Lighthouses of the Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands is a British overseas territory located in the southwestern corner of the Atlantic Ocean roughly 500 km (300 mi) east of Río Gallegos in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina. France and Britain established colonies in 1764 and 1766, respectively. France ceded its colony to Spain in 1766 and the British colony was withdrawn in 1774. The Spanish settlement struggled along, but after the Spanish garrison was withdrawn in 1811 there were no permanent settlers remaining. Argentina claimed the Falklands (known in Spanish as the Islas Malvinas) as soon as it became independent from Spain and it established an outpost there in 1829, but British naval forces took the islands in 1833. Within the next decade the British established a colony that survives to the present day. In 1982 Argentine forces captured the islands, precipitating a 10-week war that ended with resumption of British control. Argentina continues strenuously to assert its claim.

The population of the territory is quite small, about 3700 permanent residents plus a British military garrison. The Chilean airline LanChile has scheduled flights from Santiago de Chile and from Río Gallegos. However, most visitors arrive by cruise ship, as the islands are a regular port of call for adventure cruises to the Antarctic.

Aids to navigation in the islands are maintained by the Falkland Islands Maritime Authority.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume G of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 110.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Falkland Islands
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
World of Lighthouses - British Territories in the Atlantic
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Lighthouses in the Falkland Islands
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart for the islands.
Navionics Charts
Navigational chart for the islands.

Cape Pembroke Light
Cape Pembroke Light, Stanley, December 2006
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Joan Junyent

Lighthouses
**** Cape Pembroke (2)
1907 (station established 1855). Inactive since 1982. 21 m (69 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted black with a broad white horizontal band below the lantern. The 3rd order Fresnel lens installed in 1907 was smashed by vandals in 1982. The active light (1987; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); three white flashes every 20 s) has been moved atop a short post nearby; it can be seen in photo taken atop the lighthouse. Joan Junyent's photo is above, Phil Gyford has posted a good December 2005 photo, Neal Doan has photos from a March 2009 visit, Don Aldmor Rison has a 2008 photo, a 2010 photo is available, John Dickens has a 2018 photo, Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. Prefabricated in London, the original lighthouse was an 18 m (60 ft) cast iron tower. It was meant to warn ships away from the Billy Rock, a very dangerous reef about 800 m (1/2 mi) offshore. The original foundation deteriorated seriously and in 1906-07 the current lighthouse was built on a new foundation about 180 m (200 yd) west of the original location. The lighthouse was deactivated after being damaged in the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina. Sometime thereafter the 3rd order Fresnel lens (installed in 1907) was smashed by vandals. In recent years volunteers have worked to restore the lighthouse as a tourist attraction and historical monument.The 150th anniversary of the lighthouse was celebrated on December 1, 2005. In 2019 a Trinity House technician visited the lighthouse to recommend needed repairs. The lighthouse is accessible from Stanley (the capital and only town) by a hiking trail. Located at the easternmost point of East Falkland, marking the entrance to Stanley harbor. Site open. The key to the tower can be borrowed at the museum (£10 fee). Owner: Falkland Islands Government. Site manager: Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust. . ARLHS FAL-001. Active light: Admiralty G1352; NGA 20336.
[Engineer Point]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); green flash every 6 s. 3 m (10 ft) white lantern box atop a square concrete pylon painted with red and yellow horizontal bands. Trabas has a closeup photo by Rainer Arndt but the small light is hard to spot in Google's satellite view. Located on the east side of the narrow entrance to Stanley's sheltered harbor. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1348; NGA 20352.
[Navy Point]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 5 m (17 ft); red flash every 6 s. 2 m (7 ft) white lantern box atop a square concrete pylon painted with red and yellow horizontal bands. Trabas has a closeup photo by Rainer Arndt and Wikimedia has Liam Quinn's view from the sea (a portion is seen at right) but the small light is hard to spot in Google's satellite view. Located on the west side of the narrow entrance to Stanley's sheltered harbor. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1346; NGA 20348.
[Porpoise Point (Bull Point) (2)]
1990 (station established 1932). Active; focal plane unknown; white flash every 10 s. Approx. 5 m (17 ft) square post on a square stone base. A postage stamp image is available and Bing has a satellite view. Bull Point is a crooked peninsula at the southernmost tip of East Falkland, and Porpoise Point is the extreme southern tip of the peninsula. The light is located on a bluff about 800 m (1/2 mi) north of Porpoise Point. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FAL-003; Admiralty G1359; NGA 20361.

Navy Point Light, Stanley, January 2011
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Liam Quinn

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East : South Georgia | South: Antarctica | Southwest: Tierra del Fuego | West: Santa Cruz

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Posted September 29, 2005. Checked and revised July 24, 2023. Lighthouses: 1. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.