Lighthouses of the Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is located in the central Pacific Ocean near the Equator and the International Date Line. The country includes 29 atolls and five isolated islands arranged in two roughly parallel groups, the Ratak (sunrise) and Ralik (sunset) chains. The capital is at Majuro, an atoll in the central part of the Ratak chain. The population is roughly 60,000, nearly half living at Majuro.

The 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 naval bases. 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 country became self governing in 1979 and independent in 1986. The new country signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Under the Compact the United States provides economic and financial aid and defends the RMI's territorial integrity. In return, the RMI provides the Untied States with unlimited and exclusive access to its land and waterways for strategic purposes.

Navigational aids in the Marshall Islands are maintained by Republic of the Marshall Islands Port Authority (RMIPA).

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
Online List of Lights - Marshall Islands
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for the islands.


Kwajalein Light, Kwajalein, June 2019
Google Maps photo by Scott Masingill

Majuro Lighthouse
Eroj
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (92 ft); white flash every 6 s. 25 m (85 ft) skeletal tower painted white. No photo available and the tower is not seen in Google's satellite view nor in Bing's satellite view. Located on the islet of Eroj on the west side of the Calalin Pass, the entrance to the Majuro lagoon. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty M8465; NGA 11060.

Kwajalein Lighthouse
Kwajalein
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 38 m (124 ft); alternating white and green flashes. 35 m (115 ft) water tower. Scott Masingill's photo is above and Google has a satellite view. This is primarily an aviation light but it also serves as the landfall light for the island. Kwajalein is a very large atoll in the Ratak chain. Since World War II it has been a U.S. military base. Located adjacent to the Kwajalein airport near the southern tip of the atoll. Site status unknown. Admiralty M8467; NGA 10988.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Kiribati | West: Micronesia

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Posted August 24, 2016. Checked and revised September 13, 2023. Lighthouses: 2. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.