Mariners consider a lighthouse "lantern of the sea". A lighthouse is a significant aid to navigation. Its light is used for position marking to navigate through channels, bays, ports and for warning of the positions of rocks, shallow waters, and other obstacles dangerous to navigation. Therefore, the light should naver be extinguished. The lighthouse needs o be manned full-time to provide service and the Royal Thai Navy Hydrographic Department has assigned lighthouse technicians to fulfill this duty. The lighthouse is one of the aids to navigation. It is "the illumination" which is placed in and important position or in the navigational passage to facilitate safe nanoeuvring for vessels.
Thailand has her coastline connected to several neighbouring countries. Her sea trade has been dated back since the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya eras up until the Rattanakosin era. During the reign of King Rama IV, an increasing number of foreign marine traders visited Thailand and the mouth of Chao Phraya River was surveyed and charted for the first time. In the King Rama V's reign, a lighthouse was built and light buoys were employed. Then the aids to navigation activities were the responsibilities of the Interior Ministry. By the reign of King Rama VI, with the royal approval, the aids to navigation which included light beacons, light buoys, and lighthouses had been transferred from the Harbour Department to the Ministry of Navy on December 24, 1919. The Ministry of Navy later assigned the Hydrographic Division to supervise these navigational aids.
At present, the Royal Thai Navy Hydrographic Department is responsible for the following lighthouses along the Thai coastlines: six lighthouses along the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand in Cholburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trad, four lighthouses along the west coast of the Gulf of Thailand in Chumporn, Surat Thani, and Pattani, two lighthouses along the western coastlines of Thailand (Andaman Sea) in Phuket and Trang.
The lighthouses to be built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of His Majesty the
King's accession to the throne is a large one which will rise to the height of 50 feet.
Its basement is nine metres wide and the visibility of the light is 39 kilometres. 
It will be located at the viewing
point at Phromthep Cape, Rawai sub-district, Muang district in Phuket, which is the focal
point of the Andaman sea navigation and gateway to the Southern Seaboard. It will be
located on the land first seen on the Andaman coast. With the construction of the
lighthouse to commemorated the 50th anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne
on the spot, more tourists are expected to visit the Phromthep Cape, which has already
been one of the prime tourist spots of the province, and His Majesty's merits and virtues
will be propagated. The lighthouse will be named the "Golden
Jubilee Lighthouse," pending the royal approval. The project will be
implemented with the cooperation of the Royal Thai Navy, government officials, businessmen
and the people of Phuket to demonstrate their unity and loyalty to His Majesty.
The interior of the
lighthouse will feature a display of the construction of the lighthouse, Thailand's
Standard Time Maintenance, the calculation and display of the sunrise and sunset times,
including the benefits of the lighthouse to navigation. It will be the source for the
youth and the people to seek knowledge as well as a place to view the panorama of
Phromthep Cape. Its lights will be powered by alternate current electricity supplied by
the Provincial Electricity Authority and batteries will be reserved in case of blackouts.
Nature
The dimension of the lighthouse and the significance of the numbers are as follows:
Budget
The project calls for a budget of 14 million baht. The Royal Thai Navy will be in charge of mobilising it from the private sector and the public.
Location
On Phromthep Cape, Rawai sub-district, Muang district in Phuket
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