Lighthouses of Martinique

Martinique is an overseas département of France located in the central part of the Lesser Antilles, the curving chain of islands at the eastern end of the Caribbean Sea. It occupies a large island, roughly elliptical in shape, about 70 km (43 mi) long from northwest to southeast and about 30 km (19 mi) wide. The island is mountainous in the north, where it is crowned by Mount Pelée, an active volcano with an elevation of 1397 m (4583 ft). Martinique has a population of about 400,000 and is a very popular tourist destination.

France colonized Martinique as early as 1635 and has held the territory since except for an interruption by the British during the Napoleonic Wars. As an overseas department Martinique is legally part of France; it is included in the European Union and uses the euro as its currency.

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.

Aids to navigation in Martinique are operated by the maritime directorate (Direction de la Mer).

Most of the lighthouses of the Lesser Antilles are 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
Phares d'Amérique
This page, part of Alain Guyomard and Robert Carceller's site Le Phare à travers le monde, links to several photos of the lighthouses of Martinique.
Liste des Phares de France
Information and photos by Guy Detienne. Martinique lighthouses are at the bottom of this page.
Online List of Lights - Martinique
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. Most of the Martinique photos are by Capt. Peter Mosselberger.
World of Lighthouses - Martinique
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Leuchttürme auf den Kleinen Antillen
Photos posted by Bernd Claußen.
Martinique Lighthouses
Aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.
Leuchttürme Mittelamerikas und der Karibik auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart for Martinique.
Navigation Charts
Navigational chart for Martinique.

La Caravelle Light, Presque-île de la Caravelle
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission
East Coast (Atlantic Ocean) Lighthouses
* La Caravelle
1862. Active; focal plane 129 m (423 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 14 m (46 ft) square cylindrical tower, painted red with white trim; lantern white. Clamshell Fresnel lens in use. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (also seen above), Nicolas Emmanuel-Émile has a lovely closeup photo, Florence Beaufils has a 2021 photo, Guyomard and Carceller have Damien Conreux's photo, a 2007 photo is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Pascal Renard has a beautiful street view, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse occupies a spectacular site overlooking the Atlantic. Located at the eastern end of the Caravelle Peninsula east of Trinité, in the Martinique Regional Nature Park. Site open, tower status unknown. Site manager: government of Martinique. . ARLHS MRQ-002; Admiralty J5772; NGA 14932.
* Baie du François
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); quick-flashing light, white, red or green depending on direction. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, painted white with red trim and a red horizontal band at the top. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (also seen at right), Christophe Cazette has a 2023 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory projecting into the Baie du François on the east coast of Martinique. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5772.5; NGA 14934.
* [Port-Vauclin]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); quick-flashing light, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, painted white with red trim and attached to a small equipment cabinet. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the north side of the Baie du Vauclin. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5773; NGA 14936.
Îlet Cabrit (3)
Date unknown (station established 1929). Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. 27 m (89 ft) triangular steel skeletal tower with a small gallery at the top. Upper half of the tower painted bright red, lower half white. 1-story keeper's house. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, Jean-Marie Turpin has a 2016 photo, Lightphotos.net has a photo, a 2021 drone view is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. Michel Forand posted a historic postcard view of the original lighthouse, which was similar to the Pointe des Nègres lighthouse seen below. Located on a small island off the southern tip of Martinique. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: government of Martinique. . ARLHS MRQ-001; Admiralty J5776; NGA 14940.

Baie du François Light, Le Marin
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

West Coast (Caribbean Sea) Lighthouses
* [Pointe du Marin]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); quick-flashing light, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, attached to a small equipment shelter. Lighthouse painted white with red trim. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a closeup street view, but the tower is hard to find in Google's satellite view. Located on a promontory on the south side of the entrance to the Baie du Marin, north of Sainte-Anne on the southeast coast of Martinique. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5777; NGA 14944.
* Baie de Carénage Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 41 m (135 ft); green light, 2 s on, 2 s off, synchronized with the rear light. 12 m (39 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower mounted atop a square 1-story equiment shelter. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands; there is also an orange slatted daymark at the top of the tower. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a street view and distant satellite view. Located on the steep slope of the Morne Pichevin north of the Baie de Carénage, the commerical harbor of Fort-de-France, east of the Fort St.-Louis peninsula. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5784; NGA 14960.
* Baie de Carénage Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); green light, 2 s on, 2 s off, synchronized with the front light. 14 m (46 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower mounted atop a square 1-story equiment shelter. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands; there is also an orange slatted daymark at the top of the tower. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and the shadow of the light is centered in Google's satellite view. Tall buildings flank the range line; the light shines between them down the street called the Cité des Hauts du Port. Located up a steep hill 145 m (159 yd) north of the front light. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5784.1; NGA 14964.
* Fort Saint-Louis (2)
1898 (station established 1883). Inactive since 2011. 6 m (20 ft) skeletal tower with lantern, painted white. Claußen has photos, Yurek Kulski has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. The 18th century Fort Saint-Louis is built on a peninsula barring entry to the inner harbor of Fort-de-France, Martinique's capital. The lighthouse is built high atop the stone walls of the fort. The fort is open to guided tours; tower closed. Site manager: government of Martinique. ARLHS MRQ-005; ex-Admiralty J5783; ex-NGA 14956.
* Pointe des Nègres (2)
1924 (station established 1855). Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); white flash every 5 s. 28 m (92 ft) hexagonal cylindrical cast iron skeletal tower with enclosed lantern and watch room. Entire lighthouse painted white. Two 1-story keeper's houses. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (also seen at right), Claußen has a photo, Lightphotos.net has a photo, a 2006 photo is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has posted a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. The original light was mounted on a mast on the fort on the point. Located about two miles west of Fort-de-France. Site apparently open, tower closed. Site manager: government of Martinique. ARLHS MRQ-003; Admiralty J5780; NGA 14948.

Pointe des Nègres Light, Fort-de-France
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission
* Le Prêcheur
1929. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); red flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical metal tower mounted on a 1-story conical cement block base. Entire lighthouse painted white. Trabas has Capt. Peter's closeup photo, a drone view and a 2009 photo are available, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This light is on the northwestern coast of Martinique at the foot of the infamous volcano Pelée, which destroyed everything in this area in a catastrophic eruption in 1902. Located on the Route des Fusillés in Le Prêcheur. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: government of Martinique. . ARLHS MRQ-004; Admiralty J5790.5; NGA 14996.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Dominica | South: St. Lucia

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Posted December 8, 2005. Checked and revised February 8, 2024. Lighthouses: 8. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.