Diamond Head Lighthouse
Oahu, Hawaii

Standing as an enduring sentinel, the lighthouse has safely guided innumerable mariners transiting the Pacific region for over one hundred and ten years.

Located on the southern cliffs of the island, its red light can be seen 17 nautical miles (over 31 kilometers) from the shoreline.

Fun Facts

Before navigational structures were built in Hawaii, large bonfires guided mariners safely ashore.

The lighthouse locations, Diamond Head was named by British sailors that mistook the crystals they found, while they climbed the volcano's slopes, for diamonds.

Building lighthouses on Oahu were planned after two large ships ran aground in 1893 and 1897.

Originally built in 1899, the first Diamond Head Lighthouse's concrete started to crack, so the structure was rebuilt in 1917.

The lighthouse is 147 ft (44.80 meters) above sea level & its actual height is 55 ft (over 16 meters).

The U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibility for maintaining this Aid to Navigation in 1932.
 

Take a peek inside Diamond Head Lighthouse:
http://holoholo.org/transpac/dhlight/inside.html


To learn more about Lighthouses, Lightships, Tenders & other Aids to Navigation:
https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Land/Lighthouses-Light-Stations/

 

For more information about the Lighthouse or the

U.S. Coast Guard, visit the following websites


Diamond Head Lighthouse Historical Facts:
https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Land/Lighthouses-Light-Stations/Article/1913302/diamond-head-lighthouse/

Coast Guard Fourteenth District:
https://www.pacificarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/District-14/

Coast Guard Hawaii Facebook Page:
http://facebook.com/USCG_Hawaii_Pacific