Spanish Colonial Era The two light stations, Corregidor and
Caballo, were the second oldest lighthouses established in the country after the
lighthouse at the mouth of the
Pasig River. The establishment of a lighthouse station on the island of Corregidor was recommended in the year 1835 during the administration of Governor
Pascual Enrile y Alcedo. Its construction was not authorized, however, until 1846 with the passing of Royal Order of April 14 by the Spanish Government. The lighthouse was not completed until 1853 – eighteen years after the recommendation of its construction had been made. On January 18, 1853, notice to mariners were released announcing the start of service on February 1, 1853, for the second-order light on Corregidor, together with the fourth-order light on Caballo Island. Both lighthouses were equipped with lighting apparatus from Henry Lepaute of Paris. The white light on the summit of Corregidor revolved once every ten or twenty seconds, and visible in clear weather from a distance of 20 miles. Later, a fixed white light was also shown from the white tower on the West Mole Head, at the entrance to the bay on the north side of the island. In 1897, the aging lighting apparatus was replaced by a provisional light of the same character, but of less power, before the installation of a new permanent light that was exhibited on August 1, 1897. The new apparatus flashed white and red light, showing white and red flashes alternately every ten seconds, separated by total eclipses, and is visible 36 miles in clear weather. The main construction works in 1903 were renovating the old buildings, and the construction of new quarters for the light station. A school of apprentices was established in Manila the previous year to train competent lighthouse keepers, using Corregidor lighthouse as a training station. Three frame buildings for quarters and kitchens were erected. The year after, a small party was sent to this station to make more minor repairs to doors, windows, and drains, part of the appropriation from Acts 807 and 1049. In 1905, the bamboo fence at Corregidor light station being found in bad condition and was replaced with posts and boards. The system of gutters was changed to increase the water supply. A latrine was built, new floors were put in the keepers' dwellings as they were damaged by termites. With funds from the approval of Act No. 1225 for lighthouse maintenance, some were applied to the purchase of the necessary parts from Paris to convert the polygonal lantern at Corregidor into a cylindrical lantern to diminish the interval between flashes from ten to five seconds and to replace the wick burner with the incandescent system. From December 16, Corregidor lighthouse was used by the Navy to facilitate the entrance of submarines carrying supplies and ammunition for the troops on the island as authorized by
General Douglas MacArthur. The light was shown the first ten minutes of each one-half hour on a secret schedule furnished by the Navy for each entry. Only white light was shown and on a fixed specified azimuth. As the submarine passes through the controlled mine fields, the Inshore Patrol coordinating with the Harbor Defense put the mines on "safe" and the marking buoys were illuminated by searchlights. The first damage to the lighthouse happened on January 14 around noon when two flights of bombers, nine each, bombed mostly the Topside. The lighthouse and surrounding buildings were damaged but the light was still operable using a
kerosene lamp. During the fight for liberation from the Japanese, the island was heavily bombed leaving every building in the island in ruins. The lighthouse did not survive the bombardment. ==The lighthouse today==