SHIPWRECKS AROUND NORTHERN ÖLAND
The Baltic Sea surrounding Öland and Gotland hides thousands of shipwrecks from different periods of history. Off the coast of northern Öland, several fascinating wrecks can be explored – from the legendary warship Mrs, wich sank off Böda in 1564, to a World War II bomber resting on the seabed near Sandvik. Many more wrecks are still waiting to be discovered.
Wreck map of northern Öland produced by Long Island Divers, Byxelkrok.
1 Hantverkspråmen: The barge Hantverkspråmen is the most recent addition to the shipwrecks in the waters around northern Öland. The dramatic events surrounding its attempted relocation and eventual sinking attracted considerable attention.
Since 1982, the 2,000-tonne, 71-metre-long and 11-metre-wide Hantverkspråmen had been moored at Söder Mälarstrand in Stockholm. In 1994, it was sold and was to be moved to Larvik in Norway.
One day in midsummer, the time came for the long journey to Norway. After only a few hundred metres, however, the towline snapped. The unmanned barge drifted towards Långholmen, where several sunbathers fled in panic. At the last moment, one of the tugboats managed to prevent it from crashing into the pier. Instead, it ran aground nearby. After divers had confirmed that the hull was undamaged, the interrupted journey could continue.
On the morning of 30 June, new and more serious problems arose when the barge began taking on water. Eventually, the situation became impossible to control, and it sank north of the northern tip of Öland. It now rests at a depth of 21 metres and is a popular destination for divers.
2 Mauritza: The square-rigged schooner Mauritza was wrecked at Björnnabben on 20 September 1914 while sailing from Limhamn to Gävle with a cargo of cement. Near the northern tip of Öland, the vessel was caught by surprise by a north-easterly storm that intensified to hurricane force. An attempt to remain at sea failed, and the severe weather drove the vessel towards the coast. It ran aground only about one hundred metres from the shore, in full view of hundreds of spectators gathered on the beach.
Mauritza carried a crew of five as well as the captain’s wife. In the violent seas, the breaking waves began tearing the vessel apart. Three men managed to reach the shore under extremely difficult conditions. One man drowned, while the captain and his wife went down with the ship. The bodies of those who died later washed ashore and were returned to Gotland.
Following this tragic accident, the Björnnabben Sea Rescue Station was established in 1915.
3 M/F Bremsund: On 11 December 1966, dense fog and heavy snowfall severely reduced visibility. In the near-zero visibility, the motor vessel Bremsund, carrying 430 tonnes of oats, went off course and ran aground at Stora Skatan. The vessel sprang a leak, and the crew attempted to save her. Their efforts were unsuccessful, and she sank after sliding off the rocks.
Bremsund is 42.5 metres long and 7 metres wide. The intact hull rests on a clay seabed at a depth of 27 metres.
4 Patricia
5 Skonerten Skriner: The Danish schooner Skriner was sailing from Troense to Oskarshamn when she encountered a severe north-easterly storm on 27 October 1880. While attempting to find shelter, she ran aground near Blå Jungfrun, sprang a leak and sank. The vessel was sailing in ballast.
Skriner is 30 metres long and 6.4 metres wide and rests at a depth of 28 metres. The wreck is completely intact and lies with a moderate list.
The wreck of Skriner was discovered in 2002 by Long Island Divers Dive Centre in Byxelkrok, using Midlands side-scan sonar.
6 Olga Atkinsson:
On Thursday, 28 July 1921, the following report appeared in the newspaper Ölandsbladet:
“Maritime accident in the Kalmarsund: The German galeas Olga Atkinsson, registered in Hamburg and sailing from Lübeck to Västerås with a cargo of salt, was driven aground off Ålkistan in Högby parish during the severe storm on Sunday night. The 50-tonne casualty is waterlogged and will probably become a wreck.”
The vessel had anchored in the bay to shelter from the storm, but the anchor dragged and she drifted aground. With the help of local residents, an attempt was made to salvage the vessel. However, a hole was torn in one of the pontoons, causing her to capsize and sink.
The wreck of Olga Atkinsson is 25 metres long and 5 metres wide. It lies close to the shore at a depth of 11 metres.
7 Nimrod
8 S/S Malmöhus: In January 1882, the paddle steamer Malmöhus set out on a trial voyage from Oskarshamn, where she had been built at Oskarshamns Mekaniska Verkstad. The vessel was not yet fully completed and, among other things, some painting remained to be done.
The weather was calm on departure, but conditions deteriorated at sea as the north-easterly wind increased and the waves grew higher. The Malmöhus sank because the portholes in the lower saloon had been left open to provide ventilation after painting. As the weather worsened, water entered the saloon. Its doors had been locked and the keys had been left at the shipyard, making it impossible to close the portholes before it was too late.
Six men escaped in the lifeboats, but nine lost their lives. The vessel had not yet been delivered to its purchaser, AB Skånska Kusten, and was uninsured.
The Malmöhus is 36 metres long and 5.5 metres wide. The wreck lies at a depth of 38 metres. The hull is intact, but the superstructure has slipped down alongside it. The paddle wheels remain intact, and the engine, steam boiler and many other details are still visible.
9 Boeing B-17 G: On 8 May 1944, the American bomber, which had taken off from its base at Thurleigh in Britain, was hit by anti-aircraft fire during a bombing raid on Berlin. On the return flight, the damaged aircraft went off course. Upon reaching the Swedish coast, it made an emergency landing in the sea near Sandö.
The ten crew members boarded the inflatable life raft carried aboard the aircraft. With the help of fishermen from Vollö who came to their rescue, they reached the shore at Sandö. The crew were interned in Sweden.
The wreck lies at a depth of 38 metres and is partly broken up. It is an unusual and fascinating dive site.
10 Regina: On 9 December 1963, the galeas Regina was sailing from Stockholm to Kalmar. The weather was good, but a previous storm had left a fairly heavy swell. In the northern Kalmarsund, it was discovered that the vessel was leaking in the bow. The situation quickly worsened when the bilge pump stopped working.
At around 10 p.m., distress flares were fired and the vessel set course for Sandvik. The flares were seen from shore and by another ship in the strait. The ship approached the stricken vessel, illuminated it with its searchlight, flashed its lights a few times and then continued on its way without assisting those in distress.
When a fishing boat from Persnäs finally arrived to help, the Regina was already awash. She sank shortly afterwards.
The Regina lies at a depth of 26 metres between Sandvik and Dämman. The hull is intact, and one of the masts is still standing. The vessel had a deadweight of 90 tonnes and was 34 metres long and 6.5 metres wide. She was built in Bohuslän in 1908.
The wreck of the Regina was discovered in 2002 by Long Island Divers Dive Centre in Byxelkrok, using Midlands side-scan sonar.
11 M/F Nordfart: On 8 December 1964, the motor vessel Nordfart was sailing from Degerhamn to Stockholm with a cargo of 153 tonnes of limestone. The weather was severe, with a northerly gale blowing at 17 m/s.
Around midday, the vessel was off Dämman Lighthouse in the northern Kalmarsund. The heavy seas caused the cargo to shift, and the vessel developed a severe list. The two crew members tried in vain to save her. The lighthouse keepers at Dämman were unable to assist because of the severe weather and alerted the sea rescue service instead.
When the Nordfart sank, both men ended up in the ice-cold water. Exhausted and clinging tightly to floating wreckage, they were rescued after an hour.
The Nordfart is 31 metres long and 5.3 metres wide. The wreck lies at a depth of 25 metres and is in good condition.
12 Tärnan
13 Ida
14 Familjen
15 S/S Auguste Helmerich: The vessel was built in 1886 and sank in 1919 after colliding with the steamer Normandie. It stands upright on the seabed and is completely intact. The wreck is very well preserved, with furniture still remaining in the cabins.
17 Mars: In the summer of 2011, the remains of a large warship were discovered about ten nautical miles east of northern Öland, at a depth of 75 metres. The wreck rests on the seabed with a heavy list to starboard.
Among the finds was an emblem depicting the Swedish Vasa sheaf on one of the bronze cannons. On 19 August 2011, the discovery of the wreck was announced. In November, it was finally confirmed that the wreck was the warship Mars. The decisive evidence came from the markings on the recovered cannons.
Apart from its shattered bow, Mars is remarkably well preserved. More than two-thirds of the hull remains intact.
18 S/S Lilly: While sailing from Danzig to Helsinki with a cargo of 300 litres of fine spirits and 280 tonnes of sugar, the Finnish cargo steamer Lilly encountered a severe snowstorm. Disabled and drifting helplessly, she was carried across the Baltic Sea towards Öland’s eastern coast.
After a very dramatic twenty-four hours, she ran aground off Gärdby on 21 December 1925. The spirits were unloaded, but the sugar could not be saved, as it had already been ruined by water. Temporary repairs were made, and on 28 December the Neptun salvage company began towing the vessel towards a safe harbour. However, she soon began taking on water again and sank off Högby Lighthouse.
The wreck of the Lilly lies at a depth of 35 metres. The pale sandy seabed reflects the light, and visibility is usually very good. The vessel is 35 metres lon.
19 Primus
20 Amelia
21 Teodor
