The Grand Turk Lighthouse Story: “From Incident to Iconic”

THE GRAND TURK LIGHTHOUSE STORY

Grand Turk Lightouse Before Restoration

By David Newlands Photographs courtesy of Shutterstock

Turks and Caicos Islands are one of the many destinations serviced by Bahamasair. Visit Bahamasair.com to book your next flight.

The shores of Grand Turk have always been treacherous for mariners throughout history—whether it was from ships meeting their untimely end, when colliding with the shallow reefs on the northern shores, or through predatory salvaging operations that deliberately misused guiding lights to lure ships to their demise just to plunder their wares; sailors knew to give the island a wide berth on voyages in the area. There was one tragedy, however, that resulted in the construction of a now-iconic Turks and Caicos historical building—the Grand Turk Lighthouse.

While the amassing shipwrecks were not going unnoticed, as shipping companies began complaining, it was not until the R.M.S. Medina—a massive Royal Mail steamboat, which measured at an impressive 247 feet in length and some 1,800 tons in weight—struck the reef in 1842, that the issue was finally addressed. This was the first Royal Mail Vessel to be lost at sea and was only the second voyage made by the ship. As such, the dangers of the shore could be ignored no longer. At the time, Grand Turk had acted as a gateway for Royal Mail service to the entire Bahamas, giving the island an extremely high value. However, after the incident, this terminus was moved to St. Thomas, of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Grand Turk Lighthouse was commissioned by Captain Henry Alexander Forth, who secured the funding for the project. Designed by Alexander Gordon, the lighthouse is an early example of cast iron prefabrication, as the structure was built in pieces in England, and then shipped to Grand Turk for assembly. Initially constructed to use whale oil, with a large argand reflector lamp built by the Chance Brothers Lighthouse Engineers, the light was said to reach up to 15 miles out to sea, with the hopes of preventing further incidents. The lighthouse became operational in 1852, and quickly became a monumental structure in Grand Turk. Standing at 60 feet tall, the alabaster column was just as brilliant in the day as its warning light was at night. Built on a bluff on the northern shore, the lighthouse’s zenith was 108 feet, making it clearly visible to most ships.

While the early years of the lighthouse were mired with trouble, as it was initially not as effective as was hoped – along with increasingly piratical actions by salvagers luring ships with an imitation of the lighthouse lights on the shores of North Caicos to trick sailors into miscalculating their position and crash into the nearby reefs—there was still an alarming number of shipwrecks. In 1884, the local government commissioned Trinity Imperial Lighthouse Service to improve the functionality and effectiveness of Grand Turk Lighthouse—a job that proved to be quite successful.

In 1948, the whale oil and argand reflectors were replaced with a kerosene beam and Fresnel lenses, which bolstered the light’s reach, giving its beam the ability to shine in a 20-mile radius. Finally, in 1971, the lighthouse became fully electric, and remains that way today.

Grand Turk Lightouse After Restoration

While the lighthouse is no longer needed to warn ships of the reefs, thanks to modern technology, it has become an iconic symbol for the Turks and Caicos Islands, and can be seen on postcards, T-shirts and even on logos like the Turks and Caicos Banking Company (T.C.B.C). Now, as an historical site, it is managed by the Turks and Caicos National Trust, and people are still able to visit and see the lighthouse for themselves. Visitors can also see the original Fresnel lens at the Turks and Caicos Museum on Grand Turk, as well as watch an informative video about the history of the lighthouse at the exhibit.

If you, too, would like to check out one of the most noteworthy historical buildings in Turks and Caicos, take the time to go to Grand Turk and visit the lighthouse. UA