Lighthouses of Indonesia: Maluku

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/idri.htm

Lighthouses of Indonesia: Maluku

Indonesia has been independent since 1945, after having been the Dutch East Indies for more than 350 years. It is a huge country, stretching along both sides of the Equator for more than 46 degrees of longitude (roughly 5100 km or 3200 miles). Comprised of some 17,000 islands (more than 6000 inhabited islands), it has hundreds of major aids to navigation. This page includes the lighthouses of Maluku (the Moluccas), the islands traditionally known in the West as the “Spice Islands.” Maluku lies east of Sulawesi (Celebes), south of the Philippines, and west of New Guinea. The Dutch established two major settlements in these islands, Ternate in the north and Ambon near the center of the group; these two cities are now the capitals of North Maluku and Maluku provinces, respectively. Photos of lighthouses in Maluku are extremely rare on the Internet. Please let me know if you have or can locate additional photos. Special thanks to Michel Forand for his research in support of this page. The Indonesian word for a lighthouse is mercusuar. The phrase menara suar, which includes the Arabic word menara, is sometimes used instead. Aids to navigation in Indonesia are operated and maintained by the Indonesian Directorate of Marine Navigation (Indomarinav). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volumes F and K of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112. General Sources KITLV Beeldbank Historic photos from the collection of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies.

Tanjung Waka Light, Sula Islands, April 2008 Creative Commons photo by Chandra Marsono

Eastern Sunda Islands Lighthouses
Note: These islands lie north and east of Timor at the extreme eastern end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, but they are included in Maluku Province as the Southwest Maluku Regency.

Pulau Liran (Wetar Strait) (2)

Date unknown (station established 1903). Active; focal plane 82 m (269 ft); four white flashes every 40 s. NGA provides no description of the current light. No photo available, although a tourist site mentions the lighthouse and Google has a very distant satellite view. The original lighthouse was a hexagonal skeletal tower with lantern and gallery; the Amsterdam Tropenmuseum has a 1939 photo. This lighthouse is important in guiding ships toward the island of Timor. Located at the southern tip of Liran, a small island off the southwestern tip of the much larger island of Wetar, about 75 km (45 mi) north northeast of Dili, Timor Leste. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-357; Admiralty K1372; NGA 25716.

Tanjung Tutunhatoloi

2004. Active; focal plane 90 m (295 ft); white flash every 7 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a distant satellite view. Located at the northeastern corner of Wetar. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1372.5.

Tanjung Tutunmahin (Pulau Kisar)

2004. Active; focal plane 90 m (295 ft); white flash every 4.5 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the southeastern tip of Pulau Kisar, an island about 30 km (19 mi) north of the eastern tip of Timor. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1373.2.

Tanjung Tutpateh (Pulau Leti)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. “White metal framework structure,” according to NGA; this is probably a square skeletal tower with gallery. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view of the station. This light and the Pulau Yako Light in Timor Leste frame a narrow passage around the eastern end of Timor, joining the Banda Sea to the Timor Sea. Located at the eastern tip of Pulau Leti, 35 km (22 mi) east northeast of Pulau Yako. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-335; Admiralty K1374; NGA 25719.

Meatiy Miarang (Meaty Miarang, Meatimiarang, Brisbane Island)

1903. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); three white flashes every 29 s. 23 m (75 ft) iron skeletal tower, painted white. No current photo available; Google has a very distant satellite view of the location. KITLV has a1913 photo of the original lighthouse, a hexagonal skeletal tower with lantern and gallery; this historic lighthouse apparently survives here. The lighthouse marks an extensive and dangerous reef system midway between Pulau Lakob, in the Leti group, and Pulau Sermata, the largest island of the Sermata group. Located on a small island at the south end of the reef. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-166; Admiralty K1376; NGA 25720.

Tanimbar Islands Lighthouses
Note: The Tanimbar Islands are roughly halfway between Timor and Papua (New Guinea), with the Banda Sea to the northwest and the Arafura Sea to the southeast.

Tanjung Arousu (Orousu)

2006. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white flash every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available, and Google comes frustratingly close to having a satellite view. Pulau Arousu is the southernmost island of the Tanimbar group. Located at the southern tip of the island, facing the Arafura Sea. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1376.5.

Pulau Asutubun (Asoeboetoen)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and the tower is not seen in Google’s satellite view. Located on a small island off the southern tip of the much larger Pulau Yamdena. Site status

Tanjung Warlangir

2003. Active; focal plane 74 m (243 ft); white flash every 6 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but a distant Google satellite view probably shows the station. Located at the extreme northeastern end of the Tanimbar group. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1384.

Pulau Kalbur

2003. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); white flash every 4 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available; Google has a distant satellite view of the island. Located at the extreme northern end of the Tanimbar group. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1384.5.

Aru Islands Lighthouses
Note: The Aru Islands are the easternmost island group of Maluku, located about 150 km (90 mi) southwest of the Papua (New Guinea) coast. Dobo is the chief port of the islands.

Pulau Enu 2006. Active; focal plane 46 m (151 ft); white flash every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Pulau Enu is a small island in the Arafura Sea at the southeastern corner of the Aru group. Located on the south side of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1632.8. * Dobo (2) Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 22 m (72 ft); continuous red light. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower. Martin Manurung’s photo is at right, but clouds obscure Google’s distant satellite view. NGA lists a previous tower having a focal plane of only 8 m (26 ft). Located on the waterfront at Dobo, on Pulau Wamar. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K1632.4; NGA 25884. Tanjung Ular Date unknown (station established 1906). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white light, 3 s on, 2 s off. 13 m (43 ft) iron skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the cape. Located in the Aru group of islands, at the northwestern tip of Pulau Wamar, marking the approach to the port of Dobo. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1632; NGA 25872. Pulau Warilau (Tanjung Watuleijurung) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 4 s. 28 m (92 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the area. Located on Pulau Warilau, at the northern end of the Aru Islands. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1633; NGA 25876.

Dobo Light, June 2008 Creative Commons photo by Martin Manurung

Kei Islands Lighthouses
Note: The Kei Islands (formerly called the Kai Islands) are a group of relatively small islands lying northeast of the Tanimbar group, west of the Aru group, and southeast of the large island of Seram. Tual, the chief town of the archipelago, suffered a severe earthquake in September 2010.

Tanimbar Kei (Keitanimbar, Kaitanimbar, Atnebar)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. “White structure,” according to NGA. No photo available, but this description usually means a concrete tower. Google has only a very distant satellite view of the island. Located on the island of Atnebar or Tanimbar Kei, at the southern end of the Kei group. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1628.8; NGA 25830.

Pulau Kur (Koer)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 120 m (394 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and the tower is not seen in Google’s satellite view. Pulau Kur is about 80 km (50 mi) northwest of Pulau Kei Kecil, the northernmost major island of the Kei group. Located at the northeastern tip of the island. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1628.5; NGA 25828.

Pulau Bui

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) iron skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the northwestern tip of the island of Bui, about 30 km (19 mi) north of the Pulau Kur light and about 175 km (110 mi) southeast of Ceram. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-117; Admiralty K1628; NGA 25824.

Banda Sea Lighthouses

Pulau Suanggi

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 122 m (400 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 15 m (49 ft) “white beacon,” perhaps a concrete tower. No photo available, and the island is only a blur in Google’s satellite view. Note that there is another Pulau Suanggi light near Ambon (see below). Located atop a small island at the northwestern end of the Banda group, in the Banda Sea about 200 km (125 mi) southeast of Ambon. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1625; NGA 25808.

Pulau Bingkudu

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available, but the tower is barely discernible in a distant Google satellite view. Located on a tiny island, the northernmost of the Penyu (Turtle) group, in the Banda Sea about 350 km (220 mi) south of Ambon. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1598.

Seram and Ambon Area Lighthouses
Note: Seram is the largest island of Maluku Province, about 360 km (225 mi) long and 50 km (30 mi) wide. Lying east to west, it separates the narrow Seram Sea to the north from the broad Banda Sea to the south.Ambon Island lies a short distance southwest of Seram. The provincial capital, Ambon City, is ona southwestern peninsula of Ambon Island, facing the deep sound of Ambon Bay. With a population of about 275,000, it is the largest city of eastern Indonesia.

* [Pulau Saparua]

Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 14 m (46 ft); continuous red light. 12 m (39 ft) hourglass-shaped white concrete post light. A photo is available, but clouds obscure Google’s distant satellite view of the area. Located on the quay at Haria harbor on the south side of Pulau Saparua, about 40 km (25 mi) east of Ambon. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K1616; NGA 25804.

Tanjung Nusanive (Nusaniwe, Noesanive)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 138 m (453 ft); white flash every 5 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but a Google satellite view probably shows this light station. This may be the original lighthouse, a 21 m (69 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery seen in a 1919 photo posted by the Amsterdam Tropenmuseum. Located at the southern tip of Ambon island, about 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Ambon city. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-317; Admiralty K1620; NGA 25772.

Tanjung Sikula

Date unknown. Active; focal plane approx. 15 m (49 ft); red flash every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located on a point of land on the north side of the bay of Ambon, about 8 km (5 mi) west of the city. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1621; NGA 25776.

Pulau Nusatelu (Pulau Ela)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); white flash every 4 s. “White beacon,” according to NGA. No photo available, and Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of the island. A tall tower is to be expected at this site, marking the entrance to the protected Piru Bay separating Ambon and Seram. Located on an island off the northwestern coast of Ambon island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1619; NGA 25773.

Pulau Suanggi (Sunggi)

Date unknown (station established 1904). Active; focal plane 94 m (308 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 21 m (69 ft) iron skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a very distantsatellite view of the area. This light guides vessels through a narrow strait between the islands of Buru and Seram (Ceram). Note that there is another Pulau Suanggi Light in the Banda Sea Islands (see above). Located at the west end of Pulau Suanggi, about 80 km (50 mi) northwest of Ambon, the capital of Maluku province. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-249; Admiralty K1600; NGA 25752.

Pulau Niene

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. No description or photo available, but a Google satellite view shows the faint shadow of a tall square skeletal tower. Located on a small island on the north side of Pulau Boano, off the northwestern tip of Seram (Ceram). Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1600.5; NGA 25754.

Buru Lighthouses
Note: Buru is a large, roughly elliptical island to the west of Seram, from which it is separated by the Manipa Strait. The mountainous island is about 130 km (80 mi) long and 90 km (55 mi) wide.

Tanjung Bartutui

2003. Active; focal plane 116 m (381 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, mounted atop a 1-story building. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available, and clouds obscure the area in Google’s satellite view. This light marks the southern entrance to the Manipa Strait, the passage between Buru and Seram. Located on the southern tip of Pulau Ambelau, an island off the southeastern coast of Buru. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1599.5.

Pulau Fogi

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 153 m (502 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a very distant satellite view of the island. Located on a small island just off the western tip of Buru. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1597; NGA 25746.

Note: North Maluku (Maluku Utara) includes the large island of Halmahera and nearby islands, notably Morotai to the north, Bacan and Obi to the south, and the Sula Islands to the southwest. On the west, the Maluku Sea separates Halmahera from Sulawesi (Celebes). To the northeast is the open Philippine Sea, and on the southeast the Halmahera Sea separates Halmahera from Papua (New Guinea). On the south, the narrow waters of the Seram Sea separate Halmahera from Seram (Ceram) and the other islands of Maluku Province. The population of the province is barely one million, a small population for Indonesia. The largest settlement, Ternate, is on a small island off the west coast of Halmahera.

Eastern Halmahera and Halmahera Sea Lighthouses

Pulau Lawin (Pulau Laliola)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a distant satellite view of the island. Located on a small island in the Halmahera Sea about 55 km (35 mi) east of the island of Obi. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1603; NGA 25764.

Pulau Leleve

2006. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located on a small island in Buli Bay, off the east coast of Halmahera, about 20 km (13 mi) north of Bicoli. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F2109.6.

Pulau Yiew (Jiuw)

2006. Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) “white tower,” probably skeletal. No photo available, and the island is only a blur in Google’s satellite view. Located on a small island about 50 km (30 mi) northeast of the eastern tip of Halmahera’s eastern peninsula, marking the northern entrance to the Halmahera Sea. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F2109.8.

Sula and Obi Islands Lighthouses

Tanjung Akelamo

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 46 m (151 ft); white flash every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available, and Google has only a very distant satellite view of the area. Located on the southwestern tip of Pulau Obi (Obira), marking the east side of the southern entrance to the Maluku Sea. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1590.5.

Tanjung Dehekalano

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 65 m (213 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a very distant satellite view of the cape. Located at the eastern tip of Pulau Lifumatola, at the extreme eastern end of the Sula Islands, marking the west side of the southern entrance to the Maluku Sea. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1592; NGA 25742.

Tanjung Waka

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. “White structure,” according to NGA. Chandra Morsono’s photo, at the top of this page, is believed to be of this lighthouse. Google has only a very distant satellite view of the cape. Located on the southern tip of the narrow island of Sanana, marking the passage between that island and Buru. Site status unknown. Admiralty K1601.15; NGA 25754.5.

Northwestern Halmahera and Ternate Area Lighthouses

Pulau Mukian

2003. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and clouds obscure Google’s distant satellite view. Pulau Mukian is a volcanic island off the west coast of Halmahera about 60 km (38 mi) south of Ternate. Located on the western tip of the island. Site status unknown. Admiralty F2107.3.

Pulau Hiri 2003. Active; focal plane 115 m (377 ft); white flash every 4 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available. A Google satellite view may show this station. Pulau Hiri is a small island off the northern tip of Pulau Ternate. Located on the west side of the island. Site status unknown. Admiralty F2106. Tanjung Bobo 2003. Active; focal plane 210 m (689 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 40 m (131 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located on a promontory near the base of Halmahera’s northern peninsula, about 25 km (15 mi) north of Ternate. Site status unknown. Admiralty F2107.8. Pulau Sidanga 2003. Active; focal plane 93 m (305 ft); white flash every 3 s. 30 m (98 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. No photo available, and clouds obscure Google’s distant satellite view. Located on a small island off the northwestern coast of Halmahera, about 160 km (100 mi) north of Ternate. This island is known as a scuba diving site. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F2110.3. Tanjung Sopi (Pulau Morotai) 2003. Active; focal plane 93 m (305 ft); white flash every 6 s. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. The top of the tower also carries a slatted daymark. A small photo is available (1/3 the way down the page), but Google has only a very distant satellite view. Pulau Morotai, the northernmost major island of Maluku, is best known as the base for the U.S. invasion of the Philippines in early 1945. Package tours of the island sometimes include a visit to the lighthouse. Located at the northern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, and nothing prevents visitors from climbing the tower. Admiralty F2111.3.

Tanjung Sopi Light photo copyright Laszlo Wagner, East-Indonesia.info; used by permission

Maluku Sea (Molucca Sea) Lighthouses

Tanjung Mayu

2003. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); white flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available. Located on the east side of Pulau Mayu. Site status unknown. Admiralty F2107.56.

Pulau Mayu (Tanjung Lelew)

2006. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 3 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a very distant satellite view. Located on the western tip of a high island in the Maluku Sea about halfway between Halmahera and the northeastern tip of Sulawesi. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-221; Admiralty F2107.5; NGA 25222.7.