Great Basses Reef Lighthouse
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| Location | South of Sri Lanka |
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| Coordinates | 6°11′N 81°29′E / 6.183°N 81.483°ECoordinates: 6°11′N 81°29′E / 6.183°N 81.483°E |
| Year first constructed | 1873 |
| Year first lit | March 10, 1873 |
| Automated | n/a |
| Construction | Scottish granite |
| Tower shape | Round tower |
| Markings / pattern | White |
| Height | 37 m |
| Range | 34 m |
| Characteristic | white flash every 15 s |
Great Basses Reef Lighthouse is an offshore lighthouse in the south of Sri Lanka, and it is operated and maintained by the Sri Lanka Navy. It is located on a reef 13 km off the coast of Yala National Park, near Little Basses Reef Lighthouse. It is accessible only by boat. The two Basses lighthouses, 'Great' and 'Little', are among the most famous offshore lighthouses of Asia.
The lighthouse was designed by Alexander Gordon and Sir James Nicholas Douglass in 1867. Each block weighs 2 to 3 tons.[1] It withstood the force of the tsunami with only modest damage; it was repaired with assistance from the UK lighthouse authorities Trinity House and The Northern Lighthouse Board.
The reef is the site of the Great Basses wreck, an early 18th-century wreck of an Indian ship, carrying a treasure of silver rupees, that was discovered by Arthur C. Clarke and Mike Wilson in 1961.
Gallery
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Getting new supplies
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The lighthouse as seen from Yala National Park.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Basses Reef Lighthouse. |