Lighthouses of Russia: Khabarovsk Region

This page covers lighthouses of Khabarovsk Krai, a huge province on Russia's far eastern coast. The northern coastline of the province faces the Sea of Okhotsk. The southern coastline faces the Tartar Strait, which separates the mainland from the large island of Sakhalin. The largest port is Sovetskaya Gavan' (Soviet Harbor) on the Tartar Strait, the terminus of the Baikal-Amur Mainline Railroad. Other ports include De-Kastri on the Tartar Strait and Nikolayevsk na Amure on the lower Amur River. The region is named for Yerofey Khabarov, who explored the area for Russia in 1649-50. However, the region was also claimed by China, and in the 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk Russia gave up its claim to the heart of the territory, the Amur Basin. The situation was reversed in the 19th century as Russians occupied the area, and in the 1858 Treaty of Aigun Russian sovereignty was established. The Krasnyy Partizan (St. Nicholas Point) lighthouse shown at right dates from the very late 1800s, but nearly all the lighthouses in the region were built by the Soviet Union (1917-1991). During the Soviet period, few foreigners were able to visit Russia's Pacific ports, and even today tourism in the Russian far east is not well developed. As a result, no photos are available for many of the lighthouses. If you have or can locate additional photos, please let me know. Russian lighthouses are owned and operated by the Russian Navy, although some of them have civilian keepers. The Russian word for a lighthouse is mayak (маяк); mys is a cape, bukhta is a bay, zaliv is a larger bay or gulf, gavan' is a harbor, and ostrov is an island. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume M of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

Krasnyy Partizan Light, Sovetskaya Gavan', February 2012 Panoramio photo copyright dsem61; permission requested

Okhotsky District (Northwestern Sea of Okhotsk) Lighthouses

Note: The town of Okhotsk is Russia's oldest settlement on the Pacific; Cossacks established a camp here in 1643, and a fort was built in 1649. For nearly 200 years Okhotsk was the leading Russian port on the Pacific, accessible by river routes across the width of Siberia. After 1860 the newly-acquired warm-water port of Vladivostok rapidly took its place as a port and naval station. Mys Duga Vostochnaya Date unknown. Active; focal plane 82 m (269 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 34 m (112 ft) metal tower, painted red. No photo available, and Google has only a very distant satellite view of the cape. This lighthouse marks the southern tip of a peninsula that projects into the Sea of Okhotsk about 225 km (140 mi) west of Magadan. Site status unknown. ARLHS ARS-144; Admiralty M8008.2; NGA 15566. Mys Marekan 1954. Active; focal plane 53 m (174 ft); white light, 4.5 s on, 7.5 s off. 34 m (112 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a square stone base. Tower painted with black and white horizontal bands, base painted white, lantern painted red. Igor Savitskiy has a 2012 closeup photo, Eugene Potapov's view from the sea is at right, and the lighthouse appeared on a 1984 Soviet postage stamp, but Google has only a very distant satellite view of the cape. Located on the north shore of the Sea of Okhotsk about 320 km (200 mi) west of Magadan and 25 km (15 mi) southeast of the town of Okhotsk. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-045; Admiralty M8007; NGA 15568. Kukhtuy (Okhotsk) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 3 s. 18 m (56 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available, and the tower has not been found in Google's satellite view. Located on the east side of the entrance to Kukhtuy Bay, the harbor of Okhotsk. Site status unknown. Admiralty M8006; NGA 15569.

Marekan Light, Okhotsk, 2006 Panoramio photo copyright Eugene Potapov; used by permission

Nikolayevsky District Lighthouses

Sakhalin Gulf Lighthouses
Note: Sakhalin Gulf is an elliptical basin at the southern end of the Sea of Okhotsk. It is about 160 km (100 mi) wide, separating the mainland from the northern end of the island of Sakhalin.

Mys Litke Date unknown. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); 9 m (30 ft) skeletal tower mounted atop a building. The light is not seen clearly in Alexander Barkov's distant view from the sea, but Google has a satellite view of the station. Located on a prominent cape about 150 km (90 mi) northwest of Mys Menshikova. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7986; NGA 15582. Menshikov (Mys Menshikova) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 101 m (331 ft); white light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 19 m (62 ft) round tower, probably with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, and Google has only a very distant satellite view of the cape. Mys (Cape) Menshikova is the promontory on the west side of the entrance to Sakhalin Bay from the Sea of Okhotsk. Site status unknown. ARLHS ARS-149; Admiralty M7985; NGA 15584. Nikolayevsk na Amure and Amur Estuary Lighthouses Note: The Amur, the world's ninth largest river, forms a large estuary before emptying into the northern part of Amur Sound. Nikolayevsk na Amure is a port on the north side of the estuary about 80 km (50 mi) above the mouth. * Nikolayevsk Range Front 1967. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); continuous red light. 6 m (20 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. Alexander Barkov has a 2012 closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. This is the entrance range for the protected harbor of Nikolayevsk. Located near the waterfront in the town. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7984.4. * Nikolayevsk Range Rear 1967. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); continuous red light. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. Alexander Barkov's photo is at right, a closeup photo by Roman Zhelezov is available, the light is seen in Ivan Samarkin's photo, the tower is seen at the far right in Fedor Masalov's panoramic view of the town (click on the photo for enlargement), and Google has a satellite view. Located at a street intersection on a hillside about 100 m (330 ft) northwest of the front light. Site probably open, tower closed. Admiralty M7984.41.

Nikolayevsk Range Rear Light, Nikolayevsk, August 2012 Panoramio photo copyright Alexander Barkov; used by permission

Ostrov Vospri (Range Front) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); red flash every 3 s. 16 m (52 ft) square concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. A view from the estuary is at right, and Google has a satellite view. This is a westbound (upstream) range. Located at the eastern tip of Ostrov Vospri, a large island in the center of the estuary about 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Nikolayevsk. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7983.5. Mys Meo (Ostrov Vospri Range Rear) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 56 m (184 ft); continuous red light. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower, carrying a daymark with a black vertical stripe. Alexander Barkov has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south bank of the estuary just north of Konstantinovka. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7983.6. Mys Vasse Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); green flash every 3 s. 17 m (56 ft) square pyramidal wood skeletal tower, carrying a daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. Alexander Barkov has a very distant view from the estuary, and Google has a satellite view. This range guides eastbound vessels. The front light is on a similar, shorter tower. Located on a sharp cape on the south bank of the estuary about 8 km (5 mi) southeast of Ostrov Vospri. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7983.31. Nizhniypronge Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); one long red flash every 7.5 s. 12 m (39 ft) square concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available. This is the entrance range for the Amur estuary. The front and middle lights are on short skeletal towers. Located on the Pronge peninsula about 4 km (2.5 mi) southwest of the tip. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.811.

Ostrov Vospri Range Front Light, Nikolayevsk-na-Amure, September 2009 Panoramio photo copyright sireuz; permission requested

Pronge (2?)

Date unknown (station established 1916). Active; focal plane 101 m (331 ft); white flash every 9.7 s. 15 m (49 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. Sergei Maleshko has a closeup photo, but the tower is not conspicuous in Bing's satellite view of the station. Located on the heights of Mys Pronge. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7983.

Mys Pronge Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); one long yellow flash every 7.5 s. 7 m (23 ft) square concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, and Google has only a distant satellite view of the peninsula. Located on the point of the Pronge peninsula, on the south side of the mouth of the Amur. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.91.

Mys Pronge Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); one long yellow flash every 7.5 s. 11 m (36 ft) square concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available. Located 93 m (305 ft) from the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.911.

Pronge South Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); red light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 11 m (36 ft) square concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Bing has a satellite view. The function of this northbound range is not clear. Pronge is a narrow cape on the south side of the mouth of the Amur. Located on the south side of the cape. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.9.

Pronge South Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 53 m (174 ft); red light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 7 m (23 ft) square concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Bing has a satellite view. Located about 400 m (1/4 mi) north northeast of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.901.

Amur Gulf Lighthouses
Note: The Amur Gulf is an irregular basin about 120 km (75 mi) long and roughly 30 km (19 mi) wide, connecting Sakhalin Gulf to the north with the Tartar Strait to the south; many geographers classify it as the northern part of the strait. The sound is relatively shallow, with many shoals, so it is not easy to navigate.

Khussinskiy (Mys Khuzi) Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. This range guides vessels on a northeast to southwest reach toward the Nevel'skoy Strait. Located about 30 km (19 mi) south of the Amur River. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.4; NGA 15745.

Khussinskiy (Mys Khuzi) Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 28 m (92 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a rectangular slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located about 500 m (1/3 mi) south of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.41; NGA 15745.1.

Mys Dzhaore South Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; one long white flash every 7.5 s. No photo available, but Google's satellite view suggests a square concrete tower similar to the Ostrov Vospri Light shown above. Mys Dzhaore is a prominent cape about 20 km (13 mi) south of Mys Pronge. Located on the northern point of the cape. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.3; NGA 15745.15.

Mys Uarke

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 133 m (436 ft); white flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) concrete tower "with platform, at building," according to the Admiralty. No photo available; a Google satellite view is northwest of the listed location, but it may show the station. Located on a prominent cape about 50 km (30 mi) northwest of the Nevel'skoy Strait. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.2; NGA 15744.36.

Nevel'skoy Strait Area Lighthouses
Note: The Nevel'skoy Strait is a narrow passage connecting the Amur Sound with the Tartar Strait to the south. It is named for Capt. Gennady Nevel'skoy, who sailed through the strait in 1849, proving to westerners that Sakhalin is an island. At its narrowest, the strait is only 7.3 km (4.5 mi) wide. Under Stalin, the Soviet government planned a railroad tunnel under the strait and actually began construction. These plans were abandoned after Stalin's death in 1953, but recently there has been renewed interest in the project.

Ukhtomskiy Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 16 m (52 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. This range guides vessels approaching the Nevel'skogo Strait from the north. Located about 20 km (13 mi) northwest of Mys Lazareva. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.1. Ukhtomskiy Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 21 m (69 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a rectangular slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located about 500 m (1/3 mi) south southwest of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7982.11. Lazarev (Mys Lazareva) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 252 m (827 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 13 m (43 ft) square tower with lantern and gallery, attached to one end of 1-story keeper's house. Entire structure, including the keeper's house, painted with black and white horizontal bands. A drawing from a UN publication is at right, the top of the tower is just barely visible in Anastasia Zhuravel's view from the strait, and Google has a satellite view. Mys (Cape) Lazareva projects eastward, nearly closing off the narrow Nevel'skogo Strait between Sakhalin Bay and Tartar Strait. A photo shows the cape but not the lighthouse. This landfall light for the passage has a range of about 40 km (25 mi). Located on a mountaintop above the point of the cape. Site status unknown. ARLHS ARS-147; Admiralty M7982; NGA 15744.45.

Mys Lazareva Light, Nevel'skoy Strait image copyright United Nations Organization from the UN Atlas of the Oceans

Ulchsky District Lighthouses

De-Kastri Area Lighthouses
Note: De-Kastri is a protected harbor on Chikhachev Bay in the lee of Mys Orlova. In 2003-06 a large terminal was built here for oil exports. The lighthouses of the area were presumably built during that period.

Mys Davydova (Mys Davidova, Mys Nepimetnyy)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 158 m (518 ft); one long white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located atop a vertical cliff on the cape on the north side of the entrance to Chikhachev Bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7675; NGA 15761.3.

Ostrov Observatorii

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); quick-flashing white light. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on the east end of an island in the harbor of De-Kastri. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7676.5; NGA 15761.35.

* Mys Klykova Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); red flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal concrete tower with gallery, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. Vyatcheslav Kozlov has a view from the frozen sea, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the north side of the harbor of De-Kastri. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7677; NGA 15761.

* Mys Klykova Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); continuous red light. 10 m (33 ft) tower with gallery. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on the north side of the harbor of De-Kastri, about 800 m (1/2 mi) west of the front light. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7677.1; NGA 15761.1.

* Mys Innokentiya Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); green flash every 3 s. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal concrete tower with gallery, painted white. A closeup photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a headland on the south side of the entrance to Chikhachev Bay. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7677.5; NGA 15761.2. Mys Innokentiya Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); green flash every 3 s. 9 m (30 ft) tower, probably skeletal. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located about 600 m (0.4 mi) west southwest of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7677.51; NGA 15761.21. Orlova (Mys Orlova) (Castries Bay, Klosterkamp Point) (3?) 1920s? (station established 1861). Active; focal plane 84 m (276 ft); three long (2 s) white flashes every 20 s. 16 m (52 ft) octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white, lantern black. Alex Bambizo's photo is at right, Alex Fyodorov has a distant winter 2010 view, an even more distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. We need information on the history of this historic station. Bambizo also has a photo of ruined buildings at the edge of the nearby cliff, and Google has a satellite view; these are probably remains of the original lighthouse, which had a focal plane of 80 m (262 ft). The second, Klosterkamp Point, lighthouse had a focal plane of 75 m (242 ft); it was damaged, perhaps destroyed, in a battle between Red and White forces in early 1920. Located on an island off the point of the cape about 80 km (50 mi) southwest of the narrowest point of the passage at Lazarev. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-050; Admiralty M7678; NGA 15760.

Mys Orlova Light, De Kastri, 2006 photo copyright Alex Bambizo; used by permission

Vaninsky District Lighthouses

Northern Tartar Strait Lighthouses
Note: The Tartar Strait (also called the Tatar Strait, Strait of Tartary, or Gulf of Tartary) is a funnel-shaped arm of the Sea of Japan that separates the mainland from the southern portion of Sakhalin. The Nevel'skoy Strait is at the tip of the funnel.

Syurkum (Mys Syurkum) (4?)

Date unknown (station established 1934). Active; focal plane 75 m (246 ft); white flash every 8 s. 14 m (46 ft) round concrete tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Andrew Ni has a view from the sea, and Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view. This station has a complex history, and it appears that there are three lighthouses surviving at the station, two of them detriorating into ruins. Ni's photo shows what is probably the original lighthouse in fog above the current station. Located on a very prominent cape jutting into the Tartar Strait about 125 km (75 mi) north of Sovetskaya Gavan' and 15 km (10 mi) southeast of Syurkum. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-067; Admiralty M7674; NGA 15768.

Syurkum (Mys Syurkum) (1?)

1934(?). Inactive. Square light tower centered on a square 1-story wood keeper's house. In Andrew Ni's view, this lighthouse is visible in the fog behind the current lighthouse. Site status unknown.

Syurkum (Mys Syurkum) (2?)

1934(?). Inactive. Approx. 6 m (20 ft) square cylindrical wood tower attached to the front of a 1-story wood keeper's house. In Andrew Ni's view, this lighthouse is in front of the current lighthouse. A closeup 1976 photo shows this lighthouse, but the light is then on a post light with gallery rising from a 1-story equipment room behind the house. The current tower has replaced this post light. Site status unknown.

Mys Bychiy

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 134 m (440 ft); white flash every 3 s. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. No photo available, and a view of the cape from the sea does not reveal the tower, but Bing has a distant satellite view. Located on a prominent cape about 100 km (60 mi) north of Sovetskaya Gavan'. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7673.

Vanino Area Lighthouses
Note: Vanino is an important port about 20 km (13 mi) north of Sovetskaya Gavan'. It is the mainland terminal for passenger and rail ferries to Khomsk, Sakhalin, and it ships goods to other Russian cities of the far east such as Magadan and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Mys Datta (2?) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 85 m (279 ft); white light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Square 1-story keeper's house. A distant view from the sea is available (click in the photo for enlargement), and Google has a satellite view of the station. The satellite image suggests that an earlier light may have been centered on a square keeper's house. Located on a prominent cape about 25 km (15 mi) northeast of Vanino. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-025; Admiralty M7670; NGA 15776. Mushke (Muchkye) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory about 4 km (2.5 mi) northeast of Mys Khoy. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7660; NGA 15796. Mys Khoy Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); red flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory marking the north side of the entrance to Vanino. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7651; NGA 15788. * Vanino Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); red light occulting once every 3 s. 14 m (46 ft) octagonal masonry tower with gallery, mounted on a square masonry base. Lighthouse painted white with a broad red vertical stripe on the range line. Nadezhda Kuznetsova's photo is at right, Maxim Lavrov has a photo, a good closeup, a 2007 photo, and a 2008 photo are available, and Google has a good satellite view. This lighthouse is located in a roundabout in the intersection of two major streets near the waterfront of Vanino; one of the streets is a boulevard that is aligned with the range. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-159; Admiralty M7653; NGA 15792. * Vanino Range Middle Date unknown. Active; focal plane 68 m (223 ft); continuous red light. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal masonry tower with gallery, mounted on a square masonry base. A closeup photo is available, and there is a Google satellite view. Located in the median of the same boulevard as the front light (previous entry) about 330 m (360 yd) west of the front light. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7653.1; NGA 15792.2. * Vanino Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 91 m (299 ft); continuous red light. Light mounted on the roof of the Vanino city hall. The building is seen in a photo, a second photo, and a Google satellite view. Located at the west end of the boulevard aligned with the range. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7653.2; NGA 15792.4.

Vanino Range Front Light, Vanino, June 2010 Panoramio photo copyright Nadezhda Kuznetsova used by permission

Mys Yuzhnyy

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); red flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory marking the south side of the entrance to Vanino. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7652; NGA 15790.

Sovetsko-Gavansky District Lighthouses

Sovetskaya Gavan' (Sovgavan) Area Lighthouses
Note: Founded in 1941, Sovetskaya Gavan' ("Soviet Harbor") is the western terminus of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM). The BAM is a rail line built as a strategic alternative to the Trans-Siberian Railway; it is farther from the Chinese border and much shorter than the route of the Trans-Siberian. The BAM was the last great public works project of the Soviet Union, finally finished in 1991, just before the union came apart. Since then Sovetskaya Gavan' has developed rapidly as an important port. Russians often abbreviate its name as Sovgavan.

Milyutina (Mys Milyutina) 1915. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); red light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern dome is green. A view is at right, a good closeup photo is available, and there is a Google satellite view of the station. Located on the north side of the harbor entrance at Sovetskaya Gavan'. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-046; Admiralty M7643; NGA 15784. Mys Alexandra Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); red flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory marking the east side of the entrance to the northern lobes of the bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7642.5. Mys Gavrilova Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 4 s. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory due north of Mys Sharypova that separates the northeastern and northwestern arms of the bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7642.4. Mys Sharypova Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); red flash every 4 s. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. In a view of the north side of the Sovetskaya Gavan Bay, the light is on the promontory at left; it is visible at highest magnification. Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory marking the west side of the entrance to the northern lobes of the bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7642.3.

Mys Milyutina Light, Sovetskaya Gavan' Sovetsko-Gavansky District photo

Zaliv Sovetskaya Gavan' Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 51 m (167 ft); red, white or green light, depending on direction, occulting once every 3 s. 16 m (52 ft) octagonal white concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Both range lights are still listed by international lists, but a local correspondent reports that the front light has been converted to a directional light and the rear light is deactivated. Located at the head of Sovetskaya Gavan Bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7639.

Zaliv Sovetskaya Gavan' Range Rear

Date unknown. Inactive. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal white concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located 800 m (1/2 mi) southwest of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7639.1.

Mys Marii

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. This is probably a twin of the Sovgavanskiy lighthouse. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a cape on the west side of the entrance to the inner harbor of Sovetskaya Gavan', opposite the Sovgavanskiy light. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7638.5.

* Sovgavanskiy

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); green flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal cylindrical white concrete tower with gallery. A 2007 closeup photo shows five young Russians crowded atop the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. Located in Sovetskaya Gavan', on the east side of the entrance to the inner harbor. Site open, and apparently it's possible to climb the tower. Admiralty M7638.

Bukhta Mayachnaya

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); continuous green light. 5 m (17 ft) post light mounted at one end of a square 1-story equipment room. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a pier in Lososina, a harbor on the east side of Sovetskaya Gavan. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7641.

Mys Putyatina

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); white light occulting once every 3 s. 7 m (23 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with one red horizontal band. Aleksander Maslak has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the cape at the south side of the entrance to Sovetskaya Gavan. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7642; NGA 15798.

* Krasnyy Partizan (Mys Krasnyy Partizan, St. Nicholas Point)

1897. Active; focal plane 85 m (279 ft); two white flashes every 30 s. 16 m (52 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white. Fog horn (one long and one short blast every 30 s). Original French Fresnel lens still in use. A photo appears at the top of this page, another photo and a view from the sea are available, and Google has a good satellite view. Blogger Ivan Parus has a page with photos of the 1895 fog bell still mounted next to the lighthouse. According to one of the city's tourist sites, this lighthouse is on the standard city tour. This is the only 19th century lighthouse of Khabarovsk Krai. The keepers here were killed by an invading White (anti-Communist) army in 1919. Perhaps in their honor the cape was renamed "Red Partisan." Located on a prominent cape jutting into the Tartar Strait on the east side of Sovetskaya Gavan, about 6 km (3.5 mi) southeast of the harbor entrance. Site open, tower status unknown. ARLHS ASR-034; Admiralty M7640; NGA 15812.

Sea of Japan Lighthouses
Note: The sea between Japan, Korea, Sakhalin, and the southern Russian mainland is called the Sea of Japan in Japan and in most western countries. However, Koreans object to the name "Sea of Japan" and call the sea the East Sea or Korea East Sea. The Directory uses the name East Sea on its pages for Korea. The Russian name, Yaponskoye More, means "Japanese Sea."

Mys Innokent'yevskiy (1?) Date unknown. Inactive. Light tower (?) mounted on a 1-story keeper's house. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. We need information on the history of this station. Mikhail Svistunov has a photo of the current light (focal plane 20 m (66 ft); green flash every 3 s), which is on a 5 m (17 ft) octagonal masonry tower, painted white. Google also has a satellite view of that light, located about 500 m (0.3 mi) north of the historic structure. Located on a promontory about 50 km (30 mi) south southwest of Sovetskaya Gavan'. Site status unknown, but apparently accessible by road with local knowledge. Admiralty M7637. Peschanyy (Mys Peschanyy) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 4.5 s off. 24 m (79 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern black. 1-story keeper's house and other light station buildings. A view from the sea is at right, a closeup photo and another view from the sea are available, but Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of the cape. It appears that the keeper's house may have had a lantern originally. The name of the lighthouse means "sandy cape." Located on a sandy barrier beach about 100 km (60 mi) south of Sovetskaya Gavan', at a point where the coastline changes from northeast-southwest to more north-south. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-054; Admiralty M7636; NGA 15820. Mys Krestovozhvizhenskiy Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); white light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 11 m (36 ft) round metal (?) tower attached to a 1-story equipment building. There is also a large rectangular daymark, apparently painted white with a red border, mounted billboard-style in front of the tower. Pavel Biktashev has a 2010 photo, but Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the cape. Located on a promontory about 70 km (45 mi) south southwest of Mys Peschanyy. Admiralty M7634; NGA 15824.

Mys Peschanyy Light, Sea of Japan, August 2010 Panoramio photo copyright Moneron; used by permission

Mys Bezymyanny (Bukhta Nelma)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 80 m (262 ft); white light, 4.5 s on, 7.5 s off. 8 m (26 ft) round metal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Bing has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at Nel'ma, about 240 km (150 mi) south southwest of Sovetskaya Gavan. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7630; NGA 15828.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Northern Pacific Coast | East: Sakhalin | South: Maritime Province

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Posted May 19, 2006. Checked and revised December 20, 2012. Lighthouses: 56. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.