Belgian North Sea · Belgium · Wreck
Lichtschip West-Hinder
A protected 1912 lightship standing upright on the seabed northwest of Oostende
The West-Hinder is a 33 m lightship that a dredger rammed and sank northwest of Oostende on 14 December 1912, and she now lies upright on the seabed. It is a protected wreck, and only divers who have registered with the Belgian government may visit it. The superstructure has gone, but the hull is almost intact.
Also known as West-Hinder Lightship, West-Hinder Light Ship, Lightship West-Hinder.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Belgian North Sea and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The lightship lies upright on a sand bottom at 30 m, a small hull only 33 m long and 8 m wide. Pouting and cod live around it. Visibility ranges from 4 to 10 m, and the current here can run strong, which ties the time on the wreck to the slack.
The wreck
- Vessel
- West-Hinder
- Type
- Lightship
- Length
- 33 m (108 ft)
- Sunk
- 1912
- Cause
- Rammed by a dredger; all nine crew were lost
- Lies
- Upright on the seabed at 30 m, northwest of Oostende
Lightships were stationed off the Belgian coast to mark sandbanks such as the Westhinder, and a lightship marked this bank without a break from 1864 to 1994. The West-Hinder carried a crew of nine, and all of them were lost when she sank in 1912. A new West-Hinder replaced her in 1920.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Belgian North Sea: Weekend day boats run from the third weekend of May to the third weekend of October; no month stands out, and August has the warmest water.
Know before you go
- The current over the wreck can run strong outside slack water.
Sources
- Lichtschip West-Hinder - Duikersgids — Duikersgids
- Lichtschip West-Hinder - Divers Guide — Duikersgids
- Banc de West Hinder — Wikipédia
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