Sandettie Bank

51°14′00″N 1°57′00″E / 51.23333°N 1.95000°E / 51.23333; 1.95000

Sandettie Bank

The Sandettie Bank (French: Banc de Sandettié) is an elongated sandbank in the southern North Sea, more specifically about in the middle of the northeastern entrance to the Strait of Dover. North-west of it are the hazardous Goodwin Sands, south of it the sandbank Ruytingen.

The shoal represents a significant threat to the major shipping lanes in the Strait of Dover. From 1902 to 1989 it was marked by a succession of French lightships, all bearing the name Sandettié while deployed there. The last such crewed lightship is now a museum ship at the Port Museum of Dunkirk at anchor.

Today the British authority Trinity House maintains an uncrewed lightship there, the Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic which also has an automatic weather station.