Gudrun - stuck in the ice

In the afternoon, the icebreaker Sankt Erik came to the scene to assist Gudrun out to open waters. As they approached Revengegrundet, the solid ice had turned into a slush that could easily be forced open. Sankt Erik announced that the assistance would cease, and turned to set course for Sandön.

Aboard Gudrun, the ship’s radar was malfunctioning and indicated the wrong distance. The radar problems, combined with reduced visibility and at times heavy drift ice, drove Gudrun off course. She ran aground at a speed of six knots on Södergrynnan.

The crew attempted to reverse off the rocks without success. An examination of the ship revealed that the water had risen rapidly in the bow. To facilitate an evacuation, lifeboats were readied and a distress signal issued.

Sankt Erik arrived at the scene and the bilge pumps were started. But the water had penetrated both the boiler room and engine room, causing the boilers to go out. Late in the evening, the crew left the ship and boarded Sankt Erik.

Salvage steamers arrived at the scene and began to prepare salvage operations, including salvaging nearly 1,000 tonnes of the ship’s cargo of pulp in an attempt to make the ship lighter and avoid the wet pulp bales crushing the hull.

The salvage divers managed to seal the leaks in the aft hold and in the engine room, but the rough waters prevented the bottom of the forward hold from being sealed. By the end of February, the weather was so bad that it dashed any hopes of a salvage. The Neptune Company left the scene, and Gudrun later slid off the rocks to her final resting place on the seafloor.