Lighthouses of the Spratly Islands

The Spratly Islands (as they are known in the West) are a group of more than 100 islands and reefs spread across an elliptical area 1000 km (625 mi) long and 400 km (250 mi) wide in the South China Sea northwest of Borneo, southwest of the Philippines, and east of Vietnam. The history of the islands is long and complex. France claimed the islands as part of French Indochina and occupied several of them, but this claim was not recognized internationally. Presently Vietnam, China, and Taiwan claim all of the islands, the Philippines claims most of them, Malaysia claims some of them, and Indonesia and Brunei have economic interests in the area although they make no formal claims.

Following the reunification of the country in 1975, Vietnam moved quickly to establish a presence in the Spratlys. The Vietnamese now occupy more than 20 islands, and they have built substantial lighthouses on at least nine of them. Taiwan, Malaysia, and the Philippines also operate one or more lights in the islands. These lights do have navigational value, but they are also intended as assertions of sovereignty, even though international tribunals have ruled several times that building a lighthouse does not establish ownership of an island.

The Lighthouse Directory does not support any side in the disputes over this area. The only purpose of this page is to describe the lighthouses of the islands; they are grouped by the countries that operate them.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Southern Vietnam Maritime Safety - Lighthouses
An interactive map of lighthouse locations, linking to pages on the individual light stations.
Spratly Islands Map
A useful map posted by the University of Texas Library.
Digital Gazetteer of the Spratly Islands
A table of islands listing the occupier and noting the location of lighthouses as of 1995; useful but out of date.
Quần đảo Trường Sa (Spratly Islands)
This article in the Vietnamese language edition of Wikipedia has greater detail than any other known Internet source on the history and status of the individual islands; it is told from the Vietnamese point of view, of course.


An Bang (Amboyna Cay) Light
Southern Vietnam Maritime Safety photo

Lighthouses Operated by Vietnam

Note: The Spratlys are called Trường Sa in Vietnam, and the Vietnamese islands are attached administratively to Khanh Hoa Province. In 2009 plans were announced for additional lighthouses on Trường Sa (Spratly Island), Sơn Ca (Sand Island), Nam Yết (Namyit Island), and Sinh Tồn (Sin Cowe Island). These lighthouses have been completed, but information about them is incomplete.
Northern Spratly Islands Lighthouses
Song Tử Tây (Southwest Cay of North Danger Reef)
1993. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white flash every 15 s. 36 m (118 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from the center of a multistory station building. Lighthouse painted white. A photo is at right, Wikipedia has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. North Danger Reef is at the extreme northern end of the Spratlys. This 12 ha (30 acre) island is one of the largest in the northern Spratlys. It was occupied by the Philippines in 1968, but a Vietnamese naval operation took the island in 1974. Vietnam began development of a major base on the cay soon thereafter and built its first Spratly Islands lighthouse here in 1993. Northeast Cay, on the other side of the reef, is still occupied by the Philippines. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-007; Admiralty F2824.5; NGA 20289.2.
Sơn Ca (Sand Cay)
2009. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); two flashes every 10 s, alternately yellow and red. 25.5 m (84 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story station building. Lighthouse painted with yellow and red horizontal bands. The islet does not appear in Google's satellite view. Sand Cay is a 7 ha (17 acre) island on the Tizard Bank located about 12 km (7.5 mi) northeast of the Taiwanese base of Taiping Dao (Itu Aba) in the north central Spratlys. The history of the island is unclear; Vietnam has occupied it at least intermittantly since the 1970s but its base there is relatively new. Site and tower closed.
Nam Yết (Namyit Island)
2010 (?). Active; focal plane about 28 m (92 ft); light characteristic unknown. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story station building. Lighthouse painted with yellow and red horizontal bands. A closeup (fourth photo on the page) and a view from the sea (about 1/5 the way down the page) are available, but the lighthouse is too new to appear in Google's satellite view of the island. A sibling of the Sơn Ca lighthouse. Namyit is a 6 ha (15 acre) island at the south end of the Tizard Bank. The island has been occupied by Vietnam since the late 1970s. Site and tower closed.
Sinh Tồn (Sin Cowe Island)
2010 (?). Active; focal plane about 28 m (92 ft); light characteristic unknown. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story station building. Lighthouse painted yellow with white trim. A photo (a little over 2/3 the way down the page) and a second photo (2/3 the way down the page) are available, but the lighthouse is too new to appear in Google's satellite view of the island. Sin Cowe is a 3 ha (8 acre) island on the north side of the Union Banks in the central Spratlys. Vietnam occupied the island in 1975 and has maintained a small base there ever since. Site and tower closed.
Song Tử Tây Light
Song Tử Tây Light
Southern Vietnam Maritime Safety photo

Southern Spratly Islands Lighthouses
Trường Sa Lớn (Spratly Island)
2009 (?). Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story station building. Building and lighthouse painted yellow with white trim. Google has a satellite view. Spratly Island is a 17 hectare (37 acre) island that has some of the highest land in the islands, reaching an altitude of 5 m (17 ft) above high tide. The South Vietnamese government established a small base on the island in 1974, and Vietnam has occupied it ever since, establishing one of its most important bases in the archipelago. It is surprising that it took so long to build a lighthouse. Site and tower closed.
Đá Lát (Ladd Reef)
1994. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 5 s. 42 m (138 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with lantern and gallery mounted on a 2-story octagonal station building, all standing on concrete and steel piles. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. A photo is at right. Ladd Reef, which is dry only at low tide, is near the southwestern end of the Spratlys and is the closest land (or near-land) to Vietnam. China is said to have placed a marker here in 1992, which probably encouraged action by Vietnam to occupy the area. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-004; Admiralty F2825.1; NGA 20290.
Phúc Tần (Prince of Wales Bank)
1994. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 5 s. 23 m (75 ft) tower; the light is displayed from the top of a hexagonal or octagonal keeper's house standing on tall pilings. Lighthouse painted white. A 2008 photo and a more recent photo are available. Phúc Tần is a submerged reef of the Prince of Wales Bank at the extreme southwestern corner of the Spratlys. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-005; Admiralty F2825.197; NGA 20290.2.
Huyền Trân (Alexandra Bank)
1994. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); three white flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 10 s. 23 m (75 ft) tower; the light is displayed from the top of a hexagonal or octagonal keeper's house standing on tall pilings. A 2007 photo shows this tower, and a small photo is available (halfway down the page). Huyền Trân is a submerged reef of the Alexandra Bank, about 15 km (9 mi) southeast of the Prince of Wales Bank at the extreme southwestern corner of the Spratlys. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-001; Admiralty F2825.196; NGA 20290.4.
Quế Đường (Grainger Bank)
1994. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 23 m (75 ft) tower; the light is displayed from the top of a hexagonal or octagonal keeper's house standing on tall pilings. A page for the lighthouse has several photos. Quế Đường is a submerged reef of the Grainger Bank, about 25 km (15 mi) southwest of the Alexandra Bank at the extreme southwestern corner of the Spratlys. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-003; Admiralty F2825.194; NGA 20291.2.
Ba Kè (Rifleman Bank, Bombay Castle)
1995. Active; focal plane 22.5 m (74 ft); three white flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 12 s. 22.5 m (74 ft) tower; the light is displayed from the top of a hexagonal or octagonal keeper's house standing on tall pilings. A photo and a second photo are available. Ba Kè, also called Bombay Castle, is a submerged reef at the northern end of the extensive Rifleman Bank, about 125 km (80 mi) east of Huyền Trân (Alexandra Bank) and the same distance west of An Bang (Amboyna Cay). Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-006; Admiralty F2825.19; NGA 20290.6.
Đá Lát Light
Đá Lát Light
Southern Vietnam Maritime Safety photo
Đá Tây (West Reef)
1994. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery rising from the center of a multistory station building. Tower painted gray; station building painted yellow. A photo is at right, a page for the station has several photos, but the reef is only a blur in Google's satellite view. West Reef is one of the London Reefs, about 65 km (40 mi) northeast of Ladd Reef. There is not much land here, but Vietnam has built up what there is into an important base. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-008; Admiralty F2825.15; NGA 20290.1.
An Bang (Amboyna Cay) (2)
1938. Reactivated (inactive 1941(?)-1995); focal plane 25 m (82 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 22 m (72 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story concrete keeper's house. Tower painted gray; keeper's house and gallery rail painted yellow. The SVMS photo at the top of this page shows the earlier all-white pattern. A 2008 photo shows the current color pattern, and a wider view is also available, but Google's satellite view is only a blur. With an area of about 1.6 ha (4 acres), Amboyna is one of the few southern Spratly Islands that actually has some dry land. France occupied the island in 1933. During the 1970s the island was derelict and the subject of competing operations; Malaysian forces occupied it briefly in 1978. Vietnam had assumed full control of the island at least by 1984. The historic lighthouse was restored and reactivated in 1995. Located in the southern part of the Spratlys, about 120 km (75 mi) southeast of Đá Tây Light. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-002; Admiralty F2825.18; NGA 20290.8.
Phan Vinh (Pearson Reef) (?)
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); light characteristic unknown. Light mounted atop a 2-story building. A 2008 photo is available, but the reef is only a blur in Google's satellite view. There's no confirmation of a light here, but it certainly seems likely that there is one. Vietnam occupied this location in 1988. The reef is about 175 km (110 mi) north of Amboyna Cay. Site and tower closed.
Tốc Tan (Alison Reef)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); light characteristic unknown. Light on a post mounted atop a 3-story building. A 2008 photo is available. There's no confirmation of a light here, but it certainly seems likely that there is one. Vietnam occupied this location in 1988. The reef is about halfway between the Pearson and Cornwallis South Reefs. Site and tower closed.
Núi Le (Cornwallis South Reef) (?)
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); light characteristic unknown. Light mounted atop a 2-story structure on pilings. A 2008 photo is available, but the reef is only a blur in Google's satellite view. There's no confirmation of a light here, but it certainly seems likely that there is one. Vietnam occupied this location in 1988. The reef is about 175 km (110 mi) northeast of Amboyna Cay. Site and tower closed.
Đá Tây Light
Đá Tây Light
Southern Vietnam Maritime Safety photo
Tiên Nữ (Pigeon Reef, Tennent Reef)
2000. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); three white flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 10 s. 20.5 m (67 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery centered on a 3-story octagonal crew quarters building. Lighthouse painted beige with blue trim. A 2009 photo, a 2008 closeup, and a 2005 photo are available. A Communist Party article (formerly online) says, "This island has the most beautiful lighthouse in [the] Trường Sa archipelago." The mostly-submerged Pigeon Reef is 265 km (165 mi) due east of West Reef in the central Spratlys, and its occupation by Vietnam represented a significant geographical extension of Vietnamese activity in the islands. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-014; Admiralty F2825.05.

Lighthouses Operated by the Philippines

Note: The Spratlys are called the Kalayaan Islands in the Philippines; the Philippine settlements are attached administratively to Palawan province.
Pagasa (Thi Tu, Thitu) Island (Kalayaan)
1976(?). Active; focal plane unknown; white flash every 5 s. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) square cylindrical white concrete skeletal tower with a roofed gallery; the light appears to be mounted atop the roof. This tower serves as an observation tower at the military airstrip built on the island in 1976 by the Phillipines Air Force. A dawn photo and a 2007 photo are available, and Google has a good satellite view. Thitu is the second largest of the Spratlys with an area of 37 ha (91 acres). It is the principal base for the Philippines in the archipelago. A permanent population of about 200 has settled on the island, forming a community called Kalayaan. In 2007 the air force announced plans to rehabilitate the airstrip with an eye to encouraging development of the island as a beach resort. Located about 45 km (27 mi) south of North Danger Reef. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-010; Admiralty F2824; NGA 20289.6.

Lighthouses Operated by Taiwan

Note: The Spratlys are called the Nansha Islands in China.
Taiping Dao (Itu Aba Island)
Date unknown (1942?). Inactive. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower rising from the front of a 1-story masonry keeper's house. The building appears in the photo at right, and the mainland Chinese web site from which this photo was taken also has a closeup (third photo on the page), and Google has a satellite view. Taiping (Itu Aba) is the largest of the Spratly Islands, almost 1 km (0.6 mi) long and with an area of 46 ha (114 acres). The Digital Gazetteer mentions a lighthouse on the island, but there is no light listed there at the present time. Japan, which ruled Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, quickly seized the Spratlys in 1941 and established a naval base on Itu Aba. The surviving masonry building does appear to be a Japanese lighthouse from which the lantern has been removed; however, it may never have been in service. At the end of World War II in 1945, the (Nationalist) Chinese warship Taiping arrived to take the surrender of the Japanese garrison. The Nationalist government took over the Japanese base and has occupied it continuously since 1956. Presently the island has a coast guard station, a weather station, and an army garrison of about 600 troops. The island is in the northern Spratlys about 75 km (47 mi) almost due south of Pagasa Island. It is administered as the Cijin District of Kaohsiung City. Site and tower closed. ARLHS SPR-013.

Taiping Dao; Republic of China photo

Lighthouses Operated by the People's Republic of China

Note: In the People's Republic, the Nansha (Spratly) Islands are attached administratively to Hainan Province.
Zhubi Jiao (Subi Reef)
2002(?). Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); light characteristic unknown. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Sources in the Philippines announced in December 2010 that China had built a lighthouse on Zhubi Jiao (known as Zamora in the Philippines), a reef 26 km (16 mi) southwest of the Philippine base at Pagasa (Thitu). The Defense Ministry confirmed later that the lighthouse had been in existence at least since 2002, although the light is not listed by international authorities. China occupied the reef in 1988 and maintains a military outpost on the island. Site and tower closed.
Nunxun Jiao (North Gaven Reef)
Date unknown (1988?). Active; white light; characteristic unknown. Light mounted on a short mast atop a 3-story military outpost. Structure painted white with red trim. A photo is available, but the reef is only a blur in Google's satellite view. The reef is at the west end of the Tizard Bank, about 10 km (6 mi) west of Namyit Island. Site and tower closed.
Dongmen Jiao (Hughes Reef)
Date unknown (1988?). Active; white light; characteristic unknown. Light mounted on a short mast atop a 3-story military outpost. Structure painted white with red trim. A 2009 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Hughes Reef is part of the Union Banks in the center of the Spratlys. China's base dates from 1988. Site and tower closed.
Zhubi Jiao Light
Zhubi Jiao Light with Chinese fishing boats
photo by PRC Xinhua News Agency
Chigua Jiao (Johnson South Reef)
Date unknown (1988?). Active; white light; characteristic unknown. Light mounted on a short mast atop a 3-story military outpost. Structure painted white with red trim. A photo is available (1/3 the way down the page), and Google has a satellite view. Johnson South Reef is at the southwestern end of the Union Banks. China's base dates from 1988. Site and tower closed.
Meiji Jiao (Mischief Reef)
Date unknown (1995?). Active; white light; characteristic unknown. Light mounted on a short mast atop a 3-story military outpost. Structure painted white with red trim. A good aerial photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. This is China's southeasternmost outpost in the Spratlys. Mischief Reef is an isolated atoll about 100 km (60 mi) east of the Union Banks. Site and tower closed.
Yongshu Jiao (Yungshu Jiao, Fiery Cross Reef) (2?)
2010(?). Active; focal plane about 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 4 s. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. A photo and a second photo are available, but the structures on the reef are not seen in Google's satellite view. The Admiralty and NGA describe a much taller tower with a focal plane of 29 m (95 ft), but no photos of such a tower have been found. In 1988, Vuetnam sent ships to Fiery Cross Reef to begin construction of a base, but their ships were chased away by Chinese naval vessels. China occupied the reef in 1988 and has built an airstrip and a small port on reclaimed land. The reef is near the western edge of the Spratlys, west of the Union Banks. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F2825.17; 20289.8.
Huayang Jiao (Cuarteron Reef)
Date unknown (1988?). Active; white light; characteristic unknown. Light mounted on a short mast atop a 3-story military outpost. Structure painted white with red trim. A photo and a second photo are available, but the reef is only a blur in Google's satellite view. This is China's southernmost outpost in the Spratlys. Cuarteron Reef is is in the London Banks. China's base dates from 1988. Site and tower closed.

Lighthouses Operated by Malaysia

Note: Malaysia claims only the southernmost islands of the Spratly archipelago; they are attached administratively to the Malaysian state of Sabah.
* [Layang Layang (Swallow Reef)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); white flash every 5 s. Triangular gray concrete pylon. A photo and a more distant view are available; there is also an aerial photo of the island, and Google has a satellite view of the settlement. In 1983, after an unsuccessful effort to occupy Amboyna Cay, Malaysia chose Swallow Reef (Pulau Layang Layang) as its main outpost in the Spratlys, building an airstrip, a small naval base, and more recently a 15-room scuba diving resort. The resort is the destination of regular flights from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, making this the only island in the Spratlys accessible to tourists. The island is in the southernmost Spratlys about 110 km (70 mi) southeast of Amboyna Cay. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SPR-009; Admiralty F2825.2; NGA 24376.
[Semarang Barat Besar (Royal Charlotte Reef)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. Triangular gray concrete tower. A photo is available. Barely breaking the surface, this reef is about 50 km (30 mi) southwest of Layang Layang. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SPR-011; Admiralty F2825.3; NGA 24380.
[Semarang Barat Kecil (Louisa Reef)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); white flash every 10 s. Triangular gray concrete tower. There is a photo (near the bottom of the page) showing an unlit gray obelisk as of 2003; we don't know if the light is mounted on this structure, but that seems likely. The reef is only a faint blur in Google's satellite view. Southernmost of all the Spratly islands, Louisa Reef also lies within the fishing zone claimed by Brunei. Located about 125 km (80 mi) southwest of Layang Layang. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SPR-012; Admiralty F2825.4; NGA 24384.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Xisha (Paracel Islands) | East: Southwestern Philippines | South: East Malaysia | West: Southern Vietnam

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Posted April 24, 2006. Checked and revised October 2, 2012. Lighthouses: 25. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.