Lighthouses of Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an overseas département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, the curving chain of islands at the eastern end of the Caribbean Sea. The island of Guadeloupe itself is shaped remarkably like a butterfly. The two wings of the butterfly, Grande-Terre to the east and Basse-Terre to the west, are nearly joined by a narrow isthmus crossed by a narrow channel. Also included in the département are the nearby islands of Marie Galante, La Désirade, Petite-Terre, and Les Saintes.

Guadeloupe is governed like any other département of France. Aids to navigation are regulated by the Bureau des Phares et Balises, an agency of the French maritime directorate, but they are operated by the Port Autonome de Guadeloupe, the local port authority. The French word for a lighthouse, phare, is generally reserved for larger coastal lighthouses; a smaller light or harbor light is called a feu (literally "fire," but here meaning "light").

Most of the lighthouses of the Lesser Antilles are very poorly known, so information about them would be welcome, and photos are especially welcome.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.

General Sources
Phares d'Amérique
This page, part of Alain Guyomard and Robert Carceller's site Le Phare à travers le monde, links to several photos of the lighthouses of Guadeloupe.
Online List of Lights - Leeward Islands
Photos by various photographers posted by Alex Trabas. The Guadeloupe photos are all by Klaus Potschien.
Lighthouses in the Caribbean
Excellent aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.
Leuchttürme Mittelamerikas und der Karibik auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.

Phare d'Îlet du Gosier
photo copyright Geoff Schultz; used by permission
Île de la Désirade Lighthouse
* La Désirade (2)
Date unknown (modern; station established 1933). Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) triangular cylindrical concrete tower with a hexagonal gallery. The light is displayed from a pedestal atop the gallery. There is an enclosed equipment room at the base of the tower, but access to the gallery is by an external ladder. Tower painted white, gallery and pedestal painted red. A 2007 photo is available, and Mathias Montassier has a distant view. The original lighthouse was a cast iron skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Located at the eastern end of the island of La Désirade, which is east of the main island of Guadeloupe; a map is available. Accessible by air or ferry. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS GUA-005; Admiralty J5724; NGA 14812.

Grande-Terre Lighthouses
Le Moule (Port du Moule)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); quick-flashing light, white or red depending on direction. 11 m (36 ft) square concrete skeletal tower with enclosed lower section. Lighthouse pianted white with a green top. Trabas has Potschien's photo. Located on the west side of the entrance to Le Moule, a small port and resort town on the northeast coast of Grande-Terre. Site status unknown. Admiralty J5722; NGA 14844.
* Le Moule (Port du Moule) Est
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) square concrete skeletal tower with enclosed lower section. Lighthouse painted white with a red top. Georges Dupont has a photo. Located on the east side of the entrance to Le Moule. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5723; NGA 14848.
* Petite-Terre
1841. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); 3 white flashes every 12 s. 26 m (85 ft) round brick tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a square 1-story stone keeper's house. Tower unpainted, lantern painted green. Harry Mongongnon has a photo, a closeup of this historic lighthouse is available, and Google has a satellite view. Petite-Terre is a small island southeast of Guadeloupe. Located at the eastern end of the island. The lighthouse is visible distantly from Pointe des Châteaux at the easternmost tip of the main island. Accessible only by boat; tours available from Saint François. The island is a nature reserve and a permit is required to land there. Site and tower closed. ARLHS GUA-006; Admiralty J5730; NGA 14832.
* Îlet du Gosier (2)
1883 (station established 1858). Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); two red flashes every 10 s. 21 m (69 ft) round brick tower with lantern and gallery, rising from the center of a circular workroom; the red navigation beacon is now mounted above the lantern. Tower painted white, lantern and gallery bright red. Geoff Schultz's photo appears above, Trabas has Potschien's photo, another photo is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 100 meters offshore from Gosier and 5 km (3 mi) south of Pointe-à-Pitre. Accessible only by boat. Site open; visitors can climb to the observation level atop the workroom. ARLHS GUA-001; Admiralty J5734; NGA 14860.

Basse-Terre Lighthouses
* Trois-Rivières
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); alternating red, green, and white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 9 m (29 ft) round masonry tower with gallery, painted white with a green band at the top. The lighthouse has a small gallery, but no lantern. Nancy Rau's photo is at right, a fine closeup is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a bluff above the small harbor at Trois-Rivières, on the southeast coast of Basse-Terre about 11 km (7 mi) east of Vieux-Fort. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS GUA-010; Admiralty J5702; NGA 14880.

Phare de Trois Rivières
photo copyright Nancy J. Rau; used by permission
* Vieux-Fort
Date unknown (1960s?). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); two white flashes, 6 s off, one white flash, 6 s off. 23 m (75 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery. The lighthouse is painted white; the lantern is gray. Trabas has Potschien's closeup, Guyomard and Carceller have photos by Gilles Dhordain, Guillaume Laforge has a fine photo, Claude Roussel-Dupré has a panoramic view, Klaus Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the southwestern tip of the island, with popular gardens nearby. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS GUA-007; Admiralty J5704; NGA 14888.
* Anse à la Barque (2)
Date unknown (station established 1886). Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); two flashes, alternating two red, two green, and two white, every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) round masonry tower, painted white. The lighthouse has a small gallery, but no lantern. Trabas has Potschien's photo, Tim Buck has posted an additional photo, and a good closeup is available. Located in a small bay about 10 km (6 mi) north of Basse-Terre on the west side of the island. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5712; NGA 14892.
* Pointe de la Barque (Pointe de l'Anse)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); nine quick white flashes every 15 s. 7 m (23 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with enclosed equipment room. Tower painted bright yellow with one narrow horizontal black band. Matthias Burch has a 2008 photo. Located on the point enclosing the north side of Anse à la Barque. Accessible by hiking trail within a protected natural area. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS GUA-002; Admiralty J5710; NGA 14896.

Île des Saintes Lighthouse
* Bourg des Saintes
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); flash every 4 s, white, red, or green depending on direction. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with gallery but no lantern, painted white. Guyomard and Carceller have posted a photo by Yves Conne, Trabas has Potschien's photo, and a 2007 photo is available. The tower is not conspicuous in a Google satellite view. The Îles des Saintes are small islands located about 20 km (13 mi) south of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. Located at the foot of the wharf in Bourg des Saintes, the only town in the islands. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS GUA-011; Admiralty J5746; NGA 14904.
Phare du Vieux-Fort
Phare du Vieux-Fort, May 2003
photo copyright Nathalie Bibrac; all rights reserved
used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

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Posted December 8, 2005. Checked and revised October 30, 2009. Lighthouses: 10. Site copyright 2009 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.