An 800-kilogram anchor and a 300-meter chain, with a combined weight of 12,000 kilos, held the 45.5-meter-long lighthouse in its permanent position. During storms, large waves were formed, sometimes up to ten meters high. “But the most terrifying situation,” says Roozing, 78, “was when there was dense fog. Then the boats came very close, because they wanted to be sure it was the lighthouse. The fog horn was always on. That was a horror. The resonance of that vibrated through the entire ship. Steigstra, 76 years old: “The fog was worse than the storm.”
Collisions with headlights were not uncommon. Since they were tied to their anchor, they could not move in any direction. They also had no propulsion. Motors, but they were only there to generate electrical energy. The crew was taken to the lighthouse on another ship and transferred in a small boat.
