In 1949, a group of health fanatics decided to build a replica of the Norwegian Viking boat, the Gokstad ship. Gokstad was discovered and excavated in the late 19th century. It was similar to the Oseberg ship we saw in Oslo, back in 2001. Obviously, it was a buried ship and, while it was made in 890 and there was a dead king in it, it may never have been intended for use in the water. Who knows?
Anyway, in 1893, a bunch of Norwegians built a replica which successfully sailed to the US for the World’s Fair. The replica is in Chicago.
Then, as I said, a group of men in Stensund, Sweden decided they’d try their hand at building one as well. They called it the Ormen Friske. And it proved quite the impressive boat, though they used pine rather than oak, as per the original. There were also a few other modern changes to the construction but, otherwise, it looked pretty authentic.
By the way, Stensund is not far from us, here in Trosa. Mirinda had been there before and wanted Fiona and me to see it. We visited today, and, we all agreed, it is another one of the stunningly beautiful spots near our house.
Back in 1949, there was a boat building yard here. In fact, I noticed a bunch of guys working on a couple of boats while we wandered around so, maybe there still is.
The person who decided it would be a good idea to build Ormen Friske was a man by the name of Sten Schröder.
Schröder was a member of Frisksportförbundet, an organisation devoted to health and sobriety – there are still signs forbidding drinking alcohol at Stensund. By 1946, Frisksportförbundet had already set up a camp and athletics facility at Stensund and, by 1949, they were also building a Viking boat. Actually, Frisksportförbundet, which was criticised for what happened to Ormen Friske, swore they had nothing to do with it, rather it was a private enterprise set up and pushed through by Sten Schröder. He sounds a bit pushy to me.
Once it was completed, the Ormen Friske was tested on the waters just off Stensund then had a bit of sail up and down the Baltic. Then, Schröder decided, it would be an excellent idea to sail it, with 14 other athletes aboard, to Rotterdam for an exhibition.
Apparently, summer storms are rare in the North Sea. This probably explains why they thought it was a good idea. Sadly, and according to a couple of lobster trawlers, that were sheltering just off Heligoland, there was a particularly vicious storm which completely destroyed the Ormen Friske and killed the entire crew not far from the island of Pellworm.
There are memorials both on Pellworm and Stensund as well as a replica at Kalmar Church.
The people who died and who are commemorated on the stone were: Edvard Björk, Benny Borjesson, Gunnar Ekblad, Jerker Ekman, Hans Hendricsson, Sigurd Mattus, Hans Emil Nilsson, Elon Nyden, Borje Persson, Sven Ake Persson, Gustav Reis, Sten Schröder, Sune Tiberg, Oskar Wahlberg and Äke Aresson.
As a side note…The British had attempted to blow Heligoland up at one stage following WWII but were unsuccessful, so they, and the Americans, just used it for target practice. So, some people have speculated, was the Ormen Friske actually a victim of this bombing practice? I mean Pellworm is quite close and there was a storm…
