Sommers (russian: Соммерс, fi, Someri, sv, Sommarö) is an islet and a lighthouse in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

, just outside the Gulf of Vyborg, about 19 kilometres south of Virolahti, Finland, but it is now possessed by Russia. The lighthouse is situated on a rocky

skerry A skerry is a small rocky island, or islet, usually too small for human habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack. A skerry may have vegetative life such as moss and small, hardy grasses. They ar ...

, which is elevated a maximum of 16 metres above the

History

The first lighthouse on this islet was built in 1808. That construction was a brick building, chalked in white, about five metres high, with a lanternine on its top. The light source was modernized in 1866, and it was also raised to an elevation of eight metres. The lighthouse was given a third class lens system and a

clockwork Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches (where it is also called the movement) or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or weight. A clockwork mec ...

which rotated an oil lamp with a double

wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placename ...

. This gave the lighthouse beacon a reddish gloom. The lighthouse men lived along with their families in a wooden house next to the lighthouse. A

fog horn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. Wh ...

was constructed at the other end of the island by the beginning of the 20th century. The Imperial Russian Army began constructing defense works on this island when

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

erupted, but these were never completed. In 1918, Finnish maritime authorities manned the lighthouse. The old lighthouse was destroyed before the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

of 1939-40 and the personnel were evacuated. On New Year's Eve of 1941 a Finnish force of about 100 men was stationed at the island since it had a strategic position. The

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

also wanted to possess the islet, and on 8 July 1942 it attacked the islet with several small warships and aircraft. The Soviets creates a foothold on the eastern extent of the island, but due to artillery support from the Finnish islet of Ulko-Tammio (about northwest of Sommers) the Finns drove the Soviets away on 9 July 1942. After the 1944 peace treaty between Finland and the

, the island of Sommers was given to the Soviets, who also constructed a new

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

lighthouse. Its focal plane is about above sea level. Its

light characteristic A light characteristic is all of the properties that make a particular navigational light identifiable. Graphical and textual descriptions of navigational light sequences and colours are displayed on nautical charts and in Light Lists with the cha ...

is "Fl(2) 10s", i.e. a group of two flashing lights about every ten seconds. There are also a number of buildings and radar masts on the island, probably to keep an eye on the increasingly busy shipping traffic in the area.

References

Sources

* Seppo Laurell: ''Finlands fyrar'' 1999, * {{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1808 Towers completed in 1808 Lighthouses completed in 1866 Lighthouses in Russia Russian islands in the Baltic Skerries 1866 establishments in the Russian Empire

History

See also

References

Sources