The 65th hour has passed since Ivan Timofeevich Tsykhovich entered the service at the Vorontsovsky lighthouse, the saving light of which indicates the way to the shores of Odessa. Excursions to the lighthouse are organized from spring to autumn. And now the lighthouse keeper just found time to talk to the ElitExpert agency. Especially since Ivan Timofeevich celebrated his 87th birthday last week...
— Ivan Timofeevich, how did fate bring you to the Vorontsovsky lighthouse?
— I was born in the Kotovsky district of the Odesa region, in Tsykhanovka. And my last name matches. He graduated from the seventh grade. He came to Odessa to study as a turner in 1949. But at that time, the school was disbanded, and I was sent to a professional technical school to become an instrument mechanic. He studied for six months, visited a workshop where bicycles were made.
Problems began with the educational process, the student was transferred to the tailoring of women's outerwear. Then the army, where he acquired the specialties of radio operator and chauffeur. And decided to study in Odessa to become a communications engineer. In 1956, when the Vorontsov lighthouse, destroyed during the war, had just been restored, a radio operator visited it. And then he became a lighthouse keeper.
— How did the maintenance and principles of the lighthouse change over time?
— At first we worked on kerosene-potassium fuel, then on acetylene burners, electricity, and now on solar batteries. The height of the current lighthouse is almost 30 meters, and its light is visible for 15 miles. To climb the lighthouse, you need to climb 135 steps. By the way, electricity is not needed for its operation - it works on recently installed solar batteries and LEDs. Every three thousandths of a second there is a flash of red color, and the repeating cycle of a set of light signals is 12 seconds. In the case of fog, the sound system is also turned on - the audio recorder.
Working conditions are now very comfortable. In the 1950s, everything was much more complicated. In winter, huge waves overwhelmed the lighthouse, freezing on its walls. Even the bell, which was at a height of 8 meters, turned into a block of ice. Sometimes it was impossible to get to the shore during a storm. They burned the "burzuyka" stove and kept warm.
— Did you have to risk your life?
— In 1957, on January 1, I returned from my shift. There was a thick fog, a storm, waves rolled over the breakwater. I was walking ahead, breaking through the icy path with a crowbar, when suddenly a wave crashed on me, and I ended up in the water. And the second watchman, too. I threw him my floating waterproof briefcase. And he himself tried to swim to the wall. The temperature is minus. The sailors lowered the longboat and pulled us out. We stayed in the ice water for about half an hour. I was taken to the hospital, and when I came to, the first thing I asked was where my jacket was. They told me that she stayed wet in the port. I needed to take me to the port for the jacket, because she had a pass to the port in her pocket. How, they say, will I get to the lighthouse without a pass?
— Is it true that the essence of the lighthouse keeper's work is to help sailors and save their lives?
— Yes, for this you need a beacon with lights, a constant presence on the air and a siren-autophone. Recently, when fishermen got lost in the fog in the Sanzheyka area, they were able to reach the shore thanks to the lighthouse siren.
— Did you witness the biggest disaster in Odessa Bay?
- Yes. Now the lighthouse even has a mast, which was lifted from the Mozdok ship. On January 13, 1972, the captain of "Mozdoka", leaving the port, did not notice the anchored Bulgarian "Lom" in the fog. The roar was so loud that it could be heard several miles away. I signaled the lighthouse. The Coast Guard saved the lives of passengers who suffered a disaster. There was dust on board "Mozdok". And the Black Sea was recovering for a long time after this disaster.
I also remember how a 44 container ship, leaving the port, rammed the lighthouse. The damage was repaired for an hour. Or remember how the ship "entered" Karantinny mall. At the same time, the electric cable feeding the lighthouse was damaged... There are many different stories...
— Ivan Timofeevich, what does a lighthouse mean to you?
— As Paustovsky said, "Lighthouses are the shrines of the seas." They belong to everyone and are inviolable, like ambassadors of states." Our lighthouse is a symbol of Odessa, it is a gateway to the country and the city. And he is my whole life. By the way, now a tourist component has been added to my duties. I communicate with the tourists, make sure everything is in order. We observe safety rules so that people can walk along the concrete jetty and see the lighthouse.
Help EliteExpert: The Vorontsov lighthouse is located at the end of the Quarantine (now Raid) pier in Odessa port. The "dynasty" of Vorontsovsky lighthouses and lighthouses can be traced in the history of Odessa port. They replaced each other, improving and rebuilding themselves as the Quarantine and Raid piers were extended. The modern lighthouse is the fourth.
The previous lighthouse, standing since the end of the 19th century, was blown up in September 1941 during the defense of Odessa. Ego had to be blown up in order to leave the fascist gunners in Chabanka the opportunity to aim at the lighthouse for shelling the water area of the port.
The new lighthouse was built in 1956. Prior to that, in 1950-1953 they restored the Quarantine Mall, which was also destroyed during the war. Then a new lighthouse was placed on it, unlike the previous one, with a cylindrical tower. According to tradition, the ego is called Vorontsovsky. The white tower of the lighthouse with a red lantern was made at the Kronstadt Shipyard in 1954.
