The remains of the schooner Swiks. Photo: Göran Ekberg, SMTM.
In north-eastern Öland there is the strange forest called Trollskogen, the forest of trolls. Twisted trees and dense, mossy vegetation create a ghostly atmosphere, and it’s not the place you want to visit on a dark, stormy winter night. On the rocky shore at the edge of the forest are the remains of an old ship. A sign near the wreck says that the schooner Swiks sank at the site in 1926 during a ‘fåk’, as blizzards on Öland are called.
Deep: 0 metres
Build: 1902
Length: 34 metres
Width: 9 metres
Shipwreck: 1926
Ship type: Schooner
The three-masted schooner was built in 1902 in the small Latvian coastal community of Upesgriva, northwest of Riga. The ship was named Swiks. It was sold to Åland in 1912 and then sailed to many parts of the world, loaded with everything from timber to guano.
In December 1926, Swiks left the German port city of Flensburg headed to Åland and the upcoming Christmas celebrations. The crew consisted of seven men, and there was no cargo on the journey. As they approached Öland’s northern promontory, a violent snowstorm took them by surprise. Because of the poor visibility, Swiks came too close to land and grounded.
The ship quickly took on a heavy list and took in water. The crew was able to rescue themselves in one of the lifeboats, but once ashore the seven men got to experience the troll forest from its very worst side. For hours, they roamed the eerie forest in the blizzard. At last they found their way to an inhabited cottage in Grankulla, three kilometres from the wreck site.
The wreck was left lying on the rocks off the coast until the 1950s. Then a new blizzard came in from Öland, casting the ship far up onto the shore. Parts of the wreck can still be admired when you hike along Trollskogen’s shore.
Deep: 0 metres
Build: 1902
Length: 34 metres
Width: 9 metres
Shipwreck: 1926
Ship type: Schooner
