Lighthouses of Singapore

Singapore is an independent city-state located on an island off the tip of the Malay Peninsula. The city faces the Singapore Stait, the shortest route connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans, giving the city one of the world's most strategic locations. Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, and for 140 years it was the keystone of the British Empire in the Orient. In 1963 it joined with Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak in the Federation of Malaysia. Tensions between the city's predominantly Chinese population and the Malay population of the rest of the federation proved to be too great, so in 1965 Singapore left the federation to become independent. Singapore's aids to navigation are operated and maintained by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). 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. Lighthouses Horsburgh (Pulau Batu Puteh, Pedra Blanca) 1851 (John Turnbull Thomson). Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); white flash every 10 s. 34 m (112 ft) round granite tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-story concrete keeper's complex. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. An MPA photo is at right, and Daniel Koh has a view from the sea. This lighthouse, Singapore's oldest, was named for James Horsburgh (1762-1836), the hydrographer of the East India Company who charted the seaways around Singapore. It stands on a notorious rock outcrop, long called Pedra Blanca (white rock) by European navigators. In the late 1900s, Malaysia maintained a claim to Pulau Batu Puteh (Pedra Blanca), on the grounds that the islet was historically under the control of the Sultan of Johor (Johor is now a state of Malaysia). Malaysia did not object to Singapore's continued operation of the lighthouse, but sought sovereignty over the island. In 2003, Malaysia and Singapore agreed to refer their territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands. The case was argued in November 2007, and in May 2008 the court ruled in favor of Singapore. Located off the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait about 13 km (8 mi) southeast of the southeastern tip of Singapore Island. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SIN-001; Admiralty F1820; NGA 21188.

Horsburgh Light, 2006 Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore photo

* Bedok

Date unknown (1979?). Active; focal plane 76 m (249 ft); white flash every 5 s. "Red cubicle" atop a 26-story condo tower. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view (the building is centered in the image). Located at Lagoon View Block 5000L on Marine Parade Road in Bedok, a neighborhood on the east side of Singapore. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1733; NGA 21260.

* Fort Canning (Singapore) (2) 1903 (station established 1855). Inactive since 1958 (a decorative light is displayed). Approx. 27 m (89 ft) square steel skeletal tower with first-order lantern and gallery, painted white. Alain Guyomard and Robert Carceller have a photo by Didier dos Santos, Paul Gill has a fine 2006 photo, Cornell University Library has a historic photo, David Yeo has a photo showing the decorative light, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was built in Fort Canning, on Government Hill behind the harbor of Singapore. It was demolished after being deactivated, but at some later time it was reassembled for display in what is now Fort Canning Park. Site open, tower closed. * [Fullerton (lantern)] 1958. Inactive since 1979. Round lantern with aerobeacon, originally mounted atop the Fullerton Building, which was then the General Post Office and is now the Fullerton Hotel, in downtown Singapore. A 2008 photo is available. The lantern is on display on the grounds of the former Singapore Maritime Museum (closed since 2001), on Artillery Avenue in the Sentosa district of the city. Site and museum open daily. * Berlayer Point (Labrador Park) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8.5 m (27 ft); red flash every 5 s. 7 m (23 ft) robust square pyramidal concrete skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Entire structure painted red. A closeup photo, a 2009 photo, and a view from the harbor are available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located in Labrador Park, on the north side of the west entrance to Keppel Harbour in downtown Singapore. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1702; NGA 21388. Raffles 1855. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 29 m (95 ft) round granite tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-story keeper's house. Entire lighthouse painted white. A photo appears at right, a 2008 photo is available, a distant photo shows the tall communication towers near the lighthouse, Klaus Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. This famous lighthouse is named for Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), who founded the city of Singapore in 1819. It marks the western entance to Singapore Strait. Located on Pulau Satumu, the southernmost islet of Singapore, about 14 km (9 mi) southwest of the downtown waterfront. Accessible only by boat, and there is an exclusion zone surrounding the lighthouse. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SIN-004; Admiralty F1693; NGA 21500. Sultan Shoal 1896. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 18 m (59 ft) round masonry tower centered on the roof of a 2-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white; keeper's house roof is red. An MPA photo appears at right, Loh Kok Sheng has a 2008 photo, and Google has a satellite view. This striking lighthouse exhibits a remarkable mixture of Oriental and Victorian design. Located on the island of Selat Jurong, about 8 km (5 mi) south of the western tip of Singapore Island. Accessible only by boat, and there is an exclusion zone surrounding the lighthouse. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SIN-005; Admiralty F1684; NGA 21656. * Johor (Johore) Strait Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. The navigation light is mounted atop the lantern. Andrew Tai has a 2008 photo, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse marks the western entrance to the Johor Strait, which separates Singapore from the Malaysian mainland. Located at the end of a jetty at the Raffles Marina in Tuas, just west of the Second Link Expressway bridge over the strait. Site status unknown, but the lighthouse can certainly be seen from nearby. Site manager: Raffles Marina. Admiralty F1681; NGA 21685.

Raffles Light, 2006 anonymous Wikipedia Creative Commons photo Sultan Shoal Light Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted March 5, 2006. Checked and revised September 29, 2009. Lighthouses: 7. Site copyright 2008 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.