Belitung's smaller islands and coastal waters have long mattered to mariners. Granite outcrops, reefs and narrow passages form a striking landscape, but also explain the importance of navigational lights.
Langkuas: a lighthouse with a history
In the 1954 Erts article Lichtend Langkuas, Ir. J. F. W. van der Meulen describes the island, its lighthouse, the keepers' living conditions and the view from the tower. The article describes an iron lighthouse about 72 metres tall, assembled from components manufactured in the Netherlands.
A maker's plate shown in the archival photographs bears the year 1882. This is significant physical evidence, but should not automatically be treated as the documented inauguration date.
The account also describes rainwater collection, the difficulty of living on a small island, and the optical equipment that made the light useful to passing vessels.