| Aruba is an island located in the southern Caribbean
Sea only 27 km (17 mi) from the coast of Venezuela. The island is 32
km (20 mi) long and has a population of about 110,000. Aruba has been
a Dutch colony since 1636. In 1845 it was joined with the other Dutch
islands of the West Indies to form the Netherlands
Antilles.
It left that federation in 1986 and has been a separate Dutch territory
since then.
The Dutch word for a lighthouse is vuurtoren. The lighthouses
are probably maintained by the Aruba
Ports Authority, a corporation owned by the government.
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 List numbers
are from Publication 110.
- General Sources
- Online List of Lights - Aruba
- Photos by various photographers posted by Alex Trabas.
- Leuchttürme
Mittelamerikas und der Karibik auf historischen Postkarten
- Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
Lighthouses
- * [Seroe
(Ceru) Colorado (3)]
- Date unknown (station established 1881). Active; focal plane 51 m (167 ft);
white flash every 6 s. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) post light with a square wire cage
enclosure surrounding the beacon. Another photo
is available, and Google has a satellite
view. The wire enclosure is designed to prevent vandalism of the light.
The original light was on a wood tower, and Huelse has a postcard
view of the second lighthouse, a square masonry tower. Ruins of the second
tower are visible near the present light. Located near the southeastern tip
of the island. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARU-002;
Admiralty J6368; NGA 15960.
- ** Oranjestad
(Fort Zoutman, Willem III Tower)
- Tower built 1796; station established 1876. Inactive. 5-story square
stone tower; upper third painted white, middle third red, and lower
third blue. A navigational light was formerly displayed from the top
of this historic tower. Huelse has a postcard
view of the tower with its lantern, Roger Wollstadt has a 2008
photo,
another 2008 photo
is available, and Google has a satellite
view. Restored in 1983, the tower now houses the Historical
Museum of Aruba. Located at Zoutman and Oranje Streets in downtown
Oranjestad, one block from the waterfront. Site and tower open daily.
Site manager: Fundacion Museo Arubano. ARLHS ARU-004.
|
Noordwestpunt (California) Light, January 2006
Creative Commons photo by Angela Sevin |