Lighthouses of Indonesia: Western Java

Indonesia has been independent since 1945, after having been the Dutch East Indies for more than 350 years. It is a huge country, stretching along both sides of the Equator for more than 46 degrees of longitude (roughly 5100 km or 3200 miles). Comprised of some 17,000 islands (more than 6000 inhabited islands), it has hundreds of major aids to navigation. Unfortunately, we have no idea how many of these aids can be considered lighthouses. Information about them is scarce, and photos are even scarcer. Official light lists contain dozens of entries for "framework towers" and "white beacons," providing little guidance for the lighthouse fan. The island of Java (Jawa in Indonesian) is the heart of the country and home to 62% of the population. In fact, with more than 130 million residents it is the world's most populous island. The national capital, Jakarta, is on the northwestern coast of Java. This page includes lighthouses of the western third of Java, including the provinces of Banten and West Java and the Jakarta Special Capital Region. The Indonesian word for a lighthouse is mercusuar or (in two words) mercu suar. The phrase menara suar, which includes the Arabic word menara, is sometimes used instead. Tanjung and ujung are words for capes, pulau is an island, selat is a strait, karang is a reef, and teluk is a harbor. The original Dutch names of historic lighthouses, if known, are shown in curly brackets {}. Aids to navigation in Indonesia are operated and maintained by the Indonesian Directorate of Marine Navigation (Indomarinav). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volumes F and K of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112. General Sources Historical Lighthouses From Indomarinav, information on four surviving Dutch lighthouses. Leuchttürme in Indonesien Photos posted by Andreas Köhler. KITLV The English-language web site of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies has historical photos of Dutch lighthouses in Indonesia. Lighthouses in Indonesia Wikimedia photos, including a collection of historic photos from the collection of the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam. Indonesian Lighthouses Historic postcard views from the collection of Michel Forand. Leuchttürme Asiens, Australiens, und Ozeaniens auf historischen Postkarten Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.

Edam (Pulau Damar) Light, Jakarta, August 2007 photo copyright Deni Adam Malik; permission requested

West Java Province South Coast Lighthouses

* Pangandaran (Teluk Penanjung)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white and mounted on a square platform supported by concrete piles. Robby Satya has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Pangandaran is a beach resort town; it is connected by a narrow isthmus to a nature reserve on the Penanjung Pangandaran (Pangandaran Peninsula). Located just off the beach on the east side of the isthmus in Pangandaran. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K1278.2; NGA 23869.

Pulau Manuk (Manuk Island)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Not to be confused with a much better known Pulau Manuk, a wildlife reserve farther west, near the Sunda Strait. Located on an island just off the coast about 20 km (13 mi) southwest of Cijulang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1277.5; NGA 23870.5.

* Palabuhan Ratu (Palabuhanratu)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Fajar Abdillah has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Palabuhan Ratu is a small port and district capital on Java's far southwest coast. Located at the end of a gravel bar protecting the harbor. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K1280; NGA 23871.5.

Banten Province (West Java) Lighthouses

Tanjung Layar (Ujung Kulon, First Point) {Eerste Punt} (4) Date unknown (station established 1877). Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 30 m (98 ft) square tapered metal framework tower, painted white. A photo, a closeup, and a view from the sea are available, and Google has a satellite view of the station. This lighthouse, the fourth at the station, is at the extreme southwest tip of Java, marking the east side of the entrance to the Sunda Strait from the Indian Ocean. KITLV has a rare drawing of the first lighthouse, a tall cast iron tower. This handsome structure was severely damaged by an earthquake on 1 September 1880, after only three years of service. It was replaced by a brick tower seen in a second KITLV image, a Tropenmuseum photo, and an 1886 French book (halfway down the page) posted by the Cornell Digital Library. There is a report (see halfway down the page) that foundations of this lighthouse remain. In 1906 the brick lighthouse was replaced (for reasons unknown) by a skeletal tower seen in a 1926 Tropenmuseum photo, Forand's postcard view, a 1940 KITLV photo and also in a 1950 photo. The present lighthouse is staffed by crews rotating every four months. The area is included in the Ujung Kulon National Park. Located at the extreme tip of the point. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IDO-084; Admiralty K1050.2; NGA 23332. *** Cikoneng (Tjikoneng, Anyer, Fourth Point) {Vierde Punt} (2) 1885 (station established 1855). Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 58 m (190 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. David Howell's photo appears at right, Unian Husien has a 2010 photo, Köhler has a 2011 photo, a closeup, a second closeup, and a more distant view are available, the Tropenmuseum has three historic photos, and KITLV has a historic photo taken in 1914. This is one the very few Indonesian lighthouses readily accessible to tourists. The original lighthouse was destroyed by tsunami waves triggered by the catastrophic explosion of the Krakatoa volcano on 27 August 1883. These waves were at least 30 m (100 ft) high, obliterating all traces of the original light station. Located on Tanjung Cikoneng near Anyer Kidul on the east shore of Sunda Strait, overlooking the still-active Krakatoa. Accessible by road. Site open, tower open for climbing. ARLHS IDO-081; Admiralty K1050; NGA 23336. Pulau Sangiang Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower. The top of the tower is seen in a photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Pulau Sangiang is a boomerang-shaped island roughly 5 km (3 mi) in diameter in the middle of the narrowest passage of Sunda Strait. Located at the southern tip of the island. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1051.1; NGA 23342. Pulau Tampurung (Toppers Island, Button Island) (2) Date unknown (station established 1919). Active; focal plane 77 m (253 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 30 m (98 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. The light can be seen in Hadi Kusmana's distant photo of the island (click on the photo for an enlargement), and Google has a satellite view. Pulau Tampurung is a small but very high island in the northern entrance to the Sunda Strait, about 10 km (6 mi) northwest of Merak. Located on the highest point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1052; NGA 23344.

Cikoneng (Anyer) Light, November 2011 photo copyright David Howell, Peak Design used by permission

Pulau Tunda (Babi Island) (2)

Date unknown (station established 1890). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); one long white flash every 6 s. 30 m (98 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No closeup photo available. The tower is visible in an aerial photo of the island (click on the photo for enlargement), and Google has only a distant satellite view of the island. KITLV has a 1914 photo of the original lighthouse. This light and the Payung Besar light below guide vessels between the Sunda Strait and Jakarta. Pulau Tunda is a narrow island about 4.5 km (3 mi) long and about 25 km (15 mi) east of the Sunda Strait entrance. Located at the eastern end of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown, probably open. ARLHS IDO-256; Admiralty K1054; NGA 23360.

* Karang Antu

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) round hourglass-shaped white concrete tower. Zulkifli Faiz has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the west side of the harbor entrance at Kasemen. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K1055; NGA 23362.

Seribu Islands Lighthouses
Note: The Seribu Islands (or Thousand Islands) are a chain of small islands extending north from near Jakarta into the Java Sea. Many of the islands are protected within a marine national park, but several have resort developments. The islands are administered as part of the Capital Territory of Jakarta.

Pulau Payung Besar (Big Umbrella Island) (2)

Date unknown (station established 1890). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. A photo is available, and Google has a good satellite view. KITLV has a 1914 photo of the original lighthouse, which was similar but not identical to the present light. Located on a small island about 32 km (20 mi) east of Pulau Tunda and 90 km (55 mi) northwest of Jakarta. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-236; Admiralty K1058; NGA 23364.

Jaga Utara (Pulau Sebira, Pulau Seribu, North Watcher) {Noord Wachter}

1869. Active; focal plane 48.5 m (159 ft); two white flashes every 11 s. 48 m (157 ft) 16-sided cast iron skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, central cylinder, and a 1-story keeper's house enclosed in the base. Lighthouse painted white. Tommy Bernardus has an excellent closeup photo, Michael Thirnbeck has an aerial photo, and Wikipedia has a distant aerial photo, but the island is only a blur in Google's satellite view. This is the oldest surviving Dutch lighthouse in Indonesia. The Indonesian jaga utara and the Dutch noord wachter both mean "north watcher" or "guardian of the north." Located on the northernmost island of the chain of the Seribu chain, about 65 km (40 mi) east of the Sumatran coast and 130 km (80 mi) north northwest of Jakarta. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-062; Admiralty K1042; NGA 23376.

Pulau Peniki (South Watcher) {Zuid Wachter}

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 5 s. 35 m (115 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A closeup photo is available (fourth photo on the page), but the island is only a blur in Google's satellite view. This light greets vessels bound for Jakarta from Singapore. Located on a small island in the Java Sea about 90 km (55 mi) north northwest of Jakarta. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-236; Admiralty K1060.5; NGA 23372.

Jakarta Lighthouses

Pulau Damar Besar {Edam}

1881. Active; focal plane 55 m (180 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 50 m (164 ft) 16(?)-sided cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. Deni Adam Malik's photo is at the top of this page, a portfolio of photos and another photo are available, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Staffed by a crew of five. This famous lighthouse traditionally welcomes travelers to Jakarta. Located on Pulau Damar Besar in the center of the entrance to the bay of Jakarta. Accessible only by boat, but apparently boats can be chartered in Jakarta. ARLHS IDO-061; Admiralty K1062; NGA 23404.

Muara Karang

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) round white concrete tower. The light is seen in an aerial photo (click on the photo for enlargement), and Google has a satellite view. Located on the east side of the entrance to an industrial canal on the west side of Jakarta's harbor. Site and tower closed. Admiralty K1070; NGA 23416.1.

Sunda Kelapa Harbor West (2) Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 17 m (56 ft); two green flashes every 6 s. 17 m (56 ft) round hourglass-shaped tower, painted green. Bill Strong has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. This light replaced a much shorter light listed by NGA. Located at the end of the west breakwater of the harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K1069.4; NGA 23412. Sunda Kelapa Harbor East (2) Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 17 m (56 ft); two red flashes every 6 s. 17 m (56 ft) round hourglass-shaped tower, painted red. Suharwan has a photo, Augusto Sunga has a photo of the lighthouse in silhouette, and Google has a satellite view. This light replaced a much shorter light listed by NGA. Located at the end of the west breakwater of the harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K1069; NGA 23408. Jakarta {Batavia} West Mole 1862. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); red flash every 3 s. 16 m (52 ft) round stone tower, painted white. KITLV has two historic photos, a closeup and a more distant view, the Tropenmusuem also has historic photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, Forand has a cleaner copy of the same postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse is now immediately adjacent to the Jakarta Fish Port, which is under development by Japanese investors. As part of the redevelopment, the lighthouse is to be refurbished; a sketch of the intended results appears at right. We do not know the status of this planned restoration. Located on the east side of the mole, about 1200 m (3/4 mi) south of Kelapa Harbor lights. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-063; Admiralty K1068.5; NGA 23416.

Jakarta West Mole Light; Jakarta Fish Port image

Tanjung Priok (Tipar) Inner Harbor Date unknown (station established 1885). Active; focal plane 46 m (151 ft); white flash every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but a Google satellite view probably shows the shadow of the tower. Located near the harbor at Tipar, in east Jakarta. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1073.5; NGA 23428. Tanjung Krawang Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two red flashes every 8 s. 14 m (46 ft) concrete tower, painted red. No photo available, and Google's satellite view does not show the tower. Located about 2 km (1.2 mi) off the cape, marking the eastern entrance to the bay of Jakarta. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K1078; NGA 23396. West Java Province North Coast Lighthouses Pulau Biawak (Pulau Rakit) {Boompjes Eiland} 1911 (station established 1872). Active; focal plane 54 m (177 ft); white flash every 15 s. 50 m (164 ft) 16-sided cast iron skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and central cylinder. Although listed by NGA as black and white, the lighthouse is now painted all white. A photo is at right, another photo, and a view from the sea are available, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Located on a small island about 65 km (40 mi) northeast of Kandanghaur in the Java Sea. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-074; Admiralty K1084; NGA 23460. Karang Tanah Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 14 m (46 ft) "white beacon," according to NGA; this is probably a round fiberglass tower mounted on a platform supported by piles. No photo available. Located on a reef about 25 km (15 mi) north northeast of Cirebon. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K1090; NGA 23472. * Cirebon (2) Date unknown (station established 1867). Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 30 m (98 ft) round skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Nancy Kie Sheng has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. KITLV has a 1902 photo of the original lighthouse. Located on the mole on the east side of inner harbor at Cirebon. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IDO-123; Admiralty K1092; NGA 23476.

Pulau Biawak Light, July 2007 Panoramio photo copyright bstwan permission requested

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Tanjung Priok Mole (1884-?), Jakarta

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Kalimantan (Borneo) | East: Eastern Java and Madura | West: Southern Sumatra

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Posted April 13, 2006. Checked and revised December 31, 2011. Lighthouses: 22. Site copyright 2011 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.