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 even narrower 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 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 - Guadeloupe
Photos by various photographers posted by Alex Trabas.
Lighthouses in Guadeloupe
Photos available from Wikimedia.
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 (Pointe Doublé) (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 photo is at right, a 2007 photo is available, and Mathias Montassier has a distant view, but Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the location. 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
* Port Louis
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); nine quick white flashes every 15 s. 10 m (33 ft) square concrete skeletal tower with enclosed lower section. Lighthouse painted yellow with a black horizontal band. Rolf Kamras has a closeup photo, and a second photo is available, but the tower is not conspicuous in Google's satellite view. Located at the north end of the waterfront in Port Louis, a small port on the west side of the northern peninsula of Grade-Terre. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5716; NGA 14836.
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 painted white with a green top. Trabas has Klaus Potschien's photo, but Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the location. 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, but Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the location. 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, Wikimedia has a view from the sea, Christophe Hamieau has a distant view, 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.
Phare de la Désirade
Phare de la Désirade, September 2009
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo
by Nathalie Bordy and François Barthélemy
* 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 Klaus Potschien's photo, Wikimedia has a 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.
* Pointe-à-Pitre Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); quick-flashing white light, intensified on the range line. 14 m (46 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. The tower also carries a white, horizontally-slatted daymark. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo. Located at the south end of the Monroux peninsula on the east side of the entrance to Pointe-à-Pitre. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5736; NGA 14864.
* [Pointe-à-Pitre Range Rear]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); quick-flashing white light. 20 m (66 ft) square steel mast, painted white with a green top. The tower also carries a white, horizontally-slatted daymark. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo. Located on Pointe Fouillole, 640 m (0.4 mi) north northwest of the front light. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5736.1; NGA 14868.

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 concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The lighthouse is painted white; the lantern is gray. Trabas has Klaus Potschien's closeup, Guyomard and Carceller have photos by Gilles Dhordain, Guillaume Laforge has a fine photo, Wikimedia has a fine photo by Stéphane Batigne, 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, and an additional photo and a good closeup are available, but Google has only a distant satellite view of the area. 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 Klaus Potschien's photo, Wikimedia has a fine closeup by Stéphane Batigne, 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

Marie-Galante Lighthouse
* Saint-Louis
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green flash every 4 s. 9 m (30 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with gallery but no lantern. The upper 1/4 of the tower is painted green and the rest white. Claude Mafart has a photo, but Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of the town. Marie-Galante is an island about 15 km (9 mi) in diameter, located about 20 km (13 mi) southeast of Basse-Terre. Located at the north end of the waterfront of Saint-Louis on the northwest coast of the island. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS GUA-009; Admiralty J5750; NGA 14912.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Antigua and Barbuda | South: Dominica

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Posted December 8, 2005. Checked and revised November 17, 2011. Lighthouses: 13. Site copyright 2011 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.