Lighthouses of the Netherlands Antilles

The Netherlands Antilles was organized in 1845 to include all the Dutch possessions in the West Indies. These territiories included two groups of islands: the "ABC" islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, located in the southern Caribbean roughly 65 km (40 mi) off the coast of Venezuela; and the smaller islands of Saba, Sint Eustatius, and the southern part of Sint Maartin in the Leeward Islands some 800 km (500 mi) to the northeast. Aruba withdrew from this federation in 1986 and has since been an autonomous territory; its lighthouses are on a separate page. In 1994, the people of the remaining five islands voted to retain their link to the Netherlands. The capital of the territory is Willemstad, Curaçao.

As far as I know, there are no lighthouses in the Dutch Leeward Islands, so this page is devoted to the lighthouses of Curaçao and Bonaire. These islands are very popular tourist destinations, but not much information is available online concerning their lighthouses. Special thanks are due to Lothar Döhle, Don Wiss, Joost Keesing, and Willy Maal for the use of the photos on and linked to this page. Additional reports and photos from lighthouse visitors would be very welcome!

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.

General Sources
Bonaire Leuchttürme
Photos and notes by Lothar Döhle on the lighthouses of Bonaire.

Willemstoren Light
Lacre Punt Light (Willems Toren), Bonaire, June 2007
Creative Commons photo by D.W. Ward

Curaçao Lighthouses
* Noordpunt (2)
Station established 1913. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 6 m (20 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with a frame gallery but no lantern, centered in an unroofed concrete enclosure. Tower and enclosure painted white. Located at the northwestern tip of the island. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS NEA-008; Admiralty J6372; NGA 15964.
[Kaap Sint Marie (Bullenbaai)]
Reported inactive; quick-flashing white light. 12 m (40 ft) (?) square frame pyramidal tower. Ad. Hovestadt visited this site in December 2006 and found the light vandalized; the solar panels had been stolen. Located on the west side of the island about 8 miles northwest of Willemstad. Site and tower closed (private property). ARLHS NEA-004; Admiralty J6376; NGA 15972.
* Riffort (Rif Fort, Willemstad)
Active; focal plane 25 m (83 ft); white light, 3 s on, 2 s off. Square lantern, painted white with a red roof, mounted on a building in the Riffort, an 1828 fort on the north side of the harbor entrance of Willemstad. The lantern can be seen in an April 2007 photo of the fort. The fort is now a shopping center, and the building with the lantern is a restaurant. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Bistro le Clochard. ARLHS NEA-010; Admiralty J6378; NGA 16012.
[Punt Kanon (Oostpunt)]
Reported inactive. 12 m (40 ft) (?) square pyramidal tower; white navigation beacon. Located on the southeastern tip of Curaçao. Visible from the water only. Site and tower closed (private property, trespassers prosecuted). ARLHS NEA-009.
Klein Curaçao (Little Curaçao)
1850 (rebuilt in 1879 and again in 1913). Abandoned and endangered. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) round masonry tower connected to two 2-story keepers houses, all in ruins. Henk Koopman's photo is at right, Jessica Piek has several other photos (a little less than halfway down the page), Gordon Crago has an August 2004 photo, and Confluence.org has a good photo of the island and lighthouse. The light station buildings are the only structures on the barren island, located 11 km (7 mi) off the southeastern tip of Curaçao. Recent photos show the buildings to be crumbling rapidly. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower open but probably dangerous. Site manager: unknown. ARLHS NEA-006.
Klein Curaçao Light
ruined Klein Curaçao Light, 2004
photo copyright Henk Koopman; used by permission
 
Bonaire Lighthouses
* Malmok
Inactive. Approx. 7.5 m (25 ft) round stone tower in ruins. 1-story keeper's house also in ruins. Döhle has an excellent photo, Keith Sheridan has a March 2005 photo, and Graham Martin has a 2008 photo. Located at the northern tip of the island. Site open. Site manager: Washington/Slagbaai National Park. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS NEA-013.
* Seru Bentana (Ceru Bentana, Ricado Winklar)
Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); four white flashes every 22 s. 10 m (34 ft) square cylindrical unpainted masonry tower attached to a small service building. Döhle's photo is at right, Eliot White has a June 2003 photo, and a 2008 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was rebuilt after being heavily damaged by fire following a lightning strike in 1954. In 1999 it was renamed for Ricardo Winkler, the keeper who lost his life in the fire. Located on a rocky headland several miles east southeast of Malmok, near the northern tip of the island. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Washington/Slagbaai National Park. ARLHS NEA-002; Admiralty J6416; NGA 16056.
* Boca Spelonk
1910. Active; focal plane 30 m (100 ft); white flash every 5 s. 21 m (69 ft) round cylindrical masonry tower with gallery; lantern removed; solar-powered beacon mounted on the gallery. Lighthouse painted white. 2-story keeper's house in ruins. Döhle has a good photo. Located on a promontory at the eastern tip of the island. Accessible only by foot or 4WD. Site open; Döhle was able to climb the tower. ARLHS NEA-001; Admiralty J6414; NGA 16064.
* Kralendijk (Fort Oranje) (3)
1932 (station established 1837). Active; focal plane 13 m (44 ft); white flash every 2 s. 7 m (23 ft) square tapered-pyramidal stone tower. Don Wiss's photo is at right, Döhle has a good photo, another photo is available, and the tower is centered but difficult to spot in a Google satellite view. The light station now serves as the harbor master's office. Located on the site of a seventeenth century fort adjoining the cruise ship docks at Kralendijk, on the west side of the island. Site open, tower status uncertain. ARLHS NEA-007; Admiralty J6408.3; NGA 16093.
* Lacre Punt (Willems Toren)
Date unknown (station established 1837). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 9 s. 21 m (69 ft) round cylindrical masonry tower with gallery; lantern removed; solar-powered beacon mounted on the gallery. Lighthouse painted white with four narrow vertical red stripes. 1-story keeper's house in ruins. D.W. Ward's photo appears at the top of this page, Döhle has a photo, Alida Thorpe has a January 2006 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the southern tip of the island. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS NEA-012; Admiralty J6411; NGA 1610.

Seru Bentana Light
Seru Bentana Light, April 2002
photo copyright Lothar Döhle; used by permission

Kralendijk Light
Kralendijk (Fort Oranje) Light, February 2005
photo copyright Don Wiss; used by permission

 
Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted April 21, 2006. Checked and revised December 7, 2008. Lighthouses: 10. Site copyright 2008 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.