Nedjan – An unlucky ship

When Nedjan was being loaded with planed timber in Norrsundet a week before the sinking, the ship started to drag in a fierce storm and ran aground in the harbour. The damage was inspected before she was given the go-ahead to be retired. Despite the presence of hurricane-strength wind and Nedjan’s serious longstanding steering problems, the ship departed at 14.00 on 9 January from Norrsundet.

She had taken on a slight list, and a pilot was aboard when she left the harbour. The list was not considered to be a safety hazard, and the pilot left the ship after about an hour. When the pilot returned home, he noted that the wind speed had increased to 25-30 m/s.

At 23.55, Nedjan’s captain orders a call via Härnösand’s radio with the shipping company’s clerk. He says that “All the steering equipment is on the blink. We’re drifting into Gävlebukten.” The captain wants to contact a tugboat, but the shipping company first wants to discuss costs with the insurance company before requesting any tugboat.

Härnösand radio contacts the rescue station at Bönan, which sends out a cutter lifeboat. However, it is estimated to take about two hours before it can reach the distressed vessel. And the sea is so rough that the cutter is forced to turn around.

Shortly after midnight, contact with Nedjan is lost and only silence is heard. A few days later, the wreckage and a dead man are found ashore at Förrådsberget, 10 kilometres east of Skutskär. Over the next few days, two more dead crewmen are found ashore.

Nedjan was found in 1996 at a depth of about 32 metres, just south of Lövgrunds Rabbar. The ship was exceptionally preserved but missing its rudder and propeller.