Lighthouses of Guam

Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Spain colonized the island in 1668 and controlled it until U.S. forces captured it during the Spanish-American War in 1898. During World War II, Guam was occupied by Japanese forces from late 1941 through July 1944, when it was recaptured by American forces in bloody fighting.

There are no traditional lighthouses today in Guam, but the island does have a very poorly known lighthouse history. There are two obvious sites for lighthouses. Orote Point, on the west side of the island, is a steep promontory marking the entrance to Apra Harbor, the island's only protected anchorage and port. Ritidian Point, at the northern tip of the island, features a precipitous cliff looming over a sandy beach.

Spain built a small lighthouse at Orote Point sometime in the late 1800s. There are no images of this lighthouse available, and it seems to have vanished completely. At Ritidian Point, the U.S. built a lighthouse of some kind in 1932. Again, no images are available. It may be that this lighthouse did not survive World War II.

Today, ordinary post lights are in place at both locations. Does anyone have photos of the Ritidian Point lighthouse, or has anyone seen images of the Spanish lighthouse at Orote Point? if so, please share what you know!

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume M of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 111. USCG numbers are from Volume VI of the U.S. Coast Guard Light List.

Ritidian Point Light, April 2008
Creative Commons photo by Selena Hoy

Lighthouses
* [Orote Point (3?)]: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 69 m (226 ft); white flash every 5 s. 7 m (23 ft) white concrete post light. The tower also carries a black and white, diamond-shaped daymarker. Spain built a small lighthouse on Orote Point late in the 1800s, according to Part B of the National Park Service's report, Archaeology and History of Guam. Nothing remains of this tower. The present tower can be seen in a distant photo of the point, and Google's satellite view shows the nearby communication towers. There is a popular overlook very near the tower. Located atop a steep bluff on the south side of the entrance to Apra harbor, on the southwestern side of the island. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS GUM-001; Admiralty M8384; NGA 10982; USCG 6-30685.
[Ritidian Point (2?)]: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 175 m (573 ft); white flash every 6 s. 6 m (20 ft) white post light. The tower also carries a black and white, diamond-shaped daymarker. The light can be seen in Selena Hoy's photo of the bluff at Ritidian Point; a small portion of this high-resolution photo appears above. Google has a satellite view of the site. Pete Payette writes that a lighthouse was built here in 1932. According to Michel Forand, a 1937 French light list for the Pacific describes the lighthouse as a 13 m (43 ft) white tower with the same 175 m focal plane as the current light. Located high above the northernmost point of the island. Site status uncertain, probably closed. Admiralty M8382; NGA 10981; USCG 6-30660.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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