On the foundation of the lighthouse service in Russia

(autotranslated, could have mistakes)

Light of hope for returning to your native harbor

• Valentin SMIRNOV, captain 1st rank*

*"St. Petersburg Gazette" Issue No. 104 dated 06/08/2007

*

"...The emergence of lighthouses in Russia is associated with the birth of the Russian fleet and, of course, with the name of Peter I. In 1705, on his instructions, pilot barrels purchased in Holland were installed along the narrow winding fairway of the Northern Dvina, and “fire beacons” were built at the mouth of the river (structures on the shore with containers for flammable materials installed on them), which were lit before arriving from the sea military courts.

However, over the next 100 years, the lighthouse business developed unsystematically: state lighthouses were maintained “on a residual basis.” The Admiralty Board was inundated with complaints from captains of Russian and foreign ships about the dangers of sailing in the Gulf of Finland and Riga. Therefore, in 1801, the Marine Scientific Committee was instructed to consider projects for improving the lighthouse business. Naval officer Leonty Vasilyevich Spafarev (1766 - 1847) was one of the first to present a project, which was considered only four years later.

Experts consider the official date of creation of the Russian lighthouse service to be June 8 (May 27), 1807. It was on this day that Emperor Alexander I approved the “Regulations on the maintenance of lighthouses and the staff of the lighthouse crew.” It provided for the introduction of oil lighting and uniform staffing at all lighthouses (one caretaker and five to eight maritime department servants at each lighthouse), and the position of director of the Baltic lighthouses was introduced, which was soon filled by 42-year-old captain 2nd rank L.V. Spafariev. At that time, he was in charge of 19 lighthouses. Spafariev managed the directorate of Baltic lighthouses for more than 30 years (until 1838) and brought the lighthouse part, as his contemporaries testify, “to perfection.”

In 1837, “the construction and proper maintenance of lighthouses, entrance lights, life-saving stations, towers, milestones, buoys and other warning signs” was entrusted to the newly created Hydrographic Department. The number of lighthouses in the empire increased year by year, but there were still not enough of them. In 1868 there was one lighthouse per

115 versts of the Russian coast (for comparison: in France the density of lighthouses was ten times higher).

During the years of enemy invasions, lighthouses were among the first to be attacked from water, land and air. This was the case in 1914–1918, and this was also the case during the Great Patriotic War. The damage to the lighthouses was enormous!

The post-war period in the history of lighthouse business became the most fruitful. In 1950 – 1985 the number of lighthouses with permanent staff increased from 211 to 340, the number of navigation signs increased from 2381 to 3423. At the same time, there was a qualitative improvement in lighthouse equipment..."

The lighthouse service is 200 years old

Captain 1st Rank Vasily Prudius, Head of the Hydrographic Service of the Black Sea Fleet

• Publication of the newspaper "Flag of the Motherland" (06/8/2007 No. 101)*

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the approval by Emperor Alexander I of the “Regulations on the maintenance of lighthouses and the staff of the lighthouse crew.” This calendar milestone can rightfully be considered the official date of the creation of the lighthouse service in Russia.

“For better monitoring of the proper maintenance and proper lighting of both fixed and floating lighthouses on the Baltic,” a special position of lighthouse director was established. With him, according to a special staff, there were two assistants and a “scribe”, and in the places there were special caretakers from class officials, one for each, “with the required number of servants from the lower ranks of the naval department, who were supposed to remain in these places permanently until retirement.”

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the approval by Emperor Alexander I of the “Regulations on the maintenance of lighthouses and the staff of the lighthouse crew.” This calendar milestone can rightfully be considered the official date of the creation of the lighthouse service in Russia.

“For better monitoring of the proper maintenance and proper lighting of both fixed and floating lighthouses on the Baltic,” a special position of lighthouse director was established. With him, according to a special staff, there were two assistants and a “scribe”, and in the places there were special caretakers from class officials, one for each, “with the required number of servants from the lower ranks of the naval department, who were supposed to remain in these places permanently until retirement.”

Then lighthouses appeared on the Baltic: in 1719 - Tolbukhin, in 1723 - Keri, in 1724 - Pakri, Upper and Lower Gogland and others.

On the Black Sea, the first lighthouses, Khersonessky and Tarkhankutsky, were built in 1816, but began lighting on June 16, 1817 after the installation of reflector lanterns delivered from St. Petersburg by the director of the Baltic lighthouses L. Spafariev.

In the Black Sea Fleet, the Directorate of Lighthouses was apparently created in 1817, since it was at that time that Lieutenant Commander M. Berkh, transferred from the Baltic Fleet, was appointed Director of Lighthouses. He devoted more than 30 years to hydrography, and in 1851, after the death of M. Lazarev, he was appointed chief commander of the Black Sea Fleet and ports. In 1852, Berch received the rank of admiral.

The Directorate of Lighthouses and Navigations of the Black and Azov Seas was primarily responsible for the operation of lighthouses, navigational marks, lights and floating warning signs. It was subordinate to the pilot distances created in individual ports and water areas. These were organizations reminiscent of modern hydrographic areas and areas.

Over the years, the Black Sea Fleet operated pilot distances: Dniester, Bug-Dnieper, Sevastopol, Kerch-Yenikalsk, Azov, Poti, Ochakov, Genichesk and others. To ensure safe entry to Sevastopol, which back in 1804 was chosen as the main military port on the Black Sea, two Inkerman lighthouses were built in 1820. In the same year, the Yenikalsky lighthouse was built on Cape Fonar to provide access to the Kerch Strait from the north.

In 1827, the Odessa and Tendrovsky lighthouses were built.

In 1832, on the hill of Cape Takly (Takil), the Taklyn lighthouse was built, illuminating the entrance to the Kerch Strait from the south.

In 1835, the Aytodorsky and new Belosaraysky lighthouses were built. (The old wooden Belosaraysky lighthouse, built in 1811, fell into disrepair).

In 1838, the Berdyansk Lower Lighthouse began to operate. In 1845, another Quarantine Lighthouse appeared at the end of the Quarantine Pier in Odessa.

In addition to lighthouses, noticeable signs were installed at certain points along the coast. Dangerous places and fairways were fenced off with milestones and buoys, and lightships were placed at the Kinburn Spit in the Dnieper-Bug Estuary and at the Long Spit in the Sea of ​​Azov.

By the time the first Russian Black Sea sailing guide was published (1851), only 12 lighthouses operated on the Russian shores from the Danube to the Kerch Strait; the Caucasian coast did not have a single one at that time.

More intensive development of lighthouse business on the Black and Azov Seas began in the 60s of the 19th century.

On August 1, 1861, the Evpatoria lighthouse began to operate, the iron tower of which was sent from England, and the lighting apparatus was sent from France.

In 1863, the Holy Trinity lighthouse was installed on the Russian Spit.

On November 8, 1863, instead of the wooden tower destroyed in 1854, another lighthouse was built and installed at the end of the Quarantine Pier in Odessa. It was named Vorontsovsky in honor of the former Novorossiysk and Bessarabian governor-general M. Vorontsov.

In 1864, the installation of lighthouses in Poti and Sukhumi was completed. The cast iron tower of the Poti lighthouse was delivered from London, the iron tower of the Sukhumi lighthouse - from Paris. Both towers, 100 feet high, were installed on screw piles; the Sukhumi lighthouse was built in 150, the Poti lighthouse in 97 working days. Their towers still serve reliably today.

The teams that made up the servants at the lighthouses were usually recruited from the so-called lighthouse company of the 4th fin crew. There were very few literate people among them; most were unable to properly maintain lighthouse equipment and mechanisms.

To more reliably ensure the operation of beacons and lights, it was proposed to switch to staffing them with hired servants. For the first time, “freemen” appeared at the Aytodor and Kherson lighthouses in July 1865. In subsequent years, the transition to a civilian crew was completed at all lighthouses.

The main responsibility of the lighthouse employees was to ensure proper lighting: the lighthouse fire had to be lit at sunset and burn brightly until it rose.

At night, the attendants on duty, replacing each other, were constantly in the lighthouse lantern, making sure that the fire had the set height and brightness, removing carbon deposits from the wicks, if the fire was flashing, they monitored the action of the rotational mechanisms.

In 1898, on the initiative of the wife of the actual state councilor Evdokia Nikolaevna Rukovishnikova and at her expense, a fire with white and green sparkles was installed in a wooden booth on Cape Ilya near Feodosia. Not far from the fire, a stone residential building was built for the lighthouse servants. This is how the Ilyinsky Lighthouse was founded.

The lighthouse business in Russia was constantly improving and was at the level of the leading world powers.

Electric lighting was among the first to appear at the Russian Odessa lighthouse.

As of January 1, 1917, the Directorate of Lighthouses and Navigations of the Black and Azov Seas had 86 coastal and 6 floating lighthouses. In addition, under the supervision of the Directorate there were more than 200 lights, which were under the jurisdiction of various ministries and departments.

The First World War and the Civil War had a serious impact on the state of navigation equipment. The lighthouses were not repaired for several years, so they often failed, and a significant part of them were destroyed. At many lighthouses, light-optical devices were damaged, there were no light sources, and there was a great shortage of trained maintenance personnel. Only after the creation of the Office for Ensuring the Safety of Navigation in the Black and Azov Seas (Ubekochernaz) on December 14, 1920, the restoration of the navigation equipment system began, which was basically completed in 1923.

The lighthouse service was reorganized: the Directorate of Lighthouses and Pilots of the Black and Azov Seas was abolished. In 1935, Ubekochernaz was transformed into the Hydrographic Department of the Black Sea Fleet. In 1939, pilotage distances were transformed into hydrographic areas, and pilotage departments into hydrographic areas. The fleet began to receive domestic equipment, including radio beacons.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, almost all navigation equipment had to be extinguished. But the task of ensuring the safety of navigation of ships and fleet vessels remains. It only became more complicated due to the danger of mines and opposition from enemy forces. The standard navigation fence was converted into a manipulable one with developed options for the combustion mode, character, color of fire and control schemes. The personnel of the detachments and groups, together with the lighthouses, provided mine laying, escorting ships to besieged Odessa and Sevastopol, and participated in all landing operations of the fleet.

Heroism during the defense of Sevastopol was shown by the lighthouses of the Chersonesos, Front and Back Inkerman lighthouses: A. Dudar, his wife M. Dudar, Frolov, Shevelov, Alisov, Redkin, the Chudimovs, A. Pavlov, A. Sviridenko and others. The entire staff of the Rear Inkerman Lighthouse died in the shelter from a direct hit from a large-caliber bomb. Together with the lighthousemen A. Pavlov, Ivashchenko and his family, the foremen and Red Navy men of the manning detachment (28 people in total) died.

The heroic Chersonese lighthouse literally rose from the ashes several times. If the main apparatus was damaged, the backup was ignited or the handling point was deployed.

On June 25, 1942, the enemy reached the Inkerman Heights. At this time, Sevastopol was preparing to meet the 142nd Naval Rifle Brigade arriving on the leader "Tashkent" and the destroyers "Bditelny" and "Impeccable", the patrol ship "Shkval" and three minesweepers - the last major replenishment. It was urgently necessary to restore the Inkerman line of lighthouses: not only to break through Sevastopol, which was lying in ruins and engulfed in fire, but, having reached the front line, in full view of the enemy, deploy searchlights at strictly defined points and turn them on at night for ships. The task was carried out by a manipulation group led by Lieutenant I. Barakhovsky. In this case, two sailors died. The leader of "Tashkent" took from Sevastopol two thousand wounded and evacuated residents, eighty-five pieces of the canvas of the famous Panorama "Defense of Sevastopol 1854–1855."

During the Great Patriotic War, the Nazis caused significant damage to navigation equipment. A large number of beacons, lights, and special structures were destroyed or suffered significant destruction. 68% of lighthouses needed restoration, of which 28 (61.4%) required capital expenditure of effort and resources. These lighthouses were reduced to ruins.

On November 5, 1944, ships of the Black Sea Fleet squadron returned to Sevastopol. On the approach to Sevastopol they were met by the Inkerman lighthouses. At first, searchlights were lit at the site of the destroyed ones. But already in 1946, builders restored a new tower, residential building and service buildings at the Rear Inkerman Lighthouse. The Inkerman lighthouses were completely restored in 1949.

In 1947, the navigation equipment system was restructured from a temporary wartime system to a standard system.

At the end of 1949, the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR “On measures to radically improve navigation equipment to ensure navigation on the seas of the USSR” was adopted.

Special construction organizations have been created and the necessary funds and materials have been allocated. Lighthouse equipment was improved, and the working and living conditions of lighthouse specialists were improved.

Repair and restoration bases to prepare for the installation of buoys and milestones were put into operation in Ilyichevsk, Sevastopol, and Kerch. Most beacons and lights were provided by duplicating equipment and installing diesel-electric and wind units.

A system of radio navigation stations and the latest radio beacons has been developed, ensuring precise navigation in long-distance and coastal navigation zones. The organization of the lighthouse service was improved. In 1992, lighthouse service departments were created in districts and sections, and then in the hydrographic service department of the Black Sea Fleet.

By the end of the 80s, a coherent system of navigation equipment was functioning in the Black and Azov Seas, which reliably ensured the safe navigation of naval ships and vessels of civil departments.

The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a significant deterioration in the state of the navigation equipment system. Since 1991, funding for capital construction and repair of lighthouse service facilities has virtually ceased. In these difficult conditions, employees of lighthouse service departments, lighthouses, aid to navigation groups, repair and restoration bases, pilot vessels and boats are working hard and taking all measures to ensure the uninterrupted operation of all navigation equipment. Particularly noteworthy is the conscientious service and work of Captain 2nd Rank S. Makarov, Captain 3rd Rank E. Mazhurin, Senior Lieutenant I. Zubkov, engineers V. Gerber, V. Martinyato, N. Vasilyuk, V. Razinkin, N. Melnikova, I. Demchenko, L. Vintsevich, V. Gvozdenko, V. Zharsky, lighthousemen Yu. Tyurin, A. Kukharenko, R. Perepechko, A. Shunevich, B. Sorokaty, A. Naraevsky and many others. The selfless work of lighthouse service workers helps to successfully solve an important state task - ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black and Azov Seas.