Beacon Inventory

A diver above an object on the seafloor
Diver investigating the iron frame used to mount a letter onto the beacon at Eastern Sambo. Photo: Matthew Lawrence/NOAA.

Even 160 years later, evidence of Lt. Totten's beacons can still be found in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where they represent the life-saving activities of the U.S. Coast Survey, which later became part of NOAA. Please do your part to help protect these historic sites and all the sanctuary's maritime heritage resources, so they may be enjoyed by future generations. When diving, remember to control your buoyancy, since archaeological sites can be as fragile as the marine life they support. Disturbance and removal of artifacts is prohibited by sanctuary regulation. It's best to leave these pieces of history where they are for others to enjoy. Learn more about responsible diving practices here.

Ten of the 15 1850-era beacons are located within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Archaeological surveys conducted in 2014 and earlier located the remains of many of these beacons, while some geographic locations are only known from historical sources. During the 2014 project, researchers documented five beacons: Eastern Sambo, American Shoal, Pickles Reef, French Reef, and Turtle Reef.

Diver with white slate taking measurements on a square-frame object

Beacon A

Eastern Sambo was the westernmost beacon in the series and labeled with letter "A."

Fish swimming around an object on the seafloor that is encrusted with marine life

Beacon B

Labeled with the letter "B," the site is located 16 nautical miles east of Key West, only 200 feet from the American Shoal Lighthouse.

Divers around objects on the seafloor

Beacon F

The beacon at Pickles Reef labeled as "F" is located 5.7 nautical miles east-southeast from Key Largo.

A diver above an object on the seafloor

Beacon G

French Reef, home to the beacon labeled with the letter "G", is located 5.3 nautical miles east-southeast from Key Largo.

A diver above objects on the seafloor

Beacon K

The Turtle Reef beacon labeled with the alphabetical letter "K" at the northern end of Key Largo is the most northerly beacon in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.