Monday, August 6, 2018

Lighthouse of the Week, August 5-11, 2018: Sombrero Island, Anguilla


This lighthouse is located on a place that I've never heard of before.  It's on Hat Island aka Sombrero Island, which is a bare scrap of land about 40 miles northwest (more north than west) of Anguilla.  It happens to be defined as the northernmost island of the Lesser Antilles.

It's not big.  They used to mine for guano on the island, but that's not done anymore.  There used to be a lighthouse keeper for the old lighthouse until they automated it (read about that here).

Now there's an automated lighthouse on Sombrero Island. Since it is so far from anywhere, these pictures are useful, because they are likely the only way that millions of people around the world will ever see it.  There isn't much reason to go there -- I checked and apparently the reefs are good enough for scuba diving, but it's a long haul.

So what do we know about it?  From the Lighthouse Directory, of course:
"2001 (station established 1868). Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 15 m (50 ft) round tower, painted white."
There are foundations on the island for both of the previous (1868, 1962) lighthouse towers. And some mining equipment.  And that's about it.  But the lighthouse is famous enough to have been on a stamp.





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