U.S. Virgin Islands Lighthouses The U.S. Virgin Islands is a former Danish colony, the Danish West Indies, purchased by the U.S. in 1917. Shortly before this change in sovereignty, Denmark had built two lighthouses in the colony. These two lights are among the most endangered of all U.S. lighthouses today, even though one of them is still active. The U.S. installed a third light at Fort Louise Augusta near Christiansted, St. Croix, and the photo below by Shawn and Kris McCourt indicates that this lighthouse still stands (special thanks to Shawn's father, George McCourt, for sending this photo). A fourth light was at Muhlenfeldt Point, the southeastern entrance to the harbor of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. It is not known if anything remains of this light station. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from Volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. USCG numbers are from Volume III of the U.S. Coast Guard Light List, and U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110. What's Hot:

Hams Bluff Light, September 2003; U.S. Coast Guard photo

St. Thomas Lighthouse

Buck Island (1) 1913. Inactive since the mid 1990s. 25 ft (8 m) square steel tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a small service room. The lighthouse was painted white and the lantern black, although nearly all the paint has weathered off the building. The Coast Guard has a historic photo, and a 2007 photo and another recent photo are available. The active light is on a square cylindrical steel skeletal tower (focal plane 339 ft (103 m); white flash every 4 s). This lighthouse was built by the Danish government shortly before the islands became a U.S. territory in 1917. Clearly endangered, the lighthouse was added to the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List in April 2004. Located at the highest point of Buck Island, about 3 mi (5 km) south of St. Thomas. The island has been a wildlife refuge since 1969. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Site manager: Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge. ARLHS VIR-002; Admiralty J5628; USCG 3-33060; NGA 14632.

Buck Island Light U.S.F.W.S. photo

St. Croix Lighthouses

Hams Bluff 1915. Active; focal plane 394 ft (120 m); two white flashes, separated by 10 s, every 30 s. Approx. 35 ft (10.5 m) cast iron tower. Two 1-story concrete keeper's houses are now owned by the U.S. Navy. Marinas.com has an aerial photo. This lighthouse was built by the Danish government shortly before the islands became a U.S. territory in 1917. Clearly endangered by poor maintenance, the lighthouse was added to the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List in April 2004. Located on the northwestern coast of St. Croix, marking the approach to the harbor of Fredericksted. Site and tower closed (land access closed to the public). Site manager: U.S. Navy. ARLHS VIR-001; Admiralty J5640; USCG 3-32845; NGA 14656. * Fort Louise Augusta (Christiansted Entrance Range Front) (1) 1919. Inactive since 1931. 1-story concrete keeper's house, formerly with a lantern mounted at one end. Building painted white with a red corrugated metal roof. The active range light (focal plane unknown; quick-flashing white light) is mounted on a 17 ft (5 m) square skeletal tower next to the house. Shawn and Kris McCourt contributed the photo at right, Don Wiss has posted a panorama of Christiansted harbor in which the active light appears at the far right, the Coast Guard has a photo of the lighthouse in its original form, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at the north end of Christiansted harbor. Accessible by road; the McCourts report the site is not so easy to find, so local assistance is suggested. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: unknown. ARLHS VIR-006; Admiralty J5642; USCG 3-32870; NGA 14664.

Fort Louise Augusta Light, April 2008 photo copyright Shawn and Kris McCourt; used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Muhlenfeldt Point (1844-?), St. Thomas (see also the postcard posted by Klaus Huelse). ARLHS VIR-005.

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Revised and updated November 20, 2007. Lighthouses: 3. Site copyright 2006 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.