Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Sandettié, built in 1947 at the Forges and shipyards of the Mediterranean in Le Havre under the name of BF 6, was the last French fireboat in operation. Disused in 1989 after 42 years of service, it was purchased by the city of Dunkirk to integrate the collection of the harbour museum. This 47.5-metre vessel, painted in red with its name in white letters, was equipped with a Fresnel lens lighthouse visible 25 nautical miles, a fog horn and a radar transponder. His 16-man crew, recorded every two weeks, lived a routine marked by maintenance, weather records for Météo-France, and the risk of drift during storms.

Originally assigned to the Dyck Bank in 1949, the BF 6 was renamed Sandettié in 1978 when it was reassigned to the eponymous sandbank opposite Calais. His role was to mark this high-floor dangerous for navigation, alternating with the Dyck BF 2 (demoli in 2008). The automation of beacons in the 1980s made its service obsolete. His triumphal return to Dunkirk on June 3, 1989, greeted by a sirens concert, marked the end of his operational career. Since then, it has been listed as a historic monument (1997) and opened to the public, offering a dive into the lives of sailors thanks to audioguides narrated by its last captain.

The Sandettié is the sixth ship to bear this name in the 20th century, heir to a line dating back to 1902. His sister ship, BF 7, was launched the same year but was assigned to Bassurelle Bank in 1967. The plans of BF 6 and BF 7 were inspired by Sandettié (1937) and Ruytingen (1938), sunk during World War II. Today, the Sandettié shares the docks of the harbour museum with the three-mast Duchess Anne. Its regular restoration (carenage every 5 years) and maintenance by a team of four people preserve this unique testimony of French maritime history.

Since 2006, visitors have explored its 17 thematic stations, from the engine room to the crew cabins, through the kitchen and the transmission station. The explanatory panels and photos complete the audio accounts, evoking the joys and difficulties of life on board: a single weekly telephone call allowed, card parts, or storm alerts. This museum project, awarded in 2008 by Chasse-Marée magazine, revived this symbol of the Flemish coast. The Sandettié also inspired cultural works, such as the youth book Tom and the old sea wolf (2003) or the film Le Journal falls at five o'clock (1942), although the latter represents another ship.

The name Sandettié continues today with a British automatic beacon boat, anchored on the same bench and powered by solar panels. His fire, visible at 15 miles, always emits a white glow every five seconds, perpetuating the mission of BF 6. In Dunkirk, the memory of the fireboats even influenced the name of the Fire Boat, a multidisciplinary cultural place opened in 1991 in the former municipal theatre. In addition, the Sandettié appears on a 1998 French stamp and remains a local emblem, as evidenced by Sandettie and Dyck residences near Malo-les-Bains beach.

Future

It is now part of the floating collection of the Dunkirk Port Museum alongside the three-mast Duchess Anne.

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