Renovation beckons for last lightvessel
The Westhinder 3 used to warn ships off the Flemish Banks, a series of sandbanks off the Flemish coast. The vessel was anchored at a strategic location off the Westhinder sandbank.
The lightvessel was a godsend for ships entering Belgian waters from the English Channel and indicated the approach to safe waters between the sandbanks. The ship was also used as an observation platform by scientists monitoring the tides, currents and weather phenomena. It was manned around the clock.
The Westhinder 3 was built at the Béliard-Crighton Yard in Ostend in 1950. It was decommissioned in 1994 and replaced by a fixed beacon.
The Westhinder 3 was the last lightvessel in Belgian waters. The Flemish authorities later handed the ship over to the City of Antwerp where it was added to the collection of the National Maritime Museum and later the MAS Museum. Read More...
