Rødtangen had daily calls by the Juno company's ships to and from Drammen and Oslo.Throughout the ages, Rødtangen has been a favorite place for painters, and one of Norway's earliest settlements can be found here.

The pilots made a living as fishermen and pilots. Before telephone and radio communication became common, the pilots on Rødtangen themselves had to scout for boats that were supposed to be relieved. One way to do this was to find a favorable vantage point where they could spot the boats going up the Drammensfjord as early as possible.Asbjørn with the sailor's hat was always ready when the pilot arrived in his fine uniform to be driven out to the ship. The pilots elegantly climbed the rope leader that was lowered from the ship. Now he could lead the voyage safely through the narrow Svelvik Stream and on to Drammen.

There could be a lot of fog and thick haze along the coast and in 1903 the Rødtangen Fog Clock was inaugurated.A fog bell was a bell that was rung when there was poor visibility in the ship's lanes – this was to guide ships sailing in narrow waters, thus saving both ships and human lives from sinking. It was a laborious service and the clock had to be wound up manually, and you had to sit a fog watch in the house.In 1938 electricity was insatalled and a switch was installed in Olea and Asbjørn's house which could turn the fog clock on and off.

The fog clock had an important position during the Second World War when they had hidden an illegal radio and turned the clock into a news centre.