| Palau (also spelled Belau or Pelew) is an island nation at the
southeastern edge of the Philippine Sea, west of the islands of the
Micronesian federation. The islands were claimed by Spain, but there
was little European contact until the 1880s, when Germany occupied several
of the islands. After the Spanish-American War of 1898, Spain sold its
interest in Palau to Germany. In 1914, early in World War I, the islands
were annexed by Japan. American forces captured Palau in 1944 after
bloody fighting.
Following World War II, Palau was governed by the U.S. as part of the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Palau was the last region of
the trust territory to achieve its independence, in 1994. The new country signed a compact of free association with the United States; this agreement provides for U.S. economic subsidies and continues various U. S. domestic services to Palau's citizens.
Navigational aids in Palau are managed by the Ministry
of Public Infrastructure, Industries, and Commerce.
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.
- Lighthouses
- * Aivon (?)
- Date unknown. Inactive since 1941(?). Practically nothing is known about this Japanese lighthouse. A Japanese blog has a photo of a ruined building (2/3 the way down the page); the caption above the photo describes it as "traces of the northernmost lighthouse built by Japanese forces." A web page on the World War II submarine USS Batfish mentions "the Aivon lighthouse on northern tip of Babelthaup Island" as a prominent landmark, and there are several references to U.S. dive bomber attacks on the lighthouse during October 1944. Located on the extreme northern tip of Babelthaup, the largest island of Palau. Clouds obscure Google's satellite view of this area, but Bing has a satellite view that probably shows the lighthouse. The island is connected to Koror by a bridge. Site open.
- * Koror (Roisremiu)
- 1903. Inactive since 1941(?). 9 m (30 ft) round stone tower, in
ruins; the base of the lantern remains. The top of the tower is accessible
via a rusty exterior ladder. The lantern dome is lying on the ground
nearby. A photo is at right, and Steven Maher has posted a closeup
photo.
This lighthouse was built by Germany, which controlled Palau between
1899 and 1914. A 1991 postage
stamp shows an idealized view of the lighthouse when it was in
service. When the U.S. reality TV show Survivor was filmed
in Palau in 2004-05, the Tribal Council set was not far from the lighthouse.
Located at an elevation of 250 m (820 ft) on Urukthapel (Ngeruktabel)
island marking the entrance to the Lighthouse Channel and the harbor
of Koror, the capital of Palau; accessible by a fairly strenuous climb
up an old Japanese military road. Site and tower open. ARLHS PAL-004.
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Leuchtturm Koror ruins, August 2000
photo copyright Controlled
Burn; used by permission
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