Lighthouses of Russia: Sakhalin

Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands together form an oblast (province) of the Russian Federation. Sakhalin, located just off Russia's east coast, is the country's largest island, stretching 950 km (almost 600 mi) from north to south and separating the Sea of Japan to the southwest from the Sea of Okhotsk to the northeast.

Both Japan and Russia became interested in annexing these territories during the mid 1800s. In 1875, a treaty assigned Sakhalin to Russia and the Kurils to Japan, and within a few years Russia began building lighthouses in Sakhalin. In 1905, at the end of the Russo-Japanese War, Russia was obliged to cede the southern half of Sakhalin to Japan, the border being fixed at 50° north latitude. Russia took control of all of the island in 1945, near the end of World War II. Japan renounced its former claims to Sakhalin in the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco.

Curly braces {} enclose the former Japanese names of some of the lighthouses. The island itself is known as Karafuto in Japanese.

The Russian word for a lighthouse is mayak (маяк); mys is a cape, ostrov is an island, and buhkta or zaliv is a bay. Russian lighthouses are maintained and operated by the Russian Navy, although some of them have civilian keepers.

Special thanks to Sijas ten Wolde, Alexander Barkov, and Alexey Bambizo for the use of their photos on this page.

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.

General Sources
Lightphotos.net - Russia Far East
Contributed photos.
Russische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Postcard views of historic Russian lighthouses posted by Klaus Huelse.
Korsakov Light
 Korsakov Light, Korsakov
photo copyright Sijas ten Wolde; used by permission

South Coast (Aniva Gulf and La Pérouse Strait) Lighthouses

Note: La Pérouse Strait separates Sakhalin from the Japanese island of Hokkaidō. Named for the French explorer who charted it in 1787, the strait is called Proliv Laperuza in Russian and Sōya Kaikyō in Japanese. The narrowest passage of the strait, from Mys Kri'lon in Sakhalin to Sōya Misaki in Hokkaidō, is 43 km (27 mi) wide.
Korsakov District South Coast Lighthouses
Aniva (Mys Aniva) {Naka Shiretoko Saki}
1939. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); two white flashes every 24 s. 31 m (102 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. A photo appears at right, Konstantin Kiktev has a 2007 photo, Lightphotos.net has a photo by Hans de Graaf, a closeup and a view from above are available, and Dmitry Serbin has a photo, but Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the cape. An article in Russian reports on a visit to the lighthouse, with photos and notes on its history. This light marks the very sharp cape at the southeastern corner of Sakhalin, on the north side of the eastern entrance to La Pérouse Strait. The lighthouse incorporates 7 floors of crew quarters; its construction at this isolated and dangerous spot was a significant accomplishment of Japanese engineering. Today the lighthouse is battered by the weather and much in need of restoration, but restoration has been complicated by remains of a nuclear power unit installed by the Soviets. Apparently this unit was removed recently. Located on a small islet just off the point of the cape. Accessible only by boat in very dangerous seas. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ASR-012; Admiralty M7842; NGA 0168.
* Novikov
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 69 m (226 ft); one long white flash every 5 s. 7 m (23 ft) octagonal cylindrical white concrete tower with gallery. Although this light is listed as active, a 2009 photo shows no lens or solar panels. Google has only a very distant satellite view of the area. Located on heights southeast of Novikov, on Aniva Gulf about 50 km (30 mi) southeast of Korsakov. Site open, tower closed. ex-Admiralty M7840; NGA 0165.
Korsakov (Mys Tomari-Aniva) {Odomari}
Date unknown (station established 1906). Active; focal plane 112 m (367 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Sijas ten Wolde has contributed the photo at the top of the page, a closeup and a 2009 view are available, and Google has a good satellite view. Korsakov is a port at the northern end of the Aniva Gulf, which is enclosed by the two capes of Aniva and Kriljon. Located on a promontory about 3 km (2 mi) south of the city. Accessible by road. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-033; Admiralty M7830; NGA 0164.
Aniva Light
 Aniva Light, La Pérouse Strait, May 2008
Flickr photo copyright Kiellman; used by permission
* [Korsakov Harbor (2?)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 74 m (243 ft); continuous green light. Approx. 6 m (13 ft) round cylindrical tower with gallery, painted white; gallery rail is black. A closeup photo is available, and in a photo of the port the tower can be spotted on the crest of the bluff (click on the photo for enlargement). The Admiralty describes this light as an octagonal 4 m (13 ft) tower, so the present light is probably new. Located on a hill above the harbor of Korsakov. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7832; NGA 0162.7.

Aniva District Lighthouses
Kirillovo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); one long white flash every 5 s. 7 m (23 ft) octagonal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a very distant satellite view of this area. Located near Kirillovo on the west coast of Aniva Gulf about 65 km (40 mi) northeast of Mys Kril'on. Site status unknown. M7810; NGA 0162.3.
Mys Anastasii (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); one long white flash every 6 s. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a red horizontal band. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. NGA lists an 11 m (36 ft) pyramidal wood tower, presumably the original lighthouse. Located on a promontory near Atlasova, about 16 km (10 mi) northeast of Mys Kril'on. Site status unknown. M7806; NGA 0002.
Kamen Opasnosti {Nijo Gan, Rock of Danger}
1913. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 18 m (59 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, originally painted white but very little paint remains. A 2009 photo is available, but the reef appears only as a group of blurs in Bing's satellite view. This light marks an exceptionally dangerous rock in the middle of La Pérouse Strait, between Sakhalin and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The lighthouse was built by the Japanese authorities after efforts to mark the rock with buoys were defeated by the strong currents in the area. Located in La Pérouse Strait about 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Mys (Cape) Kriljon, the southernmost tip of Sakhalin. Accessible only by boat in very dangerous seas. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ASR-029; Admiralty M7804; NGA 0004.
Kril'on (Krilion, Mys Kriljon, Cape Crillon) (2) {Notoro Misaki}
1896 (station established 1883). Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); flash every 10 s, alternately red and white. 15 m (49 ft) octagonal red brick tower with lantern and gallery, rising from the front of a 1-story brick keeper's house. Fog horn (one short and one long blast every 20 s). A good photo is available (halfway down the page), and Alexey Bambizo has a historic photo (at the bottom of the page). Google has only a distant satellite view of the cape. The original lighthouse was an insubstantial wood tower that did not stand up to harsh conditions. Located at the point of Mys (Cape) Kril'on, the southernmost tip of Sakhalin and the north side of La Pérouse Strait. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-036; Admiralty M7802; NGA 0008.

Southwest Coast (Sea of Japan) Lighthouses

Nevelsk District Lighthouses
Kuznetsova (Mys Kuznetsova) {Sono Misaki}
1915. Active (?); focal plane 79 m (259 ft); white flash every 8 s. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with one black horizontal band. The station appears to be abandoned in a 2007 photo and it is in very poor condition in a 2010 photo. Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of the cape. Located on the cape, west of the town of Kriljon, about 20 km (13 mi) northwest of Mys Kriljon. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-041; Admiralty M7800; NGA 0012.
Moneron (Ostrov Moneron) {Kaibatō, Todomoshiri}
1914. Active; focal plane 114 m (374 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, accompanied by a crew quarters building. Tower painted black with one white horizontal band. Alexey Bambizo's photo is at right, and Google has a satellite view. Moneron is an island in the entrance to the Tartar Gulf, about 60 km (37.5 mi) west northwest of the town of Kriljon. The island has no permanent population. It is protected as a national park, and ecotours are available for adventurous tourists. Located on a very sharp promontory on the east side of Moneron. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-047; Admiralty M7794; NGA 0016.
* Lopatina (Mys Lopatina) {Kenushi Misaki}
1919. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 17 m (56 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a crew quarters building. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. A 2012 photo and a distant view are available, and a 2010 photo shows the lighthouse freshly repainted, but Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of the cape. Located just off the coastal highway, on a promontory about 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Nevelsk. Site presumably open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-042; Admiralty M7788; NGA 0036.
Moneron Light
Ostrov Moneron Light, Tartar Gulf
photo copyright Alexey Bambizo; used by permission
Nevelsk {Honto} Breakwater
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) square skeletal tower. The light appears abandoned in a 2010 photo. Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the area. Nevelsk is a historic fishing port founded by Russian settlers in 1789. Located at the end of the main (north) breakwater of Nevelsk. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7776; NGA 0040.

Kholmsk District Lighthouses
* Kholmsk {Maoka}
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); three white flashes every 14.1 s. 28 m (92 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Sijas ten Wolde's photo is at right, Snejanna Baggerovski has a photo, a 2008 closeup is available, and Google has a good satellite view. Kholmsk is the terminal for a rail ferry crossing the upper end of the Sea of Japan from Vanino in Khabarovsk. Located in an industrial area on a promontory on the south side of the harbor of Kholmsk. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-032; Admiralty M7746; NGA 0056.
Kholmsk Entrance Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 63 m (207 ft); continuous red light. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal lantern mounted atop a 5-story apartment building. The tower can be spotted near the right edge of Svetlana Shapiro's photo of the town (click on the photo for enlargement), and Google has a satellite view. Located 154 m (500 ft) northwest of the rear light. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7752; NGA 0060.
Kholmsk Entrance Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 90 m (295 ft); continuous red light. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal stone tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. The tower can be spotted near the right edge of Svetlana Shapiro's photo of the town (click on the photo for enlargement), and Google has a satellite view. Located about 1.5 km (1 mi) north of the Kholmsk lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7752.1; NGA 0064.
* Kholmsk North Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); red flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) round 2-stage concrete tower, the lower stage cylindrical and the upper stage tapered to a narrow top, mounted on a square stone pier. Entire lighthouse painted red. Oleg Kvatch has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north breakwater of Kholmsk. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7748; NGA 0076.
Slepikovsky (Mys Slepikovsky) {Konotoro Misaki}
1943. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); one long (1.5 s) white flash every 10 s. 28 m (92 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted red. A good photo is available, Alexandr Kashubin has a distant view, a view from the sea is available, and Google has a good satellite view. This tower is a sibling of the Lamanon lighthouse (next entry). Located on a promontory about 35 km (22 mi) north of Kholmsk. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-065; Admiralty M7738; NGA 0100.
Kholmsk Light
Kholmsk Light, Kholmsk
photo copyright Sijas ten Wolde; used by permission

Central West Coast (Tartar Strait) Lighthouses

Note: Sakhalin is separated from the mainland on the south by the Tartar Strait, an arm of the Sea of Japan, and on the north by Sakhalin Bay, an arm of the Sea of Okhotsk. Sakhalin Bay and Tartar Strait are joined at Lazarev by a narrow passage called the Nevel'skogo (Nevelskoy) Strait.
Uglegorsk District Lighthouses
Lamanon (Mys Lamanon) {Chirai Misaki}
1940. Active; focal plane 71 m (233 ft); white flash every 20 s. 26 m (85 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. A good photo is available, Alexey Bambizo's distant view is at right, Alexander Semenov also has a distant view, and Bing has a good satellite view of the station. This lighthouse marks a very prominent cape on the west coast of Sakhalin, directly opposite the port of Sovetskaya Gavan' on the mainland. Located on a promontory about 40 km (25 mi) southwest of Uglegorsk. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-023; Admiralty M7716; NGA 0104.
Uglegorsk {Esutoru} Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 11 m (36 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 on a hillside about 600 m (0.4 mi) south southeast of the harbor of Uglegorsk. Accessible by road. Site status unknown, but perhaps open. ARLHS ASR-058; Admiralty M7713; NGA 0108.
Uglegorsk {Esutoru} Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 68 m (223 ft); continuous red light. 17 m (56 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 on a hillside 256 m (840 ft) south southeast of the front light. Accessible by road. Site status unknown, but perhaps open. ARLHS ASR-059; Admiralty M7713.1; NGA 0112.
Uglegorsk {Esutoru}
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 14 m (46 ft) white octagonal tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a white building. A sunset photo is available (near the bottom of the page), the tower is seen in a photo by Alexander Semenov (click on the photo for enlargement), and Google has a satellite view. Located on atop a steep bluff at Uglegorsk. Accessible by road. Site status unknown, but perhaps open. ARLHS ASR-136; Admiralty M7711.5; NGA 0132.
Mys Lamanon Light
Mys Lamanon Light, Uglegorsk
photo copyright Alexey Bambizo; used by permission
Gavrilova (Mys Gavrilova)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 72 m (236 ft); red light occulting once every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with one red horizontal band. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory about 6 km (4 mi) north of Uglegorsk. ARLHS ASR-027; Admiralty M7711; NGA 0140.
Shakhtersk Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); red light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, but a Google satellite view probably shows the tower. The rear light is on a skeletal tower. Shakhtersk is the site of a large Sakhalin Energy coal-fired power plant. Located about 10 km (6 mi) north of Uglegorsk. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7709.4; NGA 0148.
Nizmenny (Mys Nizmenny)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal masonry tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Note: there is another Mys Nizmenny lighthouse on the Russian mainland, on the west side of the Sea of Japan. Located on a promontory about 15 km (9 mi) north of Uglegorsk. ARLHS ASR-049; Admiralty M7708; NGA 0160.
Boshnyakovo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; one long red flash every 6 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with gallery. Lighthouse painted white with red horizontal bands. A 2010 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located atop a steep bluff on the south side of the small seaport of Boshnyakovo. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7707; NGA 0161.

Smirnykh District West Coast Lighthouse
Mys Korsakova
Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; white flash every 6 s. Approx. 14 m (46 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower; the upper 2/3 is enclosed by a slatted daymark painted white. A closeup photo and a distant view are available, and Google has a satellite view. Mys Korsakova is really a tombolo: a small island connected to the mainland of Sakhalin by a narrow isthmus. The lighthouse stands at latitude 50° 01.2' north, so it is only 2.2 km (1.4 mi) north of the border with Japan before World War II. Located on the highest point of this peninsula, about 45 km (28 mi) north of Boshnyakovo. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7706; NGA 0162.

Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky District Lighthouse
* Zhonkier (Mys Zhonkier) (2)
1897 (station established 1886). Active; focal plane 79 m (259 ft); one long white flash every 33 s. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the seaward end of a 1-story stone keeper's house. Entire lighthouse painted white; the lantern dome is a metallic green. A photo is at right, an excellent closeup shows a 1st order Fresnel lens in use, Ted Sarah also has a photo, a dramatic view from the sea is available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Sakhalin's first light station was established in 1864 at Mys Due, 6 km (3.5 mi) south of Mys Zhonkier. With a focal plane of 114 m (374 ft), it proved to be much too high, so the light was moved in 1886 to Zhonkier, a cape named for a French naval officer, the Marquis de la Jonquière. The lighthouse guided ships to the Alexandrovsky Station, now the town of Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky. The town has a photo of the original (1886) lighthouse. The town of Alexandrovsk, located about 100 km (60 mi) north of the 1905 line dividing Russian and Japanese territory, was Russia's main base in Sakhalin in the 1930s and during World War II.The 125th anniversary of the light station was celebrated in July 2011. Located on a promontory about 3 km (2 mi) southwest of Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-078; Admiralty M7700; NGA 15744.
Mys Zhonkier Light
Mys Zhonkier Light, Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, 2007
Town of Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky photo

Okha District (Northern Sakhalin) Lighthouses

Nevel'skoy Strait 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.
Mys Uangi Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal cylindrical 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 area. This southbound range is the southernmost of three ranges that guides vessels through the narrowest passage of the strait. The rear light is on a 21 m (69 ft) skeletal tower. Located on a promontory north of Druzhba, at the south end of the strait. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7686; NGA 15744.6.
Pogibi Yuzhnyy (South Pogibi) Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); red flash every 3 s. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower; the front of the tower is painted painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. A panoramic photo is available, but Google has only a distant satellite view of the area. This is a northbound range; the rear light is on a 26 m (85 ft) skeletal tower. Pogibi is a small opposite settlement opposite Lazarev in Khabarovsk; between the two towns is the narrowest passage of the strait, about 7.3 km (4.5 mi) in width. Under Stalin, the Soviet government planned a tunnel under the strait and actually began construction. These plans collapsed after Stalin's death in 1953, but recently there has been renewed interest in the project. Located on a promontory in Pogibi. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7685.2; NGA 15744.53.
Pogibi Severnyy (North Pogibi) Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); red light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower; the front of the tower is painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. Wikimapia has a distant photo (click on the center thumbnail), and Google has a satellite view. This southbound range shares the same rear light tower as the Pogibi Yuzhnyy Range. Located about 1.5 km (1 mi) northwest of the Pogibi Yuzhnyy Front Light. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7685; NGA 15744.51.

Amur Gulf (Rybnovsk Area) 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.
Valuyevskiy (Mys Rybnovsk) Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); red flash every 4 s. 15 m (49 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Alexander Barkov's photo is at right, he has a second photo, and Google has a satellite view. This is a range guiding northbound vessels entering the Sakhalin Gulf from the Amur Gulf, the broad sound north of the Nevel'skogo Strait into which the Amur River empties. The rear light is on a 28 m (92 ft) skeletal tower 800 m (1/2 mi) northeast. Located on the beach about 3 km (2 mi) south of Rybnovsk. Site probably open, tower closed. Admiralty M7686; NGA 15744.26.
Vereshchaginskiy Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); red light, 2 s on, 3 s off. 12 m (39 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This southbound range guides vessels leaving the Sakhalin Gulf. The rear light is on a 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower 500 m (0.3 mi) southeast. Located on the beach about 3 km (2 mi) north of Rybnovsk. Site probably open, tower closed. Admiralty M7679.5; NGA 15744.2.
Petumboppovskiy Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 3 s. 16 m (52 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available, and Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of this area. This is another southbound range. The rear light is on a 29 m (95 ft) skeletal tower 2 km (1.2 mi) southeast. Located about 8 km (5 mi) north of Rybnovsk. Site probably open, tower closed. Admiralty M7679.4; NGA 15584.45.
Valuyevskiy Range Light
Valuyevskiy Range Front Light, Rybnovsk, 2010
Panoramio photo copyright Alexander Barkov; used by permission

Sea of Okhotsk Lighthouses
Note: Cape Mary on the west and Cape Elizabeth on the east are the two points of land at the northeastern tip of Sakhalin, which projects into the Sea of Okhotsk. The two capes are like "ears" at the head of a peninsula about 80 km (50 mi) long.
Mys Moskal'vo (Zaliv Baykal First Leg Range Rear)
2000 (?). Active; focal plane 41 m (135 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 35 m (115 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe. Alexander Alyuskin has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Since 2002 the lighthouse has been the rear light of a range, the front light being on a 28 m (92 ft) skeletal tower. Located on the northeast side of the entrance to Baykal Bay, a lagoon near Okha in northern Sakhalin; this is an area where oil and natural gas deposits are being developed. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7910; NGA 15585.
Mys Marii (Cape Mary) (2)
1935 (station established about 1930). Active; focal plane unknown; white flash every 6 s. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a square stone base. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. An excellent photo shows the lighthouse and the ruins of a keeper's house, another good photo of the tower is available, an aerial photo of the station is available, and Google has a wintry satellite view. The lighthouses on the two capes were built as part of plan launched in 1929 to strengthen navigation and defense in northern Sakhalin. Located at the point of the cape. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7679; NGA 15587.
Mys Yelizavety (Cape Elizabeth)
1932. Active; focal plane 73 m (240 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 12 m (39 ft) square tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story brick keeper's house. Alexander Barkov's photo is at right, Vladimir Polyakov has a distant view from the sea, Evgeny Kudryavtsev has a distant view from the land, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse marks the northernmost tip of Sakhalin. Located at the point of the cape. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-076; Admiralty M7902; NGA 15588.
Mys Yelizavety Light
Mys Yelizavety Light, Sea of Okhotsk, July 2008
Panoramio photo copyright Alexander Barkov; used by permission
Piltun
1961. Active; focal plane about 38 m (125 ft); white light occulting once every 7.5 s. 35 m (115 ft) round cylindrical cast iron or steel tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. This is a staffed station, with four wood keeper's houses, two in use by keepers and one available for visiting scientists. Bridget Watts, who lived at the station with a marine biological research party in 2002, has contributed the photo at right. Another photo is available (2/3 of the way down the page), and Google has a satellite view. Jake Levenson visited in August 2009 and has an extreme closeup and a photo taken inside the lantern room. According to Watts, the lighthouse was damaged by an earthquake sometime before 2002. The photos show that it is rusted and in need of major maintenance. Located on the west side of the Piltun lagoon about 1.4 km (7/8 mi) from the Sea of Okhotsk on the remote northeastern coast of Sakhalin about 185 km (115 mi) south of Cape Elizabeth. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower restricted. Admiralty M7902.5; NGA 0195.

East Coast (Sea of Okhotsk) Lighthouses

Nogliki District Lighthouses
Zaliv Chayvo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white flash every 6 s. 24 m (79 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white; lantern painted red or black. No photo available, but a photo taken from the gallery is available, and Google has a good satellite view. Located on the north side of the entrance to a lagoon (Chayvo Bay) about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of the Piltun lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7920; NGA 0195.5.
Nyyvo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); white flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, and Google has only a distant satellite view of the area. Located at a lagoon entrance northeast of Nogliki on the central east coast of Sakhalin. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7930.

Piltun Light, Sea of Okhotsk, 2002
photo copyright Bridget Watts; used by permission

Smirnykh District East Coast Lighthouse
Mys Nizkig
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 8 s. 17 m (56 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Upper half of the lighthouse painted white, lower half originally painted red. A good photo is available; it shows the lower half of the tower faded to a dull tan. Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of the cape. Located on a promontory about 160 km (100 mi) north northwest of Mys Terpeniya. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7885.1; NGA 0193.

Poronaysk District (Terpeniya Gulf) Lighthouses
Terpeniya (Mys Terpeniya, Cape Patience) {Kita Shiretoko Misaki}
1953. Active; focal plane 71 m (233 ft); white light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. 41 m (135 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, mounted on an octagonal pyramidal concrete base. Lantern removed. Tower painted with black and white horizontal bands; base is white. 1-story keeper's house, abandoned. A photo is available, and an article on the area has photos (near the bottom of the page). Bing's satellite view shows the keeper's house, but a cloud hides the lighthouse. Cape Terpeniya is at the end of a long, finger-like peninsula projecting southeastward from the central east coast of Sakhalin; it is a crucial landmark for navigation in the Sea of Okhotsk. Located at the tip of the peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-068; Admiralty M7884; NGA 0196.
* Poronaysk (Poronaisk) {Sisuka, Shikuka}
Date unknown (1950s?). Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 32 m (105 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. A photo is at right, Dmitry Afanasenko has a closeup photo, Lightphotos.net has a photo by Andrey Senyushkin, another good photo is available, and there's a 2009 distant view, but Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of the town. Located on the waterfront of Poronaysk, a fishing port on the Terpeniya Gulf. Site probably open, tower closed. ARLHS ASR-057; Admiralty M7875; NGA 0180.
Goryansky (Mys Goryansky)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 121 m (397 ft); white flash every 3 s. 17 m (56 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available, and Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the area. Located on a promontory about 40 km (25 mi) south of Poronaysk. Site status unknown. ARLHS ASR-028; Admiralty M7870; NGA 0174.
Poronaysk Light
Poronaysk Light, Poronaysk, June 2012
Panoramio Creative Commons photo by vniz-i-nalevo

Dolinsk District Lighthouse
Starodubskoe Basin Entrance Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); continuous red light. A white triangular daymark and a black vertical stripe on a waterfront building. No photo available; Google's satellite view shows the building. Located at Starodubskoe, a small protected harbor about 80 km (50 mi) north of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M7860.1.

Korsakov District East Coast Lighthouses
Poluostrov Puzino (Zaliv Mordvinova)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 9 m (30 ft) post light mounted atop a 2-story building. No photo available. Located about 5 km (3 mi) southeast of Okhotskoye. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7847.
Tonin (Mys Svybodnyy)
1935. Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); white flash every 10 s. 23 m (75 ft) round concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Fog signal building with a classic diaphone horn. Alexey Bambizo's photo is at right, and a 2009 photo is available, and Bing has a distant satellite view of the station. The lighthouse is reported to be in poor condition. Located on a promontory about 80 km (50 mi) east of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the capital of Sakhalin Oblast. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7848; NGA 0172.
Mys Levenorna
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); white flash every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round metal tower, painted white. No photo available, and the tower is not seen in Bing's satellite view. Located on a promontory about 55 km (35 mi) south southeast of the Tonin lighthouse. Site status unknown. Admiralty M7846; NGA 0170.
Mys Svobodniy Light
Tonin Light, Mys Svybodnyy
photo copyright Alexey Bambizo; used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Kuril Islands | South: Northern Hokkaidō | West: Khabarovsk Region

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Posted May 8, 2006. Checked and revised December 13, 2012. Lighthouses 46. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.