Lighthouses of Gabon

The former French colony of Gabon straddles the Equator, with about 800 km (500 mi) of coastline facing west on the Atlantic. The country was organized as a French colony around 1885, and from 1910 to 1959 it was part of the consolidated colony known as French Equatorial Africa. Gabon became independent in 1960. Aids to navigation in Gabon are maintained by the Office des Ports et Rades du Gabon (OPRAG). Libreville, Owendo, and Port-Gentil are the major ports. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113. General Sources Phares d'Afrique Photos posted by Alain Guyomard and Robert Carceller as part of their Phares du Monde web site. Afrikanische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten Historic postcard images from the collection of Klaus Huelse. Lighthouses * Pointe N'Dombo Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); white flash every 4 s. 7 m (26 ft) white square tower. No photo available. Located on the beach at Pointe N'Dombo, about 10 km (6 mi) south of Cocobeach in the northwestern corner of the country. Site status unknown; the beach seems to be accessible from the main coastal highway. ARLHS GAB-003; Admiralty D4260; NGA 25304. * Cap Estérias Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); three white flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 12 s. 18 m (59 ft) tower, consisting of a square skeletal tower mounted on a 9 m (30 ft) square pyramidal masonry or concrete tower. A 2008 photo is available, Varin Régis also has a 2008 photo, and Huelse has a historic postcard view. This appears to be an old daybeacon converted later to a lighted aid. The building next to the lighthouse is a vessel traffic control station; we don't know if this station is active. Located on a prominent point of land about 3 km (2 mi) north of Sahoue and 23 km (14 mi) northwest of Libreville; the area has a number of beach resorts. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS GAB-001; Admiralty D4272; NGA 25312.

Phare de Cap Lopez, November 2005 Panoramio photo, copyright stefan032872 used by permission

Pointe Owendo (Ovendo)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 46 m (151 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white, lantern red. No photo available. Located on a promontory on the north side of the Estuaire du Gabon, one of the largest sheltered embayments on the western coast of Africa, at the entrance to the harbor of Owendo, about 20 km (13 mi) southeast of Libreville. Site status unknown. ARLHS GAB-004; Admiralty D4286; NGA 25356.

* Pointe Gombé (Ngombé, Pointe Denis) 1891. Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted blue with a white rectangular grid, as seen in Marc Quesnel's 2008 photo. 1-story keeper's house. This is the landfall light for Libreville, the national capital. It has restored in recent years, and apparently the station has been converted into a resort. Located on the western point of the peninsula sheltering the Estuaire du Gabon. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS GAB-002; Admiralty D4276; NGA 25316. * Port Gentil 1920s (?). Inactive. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) hexagonal cast iron skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted black, lantern white with a green dome. The tower also carries a white trapezoidal daymark panel. A February 2005 photo of the abandoned lighthouse (no longer available), showed it to be in very poor condition at that time. Before June 2007, the lighthouse was restored to its appearance in the photo at right. Port Gentil is Gabon's second largest city and a center for the oil industry. Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view of the site (the tower and its accompanying service building are the west (left) side of the street intersection in the center of the image). Located on the waterfront of Port Gentil, one block southwest of the main quay. Site open; tower closed. ARLHS GAB-006. ** Cap Lopez (2) 1911 (station established 1897). Inactive for many years. 30 m (98 ft) cast iron tower with lantern and double gallery. A 2009 photo and a 2007 photo are available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Cap Lopez is the westernmost point, not only of Gabon but of all of equatorial Africa. Historically the lighthouse was the landfall light for Port Gentil, which is sheltered in a broad bay behind the cape. Today the lighthouse is endangered by beach erosion and could collapse at any time. Nonetheless, it is one of the best known tourist attractions in the country. Located about 2 km (1.25 mi) south of the point of the cape and about 20 km (13 mi) northwest of Port Gentil. The area is accessible by paved road. Site open, tower open but, in the words of one tourist site, très dangereux. ARLHS GAB-005. Gamba Date unknown. Active; focal plane 47 m (154 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. No photo available. Located near Gamba in southern Gabon. Site status unknown. ARLHS GAB-007; Admiralty D8610; NGA 25444.

Phare de Port Gentil, June 2007 photo copyright Sam Hedouin; used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted September 15, 2005. Checked and revised October 20, 2009. Lighthouses: 7. Site copyright 2009 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.