Torsten
When the ship Torsten was built in 1899 at Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstad, the clients wanted her to be equipped with two propellers to facilitate manoeuvring in narrow passages. So, she was also fitted with two steam engines and two boilers. She was put into service on the Stockholm–Sandhamn line via the Strömma Canal. However, it was soon obvious that the ship was a bit too wide, and the arrangement with two propellers was creating problems.
When the water was low, the propellers dug into the sides of the dredged part of the canal, and the vessel often (and easily) got stuck. She was therefore replaced by a smaller ship with only one propeller.
In 1918 she was rebuilt as a tugboat and given the more ordinary name of Torsten. She served as a tugboat until 1934 and was then converted into an open barge. She remained on the east coast with several different owners until 1950.
On 10 December, the tugboat Fylgia was on its way from Norrköping to Oxelösund with two barges in tow, both loaded with coke. Closest to Fylgia was Torsten. On board the barge was a “steersman” who operated the rudder.
When Fylgia and the two barges passed Svinskär just after Falkens Grund, Torsten turned involuntarily and is believed to have run slightly aground, partly causing a leak in the hull. Although they continued their journey, they discovered when they passed Mellanskär that Torsten could not be steered.
The strain on the towing rope became too great, which finally broke. When the rope broke, its impact was so strong that Torsten’s “steersman” fell into the icy waters and had to be rescued by the tugboat.
Today, the barge hull lies at a depth of 22 metres just south of the Femörehuvud lighthouse, outside Oxelösund.
Facts
Deep
22 metres
Build
1899
Length
31,3 metres
Width
5,7 metres
Shipwreck
1950
Ship type
Pråm