The “Red Light” kerosene lamp was made in 1951. According to the stamp on the brass plate, it was produced by the training and production enterprise of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf in Leningrad. This red glass lamp has a flat burner with one wick and an image of a small anchor beside the stamp. The lamp was transferred to the museum from the Onega seaport.

Such lamps are used to give visual signals. According to the International Rules for Preventing Collision at Sea, ships are required to use specific lights at night. Special visual signals have been developed to manage vessel traffic in ports and roadsteads, as well as to warn about approaching storms and their directions. Tall signal masts were installed on shore to display these visual signals.

Ships are required to use various combinations of white, red, and green lights depending on the circumstances. In the 1950s, there was a wooden mast with a yard, 22 meters in height. It was located on the building of the Onega port captain’s office and belonged to the Onega Storm Signal Station. It was used to give warnings for various areas of Onega Bay.

The lamp from the museum collection has a round, spherical glass. This shape was chosen specifically to keep the glass at a safe distance from the burner flame, so it would not heat up during use. The lamp was able to function in rain, snow, and fog. To fill the bowl with kerosene, it was removed from the lamp and then inserted from below and secured by turning it clockwise. The burner was then fixed in the same manner.

On the ship, lamps were raised on the mast so they could be seen from a distance at night. If a vessel was not under command, it displayed two red lights in prominent places, visible from all over the horizon. A vessel underway displayed sidelights (red and green) and a stern light (white). During the day, a vessel not under command would display two black balls instead of the red lights.