Bonita

As Bonita approached southern Scania, the Simrishamn steamer Bojan Stettin left loaded with coal on its way to Gothenburg. On Bojan, the second mate was in charge when the captain was resting in his cabin. From Bojan’s bridge, despite the fog, three ship lanterns could be clearly seen further forward and another aft.

When the helmsman looked more closely, he saw a faint light just ahead of Bojan and realised that there was a ship right in front of it. Bojan reversed its engine while attempting to steer away from the ship ahead. But the manoeuvre failed, and Bojan’s bow hit Bonita’s port side far aft. Bojan took a hard hit.

On Bonita, a carpenter and a sailor managed to get out of their cabins and into a life raft, which Bojan soon rescued. The young mess boy Bruno Hansen was sent flying overboard and managed to cling to a hatch until he was rescued.

The captain was in his cabin when the ships collided. Water rushing into the ship blocked the cabin door. The only chance to survive was to break the glass on the cabin window and crawl out. Like the mess boy, the captain found a hatch that helped him stay afloat until he was picked up by Bojan’s lifeboat.

Bojan remained at the scene for several hours searching for more survivors, but to no avail. It then went to Trelleborg, where the commander and the mess boy were treated at the hospital.