Sandettie: The Lightship Sandettié is a French lightship. Construction started in 1946 at the Forges et Chantiers shipyard. It was named BF 6 (Bateau feu No. 6). It was first deposited at the Dyck sandbank in 1949. In 1978 the ship was given a new destination and came to rest at the Sandettié sandbank, a shoal 13 nautical miles (24 km) off the coast of Calais. It served there until June 1989. The Sandettié is 47.5 meters long and 7.65 meters wide. It has a draft of 3.5 meters and a displacement of 450 tons. Her hull is made of riveted steel plates. It was equipped with a 120 hp engine. To keep the ship in position, 100-ton anchors were connected to 250-meter-long anchor chains. The light had a range of 25 nautical miles. The light from the 1,500-watt lamp was amplified by a Fresnel lens and produced a white flash every five seconds. The Sandettié was also equipped with a radar beacon and fog horn. The crew consisted of two people. After being decommissioned, the ship was purchased by the city of Dunkirk. The ship is now part of the collection of the Dunkirk Harbor Museum (Musée portuaire de Dunkerque). The Sandettié has been a monument since March 17, 1997.
(Michelin)