Lighthouses of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis (more formally the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis) is a two-island nation in the Leeward Islands, at the northeastern corner of the Caribbean Sea. The islands are in the western arc of the Leewards, between the Dutch island of Sint Eustatius to the northwest and the British island of Montserrat to the southeast. Originally named San Cristóbal by Columbus, the island of Saint Kitts (Saint Christopher) was the site of the first British settlement in the West Indies in 1623 and also the first French settlement in 1625. Britain and France struggled to control the islands until 1713, when the Treaty of Utrecht awarded them to Britain. The country became independent of Britain in 1983. It remains a Commonwealth Realm, recognizing the British monarch as head of state.

Tourism is a major industry in Saint Kitts, supported by an international airport and a modern cruise ship terminal. Aids to navigation are maintained by the Saint Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority.

Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 110. ARLHS has no listings for Saint Kitts and Nevis.

General Sources
Our International Lighthouses
The web site of Douglas Cameron has photos of Saint Kitts lights taken in December 2007. For the Saint Kitts page, click on "Caribbean" and then on "Saint Kitts."
Online List of Lights - Saint Kitts and Nevis
Photos by Rainer Arndt and Capt. Peter Mosselberger ("Capt. Peter") posted by Alexander Trabas.
World of Lighthouses - Saint Kitts and Nevis
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart for Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Navionics Charts
Navigational chart for Saint Kitts and Nevis.

St. Kitts Museum Light
Saint Kitts National Museum Light, Basseterre, January 2006
Flickr Creative Commons photo by J. Stephen Conn

Saint Kitts Lightbeacons
[Fort Thomas (2)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 23 m (75 ft); two green flashes every 10 s. Approx. 7.5 m (25 ft) post. Trabas has Arndt's photo but the slender light is not seen in Google's satellite view. NGA describes the earlier, shorter light, also seen in Arndt's photo. Located on the promontory on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Saint Kitts. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5672; NGA 14752.
* Saint Kitts National Museum (Old Treasury Building)
Date unknown. Inactive. Light mounted on the peak of the roof above the entrance to the museum, a 2-story stone building. Stephen Conn's photo is above, Indra Kalinovitch also has a good photo, Lightphotos.net has a photo and a second photo, and Google has a satellite view. According to Findlay's 1879 list, a small light was established "on the beach at Basseterre" in 1846. The Old Treasury Building was built in 1894 and served as a government office building for more than 100 years. In 2004 it was donated to the St. Christopher National Trust as a museum and society headquarters. The building was originally on the waterfront but the coastline in the area has been extended with fill to construct a cruise ship welcome center called Port Zante. The light was relocated then to the top of the market building (next entry). Located at Fort Street and Bay Road in downtown Basseterre, just northwest of the cruise ship pier. Site and building open. Site manager: St. Christopher National Trust .
* Basseterre Market
Date unknown. Inactive since 2020. Light mounted above the entrance to the market, a 1-story building. Trabas has Arndt's photo and Google has a satellite view. The light was moved here from the museum building (previous entry) sometime in the early 2000s. Located at Westbourne Street and Bay Road in downtown Basseterre, a short distance west of the cruise ship pier. Site and building open. Operator: St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority. ex-Admiralty J5673.21; NGA 14754.

Nevis Lightbeacons
[Cow Rocks] 
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 10 m (33 ft); flashing white light. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) skeletal mast. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a reef in the channel between St. Christopher and Nevis. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5677; NGA 14758.
[Nevis South Point]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); white light, characteristic unknown. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) post, painted red with a white middle section. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, Lightphotos.net has Michal Marciniak's photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the southern tip of Nevis. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5678.5.
* [Long Point Port]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); two flashes every 15 s, white or red depending on direction. 24 m (79 ft) steel mast painted red with a white horizontal band. Lightphotos.net has Capt. Peter's photo, Trabas has the same photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the elbow of the Long Point pier, on the southwestern coast of the island. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5678.4; NGA 14761.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: St.-Barthélemy | East: Antigua and Barbuda | Northwest: Saba and Sint Eustatius

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Posted December 26, 2007. Checked and revised January 25, 2024. Lighthouses: 2. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.