Imperial Lighthouse Service
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The Imperial Lighthouse Service (ILS) was the official general lighthouse authority for the British Empire outside the British Isles.
The Imperial Lighthouse Service operated out of Trinity House[1] and came under the control of the Board of Trade and was responsible for the provision and maintenance of navigational aids such as lighthouses, lightvessels, and buoys in all colonies of the British Empire.
With the end of the British Empire, most of these lighthouses were taken over by the newly-independent countries and the Imperial Lighthouse Service stopped its operations by the late 1970s.
Anguilla
[edit]Anguilla had the distinction of hosting the last ILS lighthouse in the West Atlantic Ocean at Sombrero, Anguilla.[2] The inspector, however, was based in St. Kitts.[2]
Australia
[edit]The Board of Trade was responsible for navigation aids in Australia until the passing of the Commonwealth Navigation Act 1912,[3] some 12 years after federation.
Bahamas
[edit]_Lighthouses_-_BAHAMAS,_LOBOS_CAY.jpg)
The Bahamas was the headquarters of the Imperial Lighthouse Service in the West Indies.[4]
One of the oldest lighthouses in the Bahamas is the Hole-in-the-Wall lighthouse at the southernmost tip of the Abaco Islands.[5][6] It was built in 1836[5][6] and thought to be the first lighthouse built in the Bahamas by the Imperial Lighthouse Service.[1] Similarly, the iconic Elbow Reef Lighthouse at Hope Town was built by the service in 1863[7][8] to direct ships away from Hope Town and the dangerous Elbow Reef.[1]
Other lighthouses maintained by the service included those at Dixon Hill lighthouse (Exuma) built in 1886,[9] Great Isaac Cay (Bimini), North Rock (Bimini), Gun Cay (Bimini), and Riding Rock (Bimini).[10]
In 1929, the pay for an inspector was £800/year.[11]
Each lighthouse was issued with signal flags to warn residents and ships of impending hurricanes.[1][12] In 1932, the lighthouses operated solar sensors that were used to automatically turn lights on and off.[13] In 1936, the lighthouse at Gun Cay was decommissioned.[1]
When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the colony's ILS was turned over to the new Ministry of Transport,[2] and the employment of its 90-odd staff terminated.[14] The last inspector was Commander John Coaker who was to stay on in the Bahamas following independence for a transitional period of up to a year.[2]
Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
[edit]The ILS operated lights in Ceylon.[2] The head office for the service was located at Lightservice House, Horton Place, Colombo.[15]
In 1916, Commander G. Stapleton was serving as the inspector for Ceylon and Minicoy.[16] In 1921, Commander J. C. Kerkham was superintendent.[15]
Other
[edit]The ILS operated lights in the Falkland Islands.[2]
While the Imperial Lighthouse Service was the responsible authority for the colonies,
- Trinity House was the responsible authority for England and Wales, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands;
- Scotland and the Isle of Man fell under the auspices of the Northern Lighthouse Board; and
- Ireland was under the control the Commissioners of Irish Lights.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Bahama and Bahamian lighthouses and Abaco lighthouses in history - their history and future - News of The Abacos - What's On - The Abaco Islands Entertainment and Recreation Newspaper". go-abacos.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "A Discreet Tear from the Raj". The Guardian. 7 July 1973. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ Ibbotson, John (2001). Lighthouses of Australia: Images from the End of an Era. Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia: Australian Lighthouse Traders. p. 9. ISBN 0-646-41674-X.
- ^ Chance, Toby; Williams, Peter (26 September 2008). Lighthouses: The Race to Illuminate the World. IMM Lifestyle Books. ISBN 978-1-78009-104-4.
- ^ a b "Hole In The Wall Lighthouse - Explore The Bahamas - The Official Website of The Bahamas". The Islands of The Bahamas. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ a b Allen, Jean (27 December 1998). "Travel Q&A (Relatives of ours have a vacation house on the island of Abaco)". The Huntsville Times. Huntsville, Alabama. pp. H2. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ "Barefoot Luxury". Daily Echo. Bournemouth, England. 14 June 2008. p. 61. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ Coyle, Jay (November 2006). "Island Hopping". Motorboating: 60.
- ^ Moyle, Mariah Laine (12 March 2019). Moon Bahamas. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-64049-324-7.
- ^ Adamson, Hans Christian (1955). Keepers of the lights. New York: Greenberg. pp. 393–394.
- ^ "Public Offices, Unions &c. (Notices)". Liverpool Post & Mercury. 28 June 1929. p. 1. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ Neely, Wayne (28 April 2011). The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1866: The Story of One of the Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes to Ever Impact the Bahamas. iUniverse. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-4620-1104-9.
- ^ "Unique control of lighthouse signals". The Times-Transcript. 30 June 1932. p. 9. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ "Lighthouse Men to Get Gratuity". The Tribune. Nassau, Bahamas. 20 February 1973. p. 11. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ a b The Times of Ceylon Green Book. Times of Ceylon Company. 1921. p. 123.
- ^ "Beaching of Boats". The Winner. Melbourne, Australia. 9 February 1916. p. 7. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
See also
[edit]
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