Lighthouses of Saint-Barthélemy

This page includes lighthouses of a small territory of France located in the Leeward Islands at the northeastern corner of the Caribbean Sea. Saint-Barthélemy, often known informally as St.-Barth or St.-Barts, is a small volcanic island about 10 km (6 mi) long west to east and 4 km (2.5 mi) wide. It has an unusual history: although settled by France it was sold to Sweden in 1784. The Swedes ruled the island until 1878, when they sold it back to France. A result of the Swedish occupation is that many place names on the island are Swedish. The capital, Gustavia, is named for King Gustav III of Sweden. The population of the island is about 10,000.

The two French Leeward Islands territories of St.-Martin and St.-Barthélemy were formerly governed as dependencies of the larger island of Guadeloupe but since 2007 they have reported separately to Paris as collectivités of France.

The French word for a lighthouse is phare, although a smaller light or harbor light is called a feu (literally "fire," but here meaning "light") or a balise (beacon). In French île is an island, cap is a cape, pointe is a promontory or point of land, roche is a rock, récife is a reef, baie is a bay, estuaire is an estuary or inlet, détroit is a strait, rivière is a river, and havre is a harbor.

Most of the lighthouses of the Lesser Antilles are very poorly known, so information about them would be welcome, and photos are especially 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 numbers are from Publication 110.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Saint Barthélemy
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
World of Lighthouses - Saint Barthélemy
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Leuchttürme auf den Kleinen Antillen
Photos posted by Bernd Claußen.
Saint-Barthélemy Map
Wikipedia's map of the island.
Lighthouses in Saint-Barthélemy
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
Leuchttürme Mittelamerikas und der Karibik auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.

Gustavia Light, Gustavia, March 2022
Google Maps photo by Dejan Andjelic
Lighthouses
* Gustavia
1961. Active; focal plane 64 m (210 ft); flash every 12 s, white, green or red depending on direction. 9 m (29 ft) round conical tower painted white with a single red band at the top. The lantern has been removed and is on display at the Musée Municipal de St.-Barthélemy in Gustavia. Dejan Andjelic's 2022 photo is above, Rosalie Beasley contributed a 2018 photo, Claußen has several 2013 photos, Dietrich Lawrenz has a 2007 photo, Trabas has a 2009 photo by Douglas Cameron, Eric Jambon has a closeup 2022 street view, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located atop a hill at the site of historic Fort Gustave overlooking Gustavia harbor on the west side of the island of St.-Barthélemy. Site open, tower status unknown. . ARLHS STM-002; Admiralty J5664; NGA 14736.
[La Baleine]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); nine quicj=k white flashes every 15 s. 7 m (23 ft) post painted yellow with one black band. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This light guides vessels north around shoals to reach the entrance channel. Located about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) west of waterfront of Gustavia. Accessible only by boat. Site open. Admiralty J5665.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Saint-Martin | South: Saint Kitts-Nevis | Southwest: Saba and Sint Eustatius

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Posted December 8, 2005. Checked and revised February 8, 2025. Lighthouses: 1. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.