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Another thing close to the harbour and the hearts of the people in Hvide Sande is the
rescue service. In the years 1850-60 four life-saving stations were established along
Holmsland Klit, from where men in rowing boats went to the rescue of wrecked men.
When the lock was opened in 1931, the first life-saving station was
established in Hvide Sande to replace the two smaller stations in Sdr. Lyngvig and
Haurvig. At the same time, Hvide Sande acquired a motor-driven lifeboat. In 1951 five men
perished in a rescue operation when the lifeboat keeled over. Many families were affected
by this tragedy, and at a royal visit to Hvide Sande in 1953, two memorials to the men
were unveiled, one at the church, Nr. Lyngvig Kirke, and the other one facing the harbour
from a site north of the lock and across from the museum Fiskeriets Hus. Today, the
station is located at the lock and has its headquarters in the blue harbour administration
building.
 Life-saving equipment is kept in the building and the
present lifeboat, the Emile Robin, is moored at the quay next to the lock. The Emile
Robin was built at the North Sea Shipyard in Ringkøbing in 1988-89. The boat is about
20 metres long and designed so that it cannot sink, and if upturned by high seas it will
quickly right itself. The boat is kept ready for action at a moment’s notice and can
handle rescue operations even in the most difficult circumstances. In addition, the station has a
so-called light rescue boat capable of doing 27 knots and equipped with all modern
navigational instruments. It also has a rubber dinghy fitted on a trailer and towed by a
land rover for use in swimming accidents along the beach. The land rover is fitted with
modern communication and resuscitation equipment, and rockets for use in case of
shipwreck.
Each year, Hvide Sande life-saving station carries out 60-100 rescue
operations. The station is manned with four permanent and six part time men, all with
emergency call systems with lines to the station manager, SOK, KGM, the police or the lock
master in Hvide Sande. Any rescue action is launched within approximately eight minutes
from the time of the call.
To the left north of the sluice stands a tall dune with a signal mast
on top. The name of the dune is Troldebjerg. From the mast, current conditions were
signalled to ships at sea. In the daytime the signal was a cone hoisted in various ways,
while at night it took the form of a lantern in different colours. |
Before the dam was built, the fjord had a natural outlet into the North
Sea. About 300 years ago, the outlet was a short distance south of Hvide Sande. Due to
sand erosion, the opening moved southwards, assuming a shape which prevented effective
drainage from the fjord. Water levels in the fjord thus rose alarmingly, leading to the
destruction of large areas around the fjord and along the river Skjern Å. The purpose of the sluice was thus to control water
levels and salt content in the fjord.