The Sandettie, the last French light-ship

A page in Dunkirk’s maritime history was turned when the light-ship Sandettie, to the sound of massed sirens, returned to port for the last time on 3 June 1989.
Brought into service in 1949, the BF6 (light-ship 6), was called first Dyck and then Sandettie, the names of the sandbanks she marked. When its station was changed, its name painted in large white letters on the hull, was also changed.
The crew of this ship without destination was made up of 8 men whose job it was to keep the ship and its light in working order, to make and transmit meteorological observations and to check on shipping passing nearby.
There was a 15-day tour of duty and the relief arrived via the buoy tender, if meteorological conditions allowed for the men and materials to be transhipped. Life on board was monotonous and could be hard when fog or storms increased the risks of collision or stranding.
Their cost and technological improvements meant that one by one the light-ships were replaced by light-buoys.
The Sandettie, which was the last French light-ship to be taken out of service, was listed as a historic monument in 1997.

Photos : Lights and Buoys