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Home » Stories » Spot on the lighthouse keepers

1960

Spot on the lighthouse keepers

A crew of six

Up till 1990, the team of lighthouse keepers consisted of six men, who alternated in the day and night shifts.

Coffee upstairs

Every shift began by climbing the stairs. Once at the top, coffee was made and the equipment inspected.

Aotomatic rotation

The men didn’t have to do anything with the rotation of the lamp; that worked automatically. The lighthouse keepers did have to polish the lamp once in awhile.

On the watch

During their shift, the keepers guarded everything: large and small ships, pleasure boats. In the case of a calamity, the keepers had to warn the life boats and keep in touch with the Coast Guard.

Road map to Vlieland

Problems at sea didn’t just occur during bad weather. Not everyone at sea is always properly prepared. One time, a small vessel stranded on the Vliehors. The people only had a road map of the Netherlands with them.

Five blue swimsuits

The lighthouse keepers also kept track of activities on land. One day, the lighthouse got a phone call on a busy summer day. Could the lighthouse keeper watch out for a lost boy wearing a blue swim suit. He saw five boys with blue swim suits!

Chatting with ships

Even when there was no one needing to be rescued, the lighthouse keepers were never bored. They could chat with passing ships via the radio. The magnificent view made sure there was always something to enjoy. All this made the work at the lighthouse very pleasant.

Now unmanned

After 1990, the equipment was doing more and more of the work of the lighthouse keeper. The lighthouse is now unmanned; the radar images and radio communication have been taken over by the Brandaris on Terschelling