Boats

Fireboat Sandettié

A true floating lighthouse, the Sandettié fireboat signaled the dangerous sandbanks off Dunkirk with its lantern and foghorn. Commissioned in 1949 as the BF 6, she was successively named Dyck and Sandettié, depending on her assignment.

This stationary vessel was manned by a crew of eight men who maintained the equipment, took meteorological readings and monitored maritime traffic. After 40 years of service, she returned to port for good on June 3, 1989, greeted by a concert of sirens.

Owned by the Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque since 1997, she was restored and opened to the public in 2006.

Come aboard and discover the daily lives of the sailors who watched over these waters!

Tug Entreprenant

Built in 1965 at the Ziegler shipyard in Dunkirk, the tug Entreprenant provided assistance to ships in the port for three decades before being transferred to Caen in 1995. Having become obsolete in the face of the rise of modern cargo ships, it was bought back in 1999 for a symbolic euro by the Dunkirk Urban Community, and has been moored in front of the Maritime and Port Museum since 2003.

At 30 meters long and 8 meters wide, she is one of the last tugs of this type still open to the public in France.

In 2023, a team of volunteers, including former sailors from the towing industry and the Phares et Balises (lighthouses and beacons), set about restoring the vessel, bringing it back to life as a testament to our maritime heritage.

Entreprenant invites young and old alike to discover the daily lives of the crews who guided the ships into port. Come aboard and immerse yourself in the fascinating history of towing!

Guilde Barge

Take a trip into the world of inland waterway transport, a lesser-known but equally fascinating facet of the port world!

The Guilde barge bears witness to the vital role played by inland waterway transport in moving goods from the port to the hinterland. Through an exhibition featuring video clips, technical objects and decorations, you can discover the different stages in the evolution of the barge industry in the 20th century.

Built for the Freycinet gauge canals, this barge was first owned by a shipping company, which used it mainly to transport coal and sand. It later became the property of the Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque.

Pilot boat Pilotine n° 1

Built in 1965 on the Isle of Wight, the Pilotine n° 1 was commissioned by the Syndicat des pilotes de Dunkerque (Dunkirk pilots’ union) to take pilots ashore. Designed to cope with the difficult conditions of a harbor with little shelter, she features a reinforced polyester hull, combining strength and speed.

She arrived in Dunkirk on January 21, 1966, and a few weeks later became a vital part of the local maritime traffic. Sailing exclusively in port and harbor, she is today the oldest pilot launch still in existence in Dunkirk.Its design, by TT. BOAT DESIGNS LTD, makes her modular, enabling her to be used for both professional and recreational purposes.

In 2024-2025, a complete restoration restored her to her original glory. Now preserved and accessible to the public, Pilotine n° 1 bears witness to the history of port pilotage and maritime ingenuity. Embark on a journey to the heart of the pilot’s craft!

The exceptional restoration of 2024-2025 was made possible thanks to the patronage of the TotalEnergies foundation and the Crédit Agricole Nord de France foundation, as well as generous private donations and the support of the Fondation du Patrimoine.