ponta Delgada , the District initiated construction of lighthouses on São Miguel and Santa Maria. Because of this, and also due to

812-534: The town of Silves , in the Algarve, not far from the port of Lagos (where Henry was organizing his expeditions), was not unlikely. He also settled on interpreting the date as 1427. Peres's reading of name and date have since become common in Portuguese sources. The hypothesis has been sufficiently accepted that the Portuguese postal service saw fit to emit a stamp in honor of 'Diogo de Silves' in 1990. There

841-459: Was the "pilot" retains the possibility that the captain of that expedition was actually someone else ( Gonçalo Velho ?). The reference to the 'King' and not Henry raises the possibility he may have been in the service of the Admiral of Portugal Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real (then governor of Ceuta) rather than Prince Henry. The only thing that can be gathered from Vallseca's 1439 map

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