The wreck of Swiks – a stranded legend on northern Öland
On the beach in Trollskogen on northern Öland rest the remains of Swiks – the three-masted schooner that ran aground here in the winter of 1926. Today, the wreck is a quiet reminder of the forces of the sea, the conditions of shipping and the dramatic event that made Swiks one of Öland's most talked-about stranded legends.
Swiks, also called Swix, was an Åland three-masted schooner built in 1902 in Upesgrīva, Latvia, of pine and oak with galvanized iron bolts. During her 24 years in service, she sailed around the world with varying cargo and owners, but is today best known for her final voyage.
On 21 December 1926, while en route home to Mariehamn from Germany for Christmas, the Swiks was hit by a heavy snowstorm off the northeastern tip of Öland. In heavy weather, the crew attempted to round the cape for shelter, but the ship came too close to land and ran aground in the sand dunes just off the shore. The crew of seven managed to get ashore in a lifeboat and hiked through the thick Trollskogen forest before finding shelter in a cabin in Grankulla.
The wreck lay on the shore for a long time until a winter storm in the 1950s threw her ashore, where she was eventually broken in two. Today, parts of Swiks can still be seen. She lies on the shingle beach where storms over the years have moved her
On 21 December 1926, while en route home to Mariehamn from Germany for Christmas, the Swiks was hit by a heavy snowstorm off the northeastern tip of Öland. In heavy weather, the crew attempted to round the cape for shelter, but the ship came too close to land and ran aground in the sand dunes just off the shore. The crew of seven managed to get ashore in a lifeboat and hiked through the thick Trollskogen forest before finding shelter in a cabin in Grankulla.
The wreck lay on the shore for a long time until a winter storm in the 1950s threw her ashore, where she was eventually broken in two. Today, parts of Swiks can still be seen. She lies on the shingle beach where storms over the years have moved her