THE LAST RUSSIAN LIGHTSHIP
ON THE BALTIC SEA
Site news
2009, August
This web site was created. Summary of its contents was submitted to the office of the Head of the Russian Navy in Moscow .
2009, November
Following our email to Mr Russ Rowlett who mantains the world's most extensive amateur marine lights reference, The Lighthouse Directory , The Lighthouse Digest magazine has publised an article about Irbensky lightship . This is our first success in making Irbensky lightship destiny known to the wide public!
Thanks to Tim Harris for sending us a copy of the magazine!
2010, July
St.Petersburg news studio of the public TV broadcasting company ROSSIYA-1 shot two news episodes about the destiny of the Irbensky lightship - First episode , second episode
St.Petersburg regional bradcasting company 100TV shot a news episode featuring Irbensky lightship - look here
Lomonosov (St.Petersburg suburb) municipal deputies who noticed the TV broadcast about the lightship have contacted us and dispatched official messages to the Head of Navy and Memorial Preservation Comitte of St.Petersburg government requesting to save the lightship Irbensky as the memorial. A news message about that with lightship information from our site was posted on the popular national navy web-portal flot.com
2010, October
On a first international conference devoted to the study and preservation of the Russian maritime heritage we made a presentation about the current state of the Russian lighthouses, where we raised a question about preservation of the lightship Irbensky as a memorial ship. Under the below link you may find our article about coastal lighthouses and lightships of Russia. ( http://www.maritime-heritage.ru/seminar/first_conf/files/1-conf-issue.pdf )
2011, February
Our article about lightship Irbensky, the most extensive study of this vessel written so far, was published in the CITADEL journal, Issue #18. Thanks to Leonid Amirkhanov for his interest about the destiny of the loghtship and for the opportunity to allocate the article in his journal!
2011, август
Lighthouse enthusiasts from Germany, Holland and other European countries came to see Irbensky lightship on their way around lighthouses of the Western Russia.
Leuchtturm-fans aus Deutschland, Holland und anderen Europaeischen Laender haben den Feuerschiff Irbensky waehrend ihre baltische Leuchtturmreise kennengelernt.
2011, September
World Ocean Museum (Kaliningrad, Russia) sends to the Defence Ministry of Russia a proposal to transfer the lightship Irbensky to the Kronstadt district administration of St.Petersburg. Thanks to Svetlana Sivkova, Pavel Filin and Vladimir Krestyaninov for their efforts aimed at saving the retired lightship! ( see http://www.maritime-heritage.ru/komiss/reshenie/files/3protokol.doc).
2011, December
Leningrad Navy Base ensured proper conservation of the lightship Irbensky for another winter season - repaired water leaks below the waterline and restricted unauthorised entry on the vessel to secure the remaining equipment.
2012
In 2012 lightship Irbensky celebrates it's 50-year anniversary.
In the same year lighship Hyoky (ex-Libauski), built in St.Petersburg and carrying its duty in Finland, celebrates a century of being afloat.
A happy year with two great anniversaries!
2012, June
Mayachny Foundation addressed a question about saving Irbensky lightship to the chief of the Russian Presidential administration. Representatives of the Congresses Palace (Konstantinovsky Palace) visited Irbensky to evaluate her technical condition and approximate expences required for her renovation..
2012, August
Mayachny Foundation sends our sincere greetings to the captain and the crew of the Hyoky lightship (ex-Libauski, S.Pb 1912, Putilovsky factory) that celebrates it's 100-years anniversary. The hundred-years-birthday party took place in Hamina, Finland, where the lightship meets her guests already for a number of years. An illustrated plate was our gift to the lighthouse keeper, Mr. Patu Patanen. Best wishes to him and his unique lightship. We are keen to have the opportunity to invite the people from Hyoky crew to the Irbensky lightship 100-year anniversary, that will happen in 2062!
2012, September
Ventspils Free Port authorities and Ventspils City Council indicated their strong interest and full capability to purchase, transfer, renovate and turn into a memorial the lightship Irbensky, that previously was carrying its duty in the Irbensky strait, near to the city of Ventspils. Ventspils city management has discussed this topic during the meeting with the head of Russian Consulate in Latvia. Free Port administration has invited us to the meeting of the management of the Latvian harbours, where we held a presentation about the current state of the lightship Irbensky with a short overview of the history of lightships in the Eastern Baltics region.
Ventspils Brivostas parvalde un pilsetas dome izteica nodomu izpirkt, parvest, izlabot un dibinat piemineklu no Irbes ugunskuga, kads nesa savu dienestu netali no Ventspili - Irbes sauruma. Pilsetas domes valde pazinoja par so nodomu krievijas konsulam vinu sarunas laika. Brivostas parvalde uzaicinaja Mayacnij fonda parstavju piedalities latvijas ostas specialistu tiksana, kur mes esam pazinojusi par Irbes ugunskuga stavokli sodien ka ari par ugunskugu vesturi latvijas udenos.
Ventspils Free Port authorities have a good experience in arranging the sightseeings for the tourists on the lighthouses. Uzhava and Akmenjrags lighthouses, and especially Ovishi lighthouse and museum are known as one of the most noticeable places of iterest in Latvia and in the whole Baltics.
Ventspils Brivostas parvalde jau nodibinaja interesantu un saturigu muzeju pie Ovisu bakas ka ari atvera Uzavas un Akmenraga baku durvi apmekletajiem. Iesakam izmantot so iespeju!
2012, October
Our letter to the President of Russia where we raised a question about preserving the lightship Irbensky was answered: Defence Ministry is ready to transfer the lightship to an entity that is capable of renovating her and preserving her as the memorial vessel. It means that the ship will not be sold for scrap and will be converted into the memorial, not anything else.
We are greatly thankful to the Head of the State for his concern about the future of the historical lightship!
Late October we met with Kronstadt Historical Museum director, who is an adviser to the Head of the Kronstadt district of St.Petersburg, and discussed possible options of repairing and keeping of the lightship in Kronstadt.
Everybody willing to learn the unique vessel are invited to the Kronstadt Historical Museum (location on the google map: St.Petersburg, Kronstadt, Leningradskaya 2) where the detailed and quite large-scale model of this ship is exhibited.