Pluto och Skraken

Skraken was delivered in 1953 and put into service in Stockholm’s southern archipelago. On the afternoon of 13 January 1964, Skraken was on its way from Möja to Stockholm carrying one-and-a-half tonnes of break bulk cargo, eight passengers and three crewmen. Though darkness had fallen, visibility was clear and the beacons could be seen from a long distance.

The captain tasked the machinist with taking over the helm, requesting him to steer towards Lindalen’s lighthouse. Shortly after the captain left the wheelhouse, the ship encountered another vessel, prompting the machinist to switch course. After the encounter, the machinist did nothing to right the ship back on course. After just a few minutes, the ship ran aground on the island of Mansören, just north of Lillsved on Värmdö.

Skraken got stuck on the rocks and took on a slight list, springing a leak in both the engine room and the cargo hold. The passengers were transported to Vaxholm, and the cargo was salvaged and transported to Stockholm.

The next day, the Neptun Company’s rescue boat Pluto and salvage ship Ajax arrived. Pluto anchored next to Skraken and after a quick dive survey, they began to drain the water with a bilge pump. Attempts were made to pull Skraken loose from the rocks, but these failed.

Late in the evening, a fire broke out on board Skraken and spread to Pluto by way of the pump hoses. Soon after, Skraken was pulled loose from the rocks but sank after five minutes. Pluto, which was moored next to Skraken, accompanied her on the journey down to the bottom.

According to the machinist, Skraken had grounded because he had confused Lindalen’s lighthouse with Valören’s lighthouse. The cause of the fire is believed to have been a combination of spilled gasoline and a lantern on board Skraken.