Lighthouses of Micronesia

The name Micronesia is often used in a broad geographical sense, meaning all the small islands of the central and northwestern Pacific Ocean. Here it refers specifically to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). There are separate pages for lighthouses in other island countries of the Micronesian region, including Palau, Guam, the Northern Marianas, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands.

The FSM is remarkable in having had four colonial administrations. The islands (then called the Caroline Islands) were controlled by Spain until the Spanish-American War of 1898. Following that war Spain transferred the islands to Germany. Japan seized the islands from Germany in 1915, during World War I, and moved quickly to make several of them major naval bases. Japan also built three lighthouses in the territory. The U.S. took the islands from Japan in very hard fighting during World War II.

After the war the U.S. administered the islands as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The Federation, linking the states of Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Yap, was formed in 1979 and became independent in 1986. The new country signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Under the Compact the United States provides financial assistance, defends the FSM's territorial integrity, and provides uninhibited travel for FSM citizens to the U.S.  In return, the FSM provides the United States with unlimited and exclusive access to its land and waterways for strategic purposes.

The capital of the Federation is Palikir, Pohnpei. The total population is a little over 100,000.

Navigational aids in the FSM are the responsibility of the Marine Division within the Department of Transportation, Communications, and Infrastructure.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume M of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 111.

General Sources
World of Lighthouses - Micronesia
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - Federated States of Micronesia
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Map of the Federated States of Micronesia
This map is useful for understanding the geography of the islands.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for the islands.


Sapuk Light, Weno, Chuuk State, May 2016
Flickr photo copyright Roderick Eime; used by permission

Kosrae (Kusaie) State Lighthouse
Kosrae (pronounced koh-SHY) is an isolated high island at the eastern end of the Federation. The island has a population of about 6600 and has twice a week air service from Guam and Honolulu.

Okat Harbor Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); continuous white light. 16 m (52 ft) beacon on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a white triangular daymark, point down. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Okat Harbor, on the north side of Kosrae, is adjacent to the island's airport. The front light is 300 m (330 yd) west on a smaller tower. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M8458.9; NGA 10952.7.

Pohnpei (Ponape) State Lighthouse
Pohnpei State (pronounced pone-pay) consists of the high island of Pohnpei and a scattering of atolls to the east, west, and southwest. The state has a population of about 35,000 and includes the Federation's capital at Palakir.

Jokaj (Palakir) Passage Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 14 m (46 ft) beacon on piles. The tower carries a rectangular black and white daymark. No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. The Jokaj Pass, on the north side of Pohnpei's fringing reef, is the principal entrance to the island. The front light is 366 m (400 yd) northeast on a shorter tower. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M8453.1; NGA 10948.1.

Chuuk (Truk) State Lighthouses
Chuuk State (the uu is pronounced like the oo in foot) in central Micronesia includes the large atoll of Chuuk (formerly called Truk) and numerous smaller atolls. It is the most populous state of the Federation, with a population approaching 50,000. The Chuuk Lagoon measures about 80 km by 50 km (50 by 30 miles) and is unusually deep; it was a major Japanese naval base before and during World War II.

*** Sapuk (Chuuk)
1937. Inactive since 1941. Approx. 13 m (42 ft) concrete tower attached to a 1-story keeper's cottage. Roderick Eime's 2016 photo is at the top of this page, Chris Benti has a 2008 photo, a 2009 photo and a 2012 photo are available, Esther Palmer has a 2017 closeup, and Bing has a satellite view. Endangered. This Japanese lighthouse guided ships into one of the largest of the naval bases established in Micronesia. Chuuk (then called Truk) was bombed heavily during the war and the lighthouse is riddled with shrapnel holes from a British strafing raid in early 1945. Located on the Sapuk Peninsula at the eastern end of Weno, the principal island of Chuuk atoll. Accessible by a short walk from the elementary school at the end of the road toward the east end of the island. Site and tower open. ARLHS MIC-001.
Chuuk Northeast Pass
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); white flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Narrow but deep, Northeast Pass is a principal entrance to the Chuuk lagoon. Located on the reef on the south side of the pass. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M8447; NGA 10944.
*** Poluwat (Puluwat)
1940. Inactive since 1944. 32 m (105 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-story operations building. The lighthouse, now abandoned and open to the elements, is riddled with shrapnel holes and littered with abandoned equipment. A photo is at right, a closeup and photos from a 2012 visit are available, and the University of Hawaii has historic photos of the lighthouse entrance and interior, but the tower hides in the jungle in Google's satellite view. Endangered. Located at the western end of Alet, the largest island of the Poluwat atoll, about 270 km (170 mi) west of Chuuk. Site and tower open. ARLHS MIC-002.
Poluwat Light
Poluwat Light, Poluwat, Chuuk State, March 2004
ex-Pbase photo copyright billyo; permission requested

Yap State Lighthouse
Yap State, at the western end of the Federation, includes a group of closely spaced islands known as the Yap Main Islands and a collection of island and atolls stretching about 800 km (500 mi) to the east. The population is about 12,000.

* Dalap (Dalaap, Yap)
1941. Apparently this lighthouse was never activated due to the onset of World War II. Another concrete Japanese lighthouse, this one in ruins; it was blown up by Japanese forces late in 1944 because it was attracting too much attention from American bombers. Some additional photos are available (about 3/4 of the way down the page), and Google has a satellite view of the site. The Todai Youth Club has posted a history of the lighthouse (.pdf file). Dalap is a hill in the Gagil municipality on the eastern side of the Yap Main Islands group. Located at the highest point of the hill; accessible by a hiking trail. Site open. ARLHS MIC-003.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Guam | East: Marshall Islands | South: Papua New Guinea | West: Palau

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Posted August 28, 2005. Checked and revised September 13, 2023. Lighthouses: 6. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.