SINGAPORE \u2013 Elegant in appearance, skilfully designed and \u201cthoroughly substantial in every particular\u201d was how a December 1895 article described Sultan Shoal Lighthouse when it was just built.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has all the appearances of durability and solidity,\u201d the article said of the lighthouse, which had cost about $34,000 and began operations the next year.<\/p>\n
Thirteen decades later, the lighthouse is now open to the public for regular guided tours for the first time in its history, giving visitors a chance to see the grand old dame up close, and marvel at its longevity.<\/p>\n
The tours, which are organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on a monthly basis, set off from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal and return three hours later.<\/p>\n
They include an introduction to the history of Singapore\u2019s seaports, as well as the industries on Jurong Island and Pulau Bukom.<\/p>\n
Sultan Shoal \u2013 a solid coral reef \u2013 was purportedly named after a ship that ran aground on it in 1789.<\/p>\n
Historical records indicate that a beacon was erected at the shoal as early as in the mid-1800s to guide mariners, and an 1876 report that mentioned a plan to build the lighthouse stated that a granite beacon there was partially destroyed by lightning in May the year before.<\/p>\n The lighthouse\u2019s ground floor, where amenities such as a kitchen, a toilet and an armoury were located.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The lighthouse began operations in 1896, replacing a lightship named Ajax, and used oil lamps fitted with reflectors to be seen by vessels. These were replaced in a 1931 upgrade by more powerful incandescent kerosene lamps.<\/p>\n Then, in 1967, the lighthouse transitioned to electrical lamps, which had an illumination of 670,000 candela, allowing the lighthouse to be seen from up to 22 nautical miles \u2013 or about 40km \u2013 away.<\/p>\n The lighthouse, which remains operational today, became automated in 1984 and is now powered by solar energy, with visibility of about 15 nautical miles.<\/p>\n It has stood the test of time amid sweeping changes around it, such as two major reclamation projects \u2013 one to combine seven islands to form Jurong Island, and the other to build Tuas Port, a project that is still in the making today.<\/p>\n In 2021, the MPA told The Straits Times that Sultan Shoal Lighthouse, which will be located about 150m from Tuas Port\u2019s Phase 2 development, will not be affected by port operations when they begin in the late 2020s.<\/p>\n The agency had said then that reclamation works for Phase 2 are expected to be completed around 2027, and that the lighthouse will remain operational when this phase of the port begins operations.<\/p>\n Asked for an update on Phase 2, an MPA spokesman said on June 5 that reclamation works are close to 80 per cent complete, and added that \u201cthere is no plan to change the location of Sultan Shoal Lighthouse\u201d.<\/p>\n Winston Wong, 79, was among about 40 guests invited by the MPA to a preview of the Sultan Shoal Lighthouse tour on June 6.<\/p>\n The former Singapore Armed Forces regular, who was deployed on Sentosa when it was known as Pulau Blakang Mati, said the tour \u2013 which includes an hour\u2019s ferry ride each way between the ferry terminal and Sultan Shoal \u2013 reminded him of how much the country has developed in recent decades.<\/p>\n \u201cI still have a picture from my camp, where Fort Siloso is. You look across, there were no high-rise buildings. It was all grassland,\u201d he said, referencing the view of the mainland from the sea while on the ferry.<\/p>\n His daughter Rebecca, who is in her 40s and was also on the tour, said: \u201cIt is dwarfed by the mega port now, but in the past, it must have been the only thing that mariners saw when they approached Singapore. The history hits you when you arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cChangi Airport gets way more attention than Singapore\u2019s seaports, and people sometimes don\u2019t realise the number of things that come to us by the sea.\u201d<\/p>\n Designer and illustrator James Lim (right), 39, and fellow Urban Sketchers members drawing the Sultan Shoal Lighthouse during a public tour of the lighthouse on June 6.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The tours to the lighthouse are conducted by MPA\u2019s appointed tour operator, Lion Heartlanders, which has also conducted tours to Raffles Lighthouse<\/span><\/a> on Pulau Satumu since 2022.<\/p>\n The Raffles Lighthouse tours are currently paused for maintenance.<\/p>\n Besides Sultan Shoal and Raffles lighthouses, MPA also operates Horsburgh Lighthouse \u2013 Singapore\u2019s oldest, in operation since 1851\u2013 on Pedra Branca; Bedok Lighthouse, atop a residential block in Lagoon View condominium; and Pulau Pisang Lighthouse.<\/p>\n Each lighthouse flashes light at a different interval to help mariners tell them apart, and Sultan Shoal\u2019s lights flash twice every 15 seconds.<\/p>\n MPA on June 6 also launched a tour for organised groups, such as schools and corporates, that includes a visit to PSA\u2019s premises at Pasir Panjang, where visitors can get a panoramic view of the container terminals and insights on container port operations.<\/p>\n Prices for the Sultan Shoal Lighthouse tour start from $75 for Singaporean and permanent resident adults, and $97.50 for foreigners. Local students and seniors pay a concessionary rate, which starts from $67.50.<\/p>\n Those keen to buy tickets, which are SG Culture Pass eligible, can visit go.gov.sg\/discovermaritime-eventbrite<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 Elegant in appearance, skilfully designed and \u201cthoroughly substantial in every particular\u201d was how a December 1895 article described Sultan Shoal Lighthouse when it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/picture><\/div>
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
<\/picture><\/div>
\n
\n
Read Full Article At Source <\/a>
\n