Lighthouses of Russia's Pacific Coast

This page covers lighthouses of Russia's far eastern coast, except for the islands of Sakhalin and the Kurils. Major ports on this coast include Vladivostok and Nakhodka on the Sea of Japan, Sovetskaya Gavan on the Tatar Strait, Magadan on the north shore of the Sea of Okhotsk, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the Pacific coast of Kamchatka. Russian occupation of this area began with the explorations of Vitus Bering and Alexsei Chirikov between 1728 and 1741, but settlements were few until treaties with China brought the Primorsky Krai (Maritime Province) under Russian control in the 1850s. A number of historic lighthouses survive from the late 1800s and early 1900s, but the majority of the lighthouses on these coasts 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 slight. As a result, no photos are available for many of the lighthouses. Special thanks are due to Klaus Huelse for locating most of the photos and photo links on this page; Michel Forand also located several photos. If you have or can locate additional photos, please let me know. At the bottom of the page is a lighthouse on Lake Baikal, deep in Siberia. There may be other lighthouses on the lake. In Russian, mayak is the word for a lighthouse; mys is a cape and ostrov is an island. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112. What's Hot:

Gamova Light; Khasan district government photo

General Sources

Port State Control of Russia Far East

Port administration for Russia's Pacific coast ports.

Lighthouses of Khasan District

My translation of a document posted by the Khasan District government, with three photos.

Primorsky Krai (Maritime Province) Lighthouses

Khasan District Lighthouses

Nazimova (2) 1910 (station established 1896). Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white or red light, depending on direction, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern, painted white. Keeper's house and other buildings. There is also a distant view of this light in the first photo of the Khasan District's page on the history of the district's lighthouses. According to the history, the lighthouse is a prefabricated French tourelle, and it was restored in 1956. Located on a rock at the end of the Nazimov Spit, which nearly closes off the entrance to Pos'eta Bay north of Khasan and about 50 km (30 mi) northeast of the Korean border. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-153; Admiralty F7421. Gamova (Cape Gamow) 1906. Active; focal plane 68 m (223 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 20 m (62 ft) round stone tower with dwelling, painted white. The photo from the Khasan District's lighthouse history page also appears above. A similar but somewhat closer view is available. Located on a prominent cape about 80 km (50 mi) southwest of Vladivostok and 50 km (30 mi) northeast of the Korean border. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-026; Admiralty F7422; NGA 16196. Bryusa (Cape Bruce) 1913. Active; focal plane 66 m (217 ft); white, red or green light depending on direction, 6 s on, 6 s off. 10 m (33 ft) square stone tower, attached to the seaward side of a 1-story keeper's house, painted white. The photo from the Khasan District's lighthouse history page also appears at right. Located on a headland about 10 km (6 mi) east of Slavyanka and 50 km (30 mi) southwest of Vladivostok. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-018; Admiralty F7434; NGA 16172.

Bryusa Light; Khasan district government photo

Vladivostok Area Lighthouses
Note: Vladivostok (the name means "Ruler of the East") was founded in 1860, soon after China ceded the territory of the Maritime Province to Russia. The city is the traditional home port of Russia's Pacific Fleet, and during the Soviet era it was generally closed to foreigners. In 1916 the Trans-Siberian Railroad was completed, linking Vladivostok to Moscow.

* Tokarev (Egersheld) (2) 1910 (station established 1876). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); one long flash every 7.5 s, white or red depending on direction. 12 m (39 ft) cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery; the lower half of the tower is octagonal and the upper half is round. Lighthouse painted white. The lighthouse is visible in an aerial photo, though dwarfed by a huge modern tower that carries power lines across the Vladivostok harbor entrance. A good closeup is available, Lisa Walker has a 2007 closeup, and a postage stamp image appears at right. Another closeup shows that access to the lighthouse is underwater at high tide. FocalPlane f/8 has a long article on keeper Vasily Ivanovich Ilchenko. Located at the end of a mole at the entrance to Vladivostok harbor and at the extreme southwestern tip of the Egersheld Peninsula; a Google satellite view is available. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-008; Admiralty F7479 (formerly F7450); NGA 16169.92. * Proliv Bosfor Vostochnyy Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); continuous red light. 15 m (49 ft) square tower with lantern rising from a large square keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This range guides ships through the Bosfor Vostochnyy Strait (proliv), the approach to Vladivostok from the east. Located about 1.5 km (1 mi) northeast of the Tokarev lighthouse. Site appears open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-156; Admiralty F7472; NGA 16169. * Proliv Bosfor Vostochnyy Range Middle Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); red light occulting once every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) octagonal stone tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located 125 m (410 ft) west northwest of the front light. Site appears open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-157; Admiralty F7472.01; NGA 16169.1. Proliv Bosfor Vostochnyy Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 69 m (226 ft); continuous red light. 15 m (49 ft) octagonal tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a ridge crest 400 m (1/4 mi) west northwest of the middle light. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-158; Admiralty F7472.02; NGA 16169.2.

Tokarev Light stamp image posted by Klaus Huelse

Skyrpleva (2)

1891 (station established 1897). Active; focal plane 54 m (177 ft); red flash every 15 s. 12 m (39 ft) square (?) stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view in which the tower (or at least the gallery) appears to be round. Located on Ostrov Skyrpleva, a small island on the south side of the entrance to the Bosfor Vostochny Strait, about 10 km (6 mi) east southeast of the Tokarev lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ASR-006; Admiralty F7470; NGA 16166.

Basargin 1934. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); green light occulting once every 7.5 s. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal stone tower with gallery and a small lantern, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Perched on a huge rock just offshore, the lighthouse is connected to the mainland by a swinging footbridge. An excellent photo is available, also a second photo, the light is featured on a postage stamp, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a rock on the north side of the entrance to the Bosfor Vostochny Strait, about 10 km (6 mi) east southeast of the Tokarev lighthouse. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ASR-015; Admiralty F7471; NGA 16167. Sysoyev (Mys Sysoyeva) Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, painted red. A photo is at right, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a prominent cape about 50 km (30 mi) southeast of Vladivostok and a similar distance west of Nakhodka. ARLHS ASR-111; Admiralty F7528; NGA 16056. Yelagina (Mys Yelagina, Ostrov Askold) (3) Date unknown (station established 1881). Active; focal plane 113 m (371 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 4.5 s off. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the seaward side of a ramshackle masonry keeper's house. Tower painted white, lantern red. The photo shows what may be a smaller light on the point of the cape. The first two lighthouses had substantially higher focal planes. This lighthouse appears to be in very poor condition. Located on the south point of Ostrov Askol'd, an island off Mys Sysoyeva about 50 km (30 mi) west of Nakhodka. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-075; Admiralty F7532; NGA 16052.

Sysoyev Light; Novosti photo

Nakhodka Bay Lighthouses
Note: the Soviet government built Nakhodka after World War II as a civilian and commercial alternative to Vladivostok. Thus these lighthouses are probably of fairly recent origin.

Astaf'yeva (Mys Astaf'yeva)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); green light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 19 m (62 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but there is a Google satellite view of the station. This lighthouse stands at the tip of a peninsula that protects Nakhodka harbor. Site and tower probably closed (the lighthouse appears to be on a Russian Navy base). ARLHS ASR-013; Admiralty F7567; NGA 15956.

* Nakhodka Entrance Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); continuous red neon light. 16 m (52 ft) octagonal tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No closeup photo available, but a Google satellite view shows the two range lights. This range guides ships from Nakhodka Bay into the city's protected harbor. Located on the west side of Nakhodka harbor and on the east side of the main highway through the port. Site probably open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-152; Admiralty F7566; NGA 15968.

* Nakhodka Entrance Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 47 m (154 ft); continuous red neon light. 7 m (23 ft) octagonal tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No closeup photo available, but a Google satellite view shows the two range lights. Located on the west side of Nakhodka harbor and on the east side of the main highway through the port. Site probably open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-152; Admiralty F7566; NGA 15968.

* Nakhodka Approach Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 13 m (43 ft) octagonal tower centered on the roof of a 1-story square stone building. Lighthouse painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. A photo appears at right, and a Google satellite view is available. This range guides ships northward through Nakhodka Bay on their approach to the city. Located on the shoreline on the east side of Nakhodka. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-150; Admiralty F7564; NGA 15960. Nakhodka Approach Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); continuous red light. 16 m (52 ft) square stone tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a hillside 1575 m (1 mi) due north of the front light. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-151; Admiralty F7564.1; NGA 15964. Nepristupnyy (Mys Nepristupnyy) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 14 m (46 ft) octagonal brick tower, rising from a keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with a red horizontal band below the lantern; lantern dome is also red. No closeup photo available, but there is a Google satellite view. Located on the northeast side of Nakhodka Bay about 15 km (9 mi) southeast of the city. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-048; Admiralty F7563.2; NGA 15944.

Nakhodka Approach Front Light Zaliv Vostok (East Bay) Marine Reservation photo

Povorotnyy (Mys Povorotnyy)

1892. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); white light, 6 s on, 2 s off. 13 m (43 ft) tower: lantern mounted on a 3 m (1-story) octagonal base. The photos show the light with the original large round lantern with an F. Barbier & Cie. Fresnel lens. Two small rubblestone keeper's houses. Another page describing the lighthouse has a good closeup photo, and Google has a good satellite view of the station. Note: Russia has another Povorotnyy Light, thousands of miles to the west on the Gulf of Finland. Located on the point of Mys (Cape) Povorotnyy, the eastern entrance to Nakhodka Bay. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-060; Admiralty F7572; NGA 15936.

Sea of Japan Lighthouses
Ostrovnoyy (Mys Ostrovnoyy)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 156 m (512 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 11 m (36 ft) skeletal tower, adjacent to a keeper's house. House painted white. No photo available. Located on a promontory about 65 km (40 mi) east of Nakhodka. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-051; Admiralty F7576; NGA 15924.

Dalnyy (Mys Dalnyy)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 185 m (608 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 14 m (46 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted red; house is white. Vladimir Khodov has posted a photo (about 1/3 the way down the page). Located on a promontory about 15 km (10 mi) east of Milogradovo. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-143; Admiralty F7581; NGA 15908.

* Nizmennyy (Mys Nizmennyy)

1904. Active; focal plane 63 m (207 ft); three white flashes every 7.5 s. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story brick keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white. Note: there is another Mys Nizmenny lighthouse across the Sea of Japan in Sakhalin. Located on a promontory about 25 km (15 mi) southwest of Olga. Site apparently open, tower status unknown. ARLHS ASR-049; Admiralty F7584; NGA 15900.

Chikhacheva (Ostrov Chikhacheva, Olga)

1916. Active; focal plane 111 m (364 ft); white light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 11 m (36 ft) square tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located on a steep, rocky island on the north side of the entrance to the harbor of Olga. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown, but this would be a very difficult site to reach. ARLHS ASR-022; Admiralty F7588; NGA 15896.

* Balyuzek (Mys Balyuzek)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 80 m (262 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 14 m (46 ft) square tower with lantern, rising from a keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Fog horn (three blasts every 30 s). Located on a promontory on the north side of the entrance to Vladimira Bay about 30 km (19 mi) north of Olga; the bay is the only good harbor of refuge along this coast. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-014; Admiralty F7604; NGA 15868.

Brinera (Mys Brinera)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); two white flashes every 7 s. 15 m (49 ft) octagonal masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A photo and a closeup photo are available. This light guides ships to the mining port of Rudnaya Pristan. The cape and lighthouse are named for Jules Brynner, the grandfather of the actor Yul Brynner, who founded the mines in the late 19th century. Located on a promontory a short distance south of Rudnaya Pristan. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-017; Admiralty F7610; NGA 15860.

Oprichnik (Zaliv Oprichnik)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 214 m (702 ft); white light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 14 m (46 ft) octagonal masonry tower, painted white. No photo available. Located on a promontory about 20 km (13 mi) northeast of Rudnaya Pristan. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-100; Admiralty F7612; NGA 15856.

Yegorova (Mys Yegorova)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 92 m (302 ft); white light, 4.5 s on, 7.5 s off. 19 m (62 ft) round cast iron tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available. Located on a promontory about 50 km (30 mi) southwest of Terney. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-074; Admiralty F7614; NGA 15852.

Belkina (Mys Belkina, Cape Disappointment)

1915. Active; focal plane 99 m (325 ft); white light, 10 s on, 10 s off. 14 m (46 ft) octagonal masonry tower, painted white. Fog horn (5 blasts every 60 s). No photo available. Located on a promontory near Amgu, about 130 km (80 mi) northeast of Terney. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-016; Admiralty F7618; NGA 15840.

Sosunova (Mys Sosunova)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 66 m (217 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 4.5 s off. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal masonry tower with gallery, attached to a small 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. A photo is available. Located on a promontory about 200 km (125 mi) northeast of Terney. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-066; Admiralty F7622; NGA 15836.

Zolotoy (Mys Zolotoy)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 20 m (66 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted with red and white vertical stripes; lantern and gallery painted red. Several keeper's houses and other structures. A good photo is available. Located on a promontory about 200 km (125 mi) southwest of Sovetskaya Gavan. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-079; Admiralty F7626; NGA 15832.

Khabarovsk Krai Lighthouses

Sovetskaya Gavan Area Lighthouses
Note: Sovetskaya Gavan ("Harbor of the Soviets") faces on the Tatar Strait, which separates the island of Sakhalin from the mainland. Founded in 1941, the town 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.
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) round concrete tower, painted white. No photo available. Located on a cape 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 F7636; NGA 15820.

* 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 tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white. Fog horn (one lang and one short blast every 30 s). No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. According to one of the city's tourist sites, this lighthouse is on the standard city tour, and an 1895 fog bell is displayed next to the tower. The keepers here were killed by an invading White (anti-Communist) army in 1919. Located on a prominent cape jutting into the Tatar 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 F7640; NGA 15812.

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 tower, painted white. No photo available, but 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 F7643; NGA 15784.

* Vanino Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; red light occulting once every 3 s. Approx. 15 m (49 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. A 2007 photo is available, and Google has a good satellite view. Vanino is a port about 20 km (13 mi) north of Sovetskaya Gavan. 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 F7653; NGA 15792.

* Vanino Range Middle

Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; continuous red light. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal masonry tower with gallery, mounted on a square masonry base. No description or closeup photo available, but there is a Google satellite view. The rear light of the range is probably mounted on the roof of a large building seen in another 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 F7653.1; NGA 15792.2.

Tatar Strait and Amur Bay Lighthouses
Note: Sakhalin is separated from the mainland on the south by the Tatar Strait, an arm of the Sea of Japan, and on the north by Sakhalin and Amur Bays, which form an arm of the Sea of Okhotsk. Amur Bay and Tatar Strait are joined at Lazarev by a narrow passage called the Proliv (strait) Nevel'skogo.
Syurkum (Mys Syurkum)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 75 m (246 ft); white flash every 8 s. 14 m (46 ft) tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, although Google has a very fuzzy satellite view. Located on a very prominent cape jutting into the Tatar 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 F7674; NGA 15768.

Orlova (Mys Orlova)

Date unknown (station established 1861). Active; focal plane 84 m (276 ft); three long (2 s) white flashes every 20 s. Approx. 14 m (46 ft) octagonal tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a keeper's house. Lighhouse painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. 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 F7678; NGA 15760.

* Mys Innokentiya Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; 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. The rear light is on a much shorter tower about 600 m (0.4 mi) west southwest. Located on a headland on the south side of the entrance to De Kastri, a town in the lee of Mys Orlova. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F7677.5; NGA 15761.2.

* Mys Klykova Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; red flash every 3 s. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) tower with gallery. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the north side of the harbor of De Kastri. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F7677; NGA 15761.

* Mys Klykova Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; continuous red light. Approx. 7 m (23 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 F7677.1; NGA 15761.1. 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, and the location of the station is centered in a Google satellite view. Mys (Cape) Lazareva projects eastward, nearly closing off the narrow Nevel'skogo Strait between Amur Bay and Tatar Strait. 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 F7982; NGA 15744.45. 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, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available. Mys (Cape) Menshikova is the promontory on the west side of the entrance to Amur Bay from the Sea of Okhotsk. Site status unknown. ARLHS ARS-149; Admiralty F7985; NGA 15584.

Mys Lazareva Light image copyright United Nations Organization from the UN Atlas of the Oceans

Magadan Oblast Lighthouses

Marekan (Okhotsk) 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. No photo available, but the lighthouse appeared on the 1984 Soviet postage stamp seen at right. 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 F8007; NGA 15568. 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. 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 F8008.2; NGA 15566. Ostrov Spafaryeva Date unknown. Active; focal plane 87 m (285 ft); white light, 3 s on, 9 s off. 20 m (66 ft) tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available. Located on the island of Spafaryeva marking the western entrance to the Tauyskaya Gulf, which lead to Magadan. ARLHS ARS-155; Admiralty F8009; NGA 15564. * Bukhta Nagayeva Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; continuous red light. Approx. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal masonry tower with gallery, painted white. No lantern. A photo is available, also a second photo and a Google satellite view. Founded in 1933 and built initially by convict labor, Magadan is the only town of any size in the province and one of the most isolated cities of the world. The city is located at the head of the Bukhta Nagayeva, a fjord-like bay, and this light is the front light of the range that guides ships up the bay to the harbor. Located on the shore of the bay just to the west of the city. Site appears open, tower closed. ARLHS ARS-141; NGA 15562.2.

Marekan Light stamp image posted by Klaus Huelse

* Bukhta Nagayeva Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; continuous red light. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) square concrete tower with gallery. No closeup photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located 400 m (1/4 mi) east northeast of the front light, in an area of tall apartment towers. Site presumably open, tower closed. NGA 15562.21.

Chirikova (Mys Chirikova)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 74 m (243 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. A closeup photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse stands at the end of the peninsula marking the south side of the entrance to the Bukhta Nagayeva and Magadan; another photo showing this beautiful site is available. Located about 30 km (19 mi) west southwest of Magadan. Site status unknown; there appears to be road access to the station. ARLHS ARS-142; Admiralty F8011; NGA 15562.

Alevina (Mys Alevina)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 58 m (190 ft); white light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 19 m (62 ft) concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available. Located on a promontory marking the eastern entrance to the Tauyskaya Gulf, which lead to Magadan. ARLHS ASR-011; Admiralty F8021; NGA 15560.

Kamchatka Oblast Lighthouses

Krutogorava

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 80 m (262 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 34 m (112 ft) tower painted white with a black "top" (lantern?). No photo available. This lighthouse marks the westernmost bulge of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Located in a very remote area on the west side of the peninsula, near the mouth of Krutogorava River. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-039; Admiralty F8030; NGA 15552.

Oktyabrskyy

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 4.5 s off. 25 m (82 ft) iron tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse is actually located at Zuykovo, about 16 km (10 mi) south of the Oktyabrskyy settlement on the west side of the Kamchatka Peninsula about 150 km (95 mi) north of the southern tip. Site status unknown. Admiralty F8036; NGA 15532.

Lopatka

Date unknown. Active; focal plane unlisted, probably about 14 m (56 ft); white flash every 5 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical concrete block tower with gallery and a small lantern, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Tower painted red. A 1999 photo is available, showing a dilapidated and weatherbeaten station. Located about 8 km (5 mi) northeast of the extreme southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula, which is considered to be one of the windiest places in the world. Accessible only by boat or float plane. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-043; Admiralty F8062; NGA 15520.

Krugly

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 143 m (469 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 16 m (52 ft) octagonal tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available. Located on a promontory in a remote area of Kamchatka's southeast coast, about 100 km (60 mi) south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-038; Admiralty F8064; NGA 15516.

Petropavlovsk (Mys Mayachnyy) (3) 1897 (station established 1850). Active; focal plane 93 m (305 ft); white light, 5 s on, 2 s off. 14 m (46 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and galley, painted with black and white horizontal bands. A 1984 postage stamp image appears at right, and Google has a satellite view. Founded by Vitus Bering in 1740 and named for his two ships, Petropavlovsk has a population of about 200,000 and is Russia's easternmost city. The light station is the oldest on Russia's Pacific coast. This historic lighthouse replaced wood towers built in 1850 and 1886. Located on a promontory at the entrance to Avacha Bay, the city's spectacular harbor. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-055; Admiralty F8069; NGA 15441. Shipunskyy (Mys Shipunskyy) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 249 m (817 ft); white flash every 6 s. 12 m (39 ft) square masonry tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available. Located on a very prominent cape about 80 km (50 mi) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-061; Admiralty F8096; NGA 15440. Kronotskyy (Mys Kronotskyy) 1962. Active; focal plane 53 m (174 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white vertical stripes. No photo available, but a 1984 postage stamp image appears at right. Located on the southeastern tip of the Kronotsky Peninsula, a large protuberance on the east coast of Kamchatka that includes the Otdelnaya volcano. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-037; Admiralty F8102; NGA 15432.

Petropavlovsk (left) and Kronotsky Lights stamp images posted by Klaus Huelse

Afrika (Mys Afrika)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 4.5 s off. 29 m (95 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands; lantern dome painted red. A photo is available. We do not know how this Arctic cape came to be called Afrika. Located on the eastern cape of a very prominent peninsula about 100 km (60 mi) east of Ust-Kamchatsk. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-009; Admiralty F8108; NGA 15428.

Koryakia Oblast Lighthouses

Ozernoy (Mys Ozernoy)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 59 m (194 ft); white flash every 8 s. 25 m (82 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white vertical stripes. A photo is available. This lighthouse marks a cape at the northeastern corner of the Kamchatka Peninsula, far from any settlements. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-052; Admiralty F8120; NGA 15424.

Govena (Mys Govena)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 84 m (276 ft); white light, 2 s on, 4 s off. 12 m (39 ft) square concrete tower, painted white with a black horizontal band. No photo available. Located at the end of the Govena Peninsula, marking the entrance to Korfa Bay just east of the base of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Site status unknown. Admiralty F8130; NGA 15412.

Lake Baikal lighthouse

Note: Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake, is located in southern Siberia. Several lighthouses formerly guided navigation on the lake, but we do not know how many have survived. Additional information would be welcome.
* Port Baikal

Date unknown (late 1800s). Inactive. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. An excellent closeup photo shows the tower unpainted and rusting, but a distant photo shows the tower painted white and the lantern and gallery painted red. We hope this means the lighthouse has been restored recently. The lighthouse is a typical late nineteenth century French tourelle. It represents a design built at many locations in France and around the world, but the great majority of these towers have been lost over the years. Located on a steep hillside above Port Baikal, on the west side of the entrance to the Lower Angara River, the outflow from the lake. The site appears open, the tower closed.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted May 19, 2006. Checked and revised April 25, 2008. Lighthouses: 59. Site copyright 2008 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.