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