Lighthouses of the Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Islands are located at the southeastern end of the Bahamas archipelago. At one time they were governed as part of the Bahamas, but in 1874 they were detached and placed under the Governor of Jamaica. When Jamaica became independent in 1962, the Turks and Caicos became a separate British overseas territory with its capital at Grand Turk. The population is roughly 30,000. There is only one major lighthouse, but it is a very historic lighthouse, one of the oldest cast iron lights in the Western Hemisphere.

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.

Lighthouse
* South Caicos (Cockburn Harbour)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); continuous white light. 4.5 m (15 ft) rectangular white concrete tower; the light, shown through a window, is visible only to the southeast. Brian Brake has a photo. Located on the southeastern tip of Caicos Island. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J4808; NGA 12392.
* Grand Turk
1852 (Alexander Gordon). Reactivated (1998); focal plane 33 m (108 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 18 m (60 ft) cast iron tower, painted white, attached to kerosene storage house. A 4th order Fresnel lens (1943) from the lighthouse is on display at the Turks and Caicos National Museum. The keeper's house and kitchen also survive. Lindsay Blackburn's photo is at right, Amy Spencer's wider view is below, Reef News also has a good page with closeup photos, Marinas.com has excellent aerial photos, Google has an indistinct satellite view, and Lighthouse Digest has an article on earlier unsuccessful efforts to restore the lighthouse to kerosene power. The lighthouse was prefabricated in London by Chance Brothers; it is a very rare example of this early design in cast iron. After many years of neglect, the lighthouse was partially restored in 1998. In 2006, Carnival Corp., the cruise line holding company, granted funds to repaint and refurbish the lighthouse, keeper's cottage, and other light station buildings. This was part of much larger investment to develop Grand Turk as a regular stop for cruise ships. The results of the restoration are seen in Blackburn's photo. Grand Turk suffered considerable damage from Hurricane Ike in September 2008, but a photo taken after the hurricane shows that the lighthouse survived (though it needs repainting). Rosalie Beasley has a portfolio of photos taken in December 2008. Located at the northern tip of Grand Turk Island; accessible by road. Cruise ships calling at the island offer tours that include the light station. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Turks and Caicos National Trust. ARLHS TCI-001; Admiralty J4812; NGA 12408.

Grand Turk Light
Grand Turk Light, September 2006
Creative Commons photo by Lindsay Blackburn

[Big Sand Cay (1)]
Date unknown. Inactive. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower, now rusted and lying on its side. The light was replaced by a short post light, which seems to be abandoned. Jan Buskop has a photo (almost halfway down the page). This light marked the southernmost point of the Turks and Caicos Islands, about 25 km (15 mi) south southwest of Grand Turk Island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J4818; NGA 12432.


Grand Turk Light, April 2005
photo copyright Amy Spencer; used by permission

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Posted September 16, 2005. Checked and revised September 20, 2009. Lighthouses: 2. Site copyright 2009 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.