On the 3 June 1989, after 40 years of service, Sandettie returned to port for the last time. It was the last of the 16 light-ships that, for 126 years, had warned of the presence of dangerous sandbanks on the Straits of the Pas de Calais.
These types of ships were first designed in the middle of the nineteenth century by engineers from the Lights and Buoys Authority. They wanted to improve maritime signalling in busy sea-lanes or where it was not possible to build a lighthouse because the lack of a rocky base made the ground unsuitable. After due consideration they opted for the solution already being used in Great Britain, the installation of a light on a ship.
The light-ship Sandettie being towed to the port.
The light-ship Ruytingen in the storm. Engraving. port Museum Collection.