Grundkallen
The wreck of Herakles-Bulk
On 3 March 2004 at around 00:30 (UTC+02) a Finnish pusher-barge combination Herakles-Bulk sank near the Grundkallen lighthouse. The combination had left Oxelösund two days earlier and was heading north with the barge fully laden with coal. On 2 March she ran into a storm and the captain, not certain if the vessel could be safely turned around in such conditions to seek shelter closer to the coast, decided to evacuate half of the crew by helicopter. When the port engine began overheating and later the starboard engine lost all power, the combination was no longer able to keep the bow into the wind and began to drift uncontrollably in the storm. The remaining crew was soon evacuated and shortly afterwards Herakles-Bulk collided with the lighthouse, causing superficial damage, and foundered in the nearby shallows.
The 159-metre barge broke in two and an approximately 95 metres long section settled in the bottom on an even keel only tens of metres from the lighthouse. Part of the side structure and a ramp protrude above the surface. Another section, approximately 60 metres long, is located about 300 metres south-southeast from the lighthouse, with the forecastle of the barge protruding in an oblique angle above the surface. The wrecks do not pose a hazard to navigation.
See also
References
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Sweden: Southern Bothnia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Sweden: Southern Bothnia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ^ Työntöproomuyhdistelmä HERAKLES-BULK, vaaratilanne ja uppoaminen Selkämerellä 2.–3.3.2004 Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine. Onnettomuustutkintakeskuksen tutkintaselostus B 02/2004 M.
- ^ Swedish Maritime Administration: Notices to Mariners, SWEDEN, Nr 87 (2005-10-12) Archived 2011-06-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
- ^ Tornator 2/04.
External links
- Sjofartsverket Archived 2016-04-08 at the Wayback Machine
- The Swedish Lighthouse Society