Visakhapatnam: Lighthouses are standing testimony to the marine history of the port city and speak how the mariners used it for safe navigation. Efforts are on to conserve these monumental structures in the city, which are lying unused. The lighthouse, built in 1903, at Flagstaff (in front of St Aloysius School) had remained unused from 1962 and was in a bad shape.
After INTACH members expressed concern and took up the lighthouse with VPT, the latter carried out some restoration works. However, the Visakha Container Terminal Pvt Ltd later came out voluntarily and restored the work in a proper manner. The lighthouse renovation was the first text-book restoration work in the city, according to INTACH (Visakhapatnam chapter) Convenor P.V. Prasad.
The 59-feet light house tower was a transit line lighthouse. It was constructed to help guide the ships into the Visakhapatnam Harbour. The light house flashed white band light every 20 seconds with brightness levels of 45000 candles and was visible from 12 miles in clear weather. In 1934, for the first time, revolving occulting light was placed in the light house. Heritage conservationist and INTACH member Edward Paul said “Early to Flagstaff light house, another lighthouse had been erected on the Dolphin Nose Hill in 1873. The work was commissioned in 1874, but just after two years, it was ravaged by the severe cyclone in 1876.”
“The light had been placed over an old Dutch Tower on the hill. It had a fixed red light at 640 ft over the high water,” Mr Paul added. There is also an old lighthouse near the Park Hotel and has to be developed as tourist spot. Later, a new lighthouse came on the Dolphin Nose Hill in 1957, just little south of the old lighthouse that was ravaged by the cyclone then. It has a range 32 nautical miles and the optical equipment is of 375 mm revolving optic inside which flashes light every 10 seconds.
