Punta Borinquen Light

Punta Borinquen Light (Faro de Punta Borinquen) is a lighthouse located in the old Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The station was established in 1889 by the Spanish government. With the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, the lighthouse would become "the most important aid to navigation on the route from Europe to Panama".[3] In 1917, the U.S Congress provided funding for a new lighthouse in higher ground.

Punta Borinquen Lighthouse
Existing tower
Punta Borinquen Lighthouse
LocationAguadilla, Puerto Rico
Coordinates18°29′50″N 67°8′56″W
Year first lit1920
Automated1976
Deactivated1918 
FoundationStone
Constructionstone
Tower shapeCylindrical
Tower height18 metre 
Focal height89 metre 
Original lensFourth-order, Fresnel 1889
Range24 nautical mile 
CharacteristicFl(2) W 15s 
ARLHS numberPUR-013 (current site) PUR-022 (old)
USCG number30715
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Faro de Punta Borinquen[1]
MPSLighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR
NRHP reference No.81000559[2]
Added to NRHP1981

But before construction began on the new structure, the original lighthouse was severely damaged by the 1918 earthquake that struck the west part of the island.[1][4] Construction on the new lighthouse was completed in 1922. The light is active aid to navigation and is a housing facility for the United States Coast Guard.[5]

  • Original lighthouse, ca 1898
  • Lighthouse ruins

References
  1. "Faro de Punta Borinquen". Historic American Engineering Record National Park Service. 1979.
  2. "Inventory of Historic Light Stations National Park Service". Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  3. "Lighthouses Friends". Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  4. "Punta Borinquen Lighthouse Ruins". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  5. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Puerto Rico". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2009-05-06.


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