Sanct Svithun (ship, 1950)
The Sanct Svithun was a Norwegian mail ship that was in service from 1950 to 1962 on the Hurtigruten along the coast of Norway. The Sanct Svithun ran aground on October 21, 1962 between Trondheim and Rørvik and sank. The sinking of the Sanct Svithun , in which 41 people lost their lives, is considered the greatest disaster that hit the Hurtigruten in peacetime.
The ship
The ship, like its sister ships Erling Jarl , Midnatsol and Vesterålen , was built in 1950 at the Cantieri Riuniti dell 'Adriatico shipyard in Ancona ( Italy ). It was 80 meters long, 12.60 meters wide and had a draft of 4.50 meters. The ship was measured at 2,095 GRT , ran a normal speed of 15 knots and a top speed of 17 knots. It had an eight-cylinder Fiat engine that developed 2500 hp . The purchase price was a little over 10 million Norwegian kroner . It was approved for 450 passengers. The ship had 77 beds in the first class and 108 beds in the second class. All cabins were equipped with cold and warm water. The ship could transport four motor vehicles, which were lifted onto the foredeck using a crane.
The exterior of the Sanct Svithun differed from its three sister ships by the shipping company sign (three red rings around the black chimney) and the shipping company coat of arms on the bow. The crew consisted of 47 people. The ship was managed by the shipping company Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskap ( DSDS ) from Stavanger . The launch took place on May 18, 1950. On May 25, 1950, the ship was delivered to the DSDS and arrived in Stavanger on June 7, 1950. On June 8, 1950, it began its first trip on the Hurtigrute. In January 1952, the ship ran aground in the Risøyrenne (a narrow sound near Risøyhamn ). It was able to get out on its own, but had to go to the shipyard for repairs after the tour in Bergen . On May 1, 1952, Brønnøysund again suffered a slight grounding. In 1961 the ship was rebuilt.
The name
The Sanct Svithun is the second ship of the DSDS shipping company of this name on the Hurtigrute. However, both ships with this name did not have a happy fate: The first Sanct Svithun from 1927 sank on September 30, 1943 around 7:00 p.m. between Ålesund and Havda after an attack by British bombers. 47 people died of 123 passengers and crew on board. After the sinking of the second Sanct Svithun , a Hurtigruten ship never bore this name again.
It was named after Swithin von Winchester, a saint of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches and patron saint of Stavanger who was especially venerated in northern Europe .
The misfortune
On October 21, 1962 at 1:00 p.m. the Sanct Svithun left Trondheim northbound one hour late. The weather was rainy with strong winds and rough seas. The ship drove the prescribed route past Buholmråsa lighthouse , which it passed at 19:55. At this time there was a changing of the guard on the bridge. At this point the course should have been changed from 350 degrees to 35 degrees, but the ship steered a course of 342 degrees and thus sailed out to sea. An hour later the ship changed course to 335 degrees. At 9 p.m. the master came on the bridge, the helmsman was relieved. At 21:12 the order “slow speed” was given. The course has now been changed to 35 degrees, presumably because the captain thought the Nordøyan lighthouse , near which the ship was located, to be Grinna lighthouse , which marks the entrance to Rørvik. At 21:55 h the Sanct Svithun ran aground on an archipelago (position 64 ° 45 ′ 57 ″ N , 10 ° 26 ′ 7 ″ E ).
Immediately after they hit the ground, flares were fired, alarm signals were given and an emergency call was made over the radio . However, due to difficulties with the frequency , contact was only made at 10:04 p.m. Due to the error about the position of the ship caused by the wrong course , the radio operator reported that the ship was at the Grinna lighthouse, although the ship was at the Nordøyan lighthouse, 18 nautical miles away. This made the rescue measures much more difficult.
At 10:45 p.m. the power went out on board the Sanct Svithun , the lights went out, and the radio and radio did not work anymore. At 11:10 p.m. the ship sank. Of the total of 89 people on board (47 crew members, 2 postal workers, 40 passengers), 41 people lost their lives. 48 people were rescued during the rescue measures, in which, in addition to numerous fishing boats, the southbound Hurtigruten ship Ragnvald Jarl took part.
The cause of the catastrophe has not yet been clarified. It is assumed that there was a misunderstanding about the correct course between the pilot and the helmsman. The helmsman may have misunderstood the commands “42 degrees” and “35 degrees” as “342 degrees” and “335 degrees”. In addition, it is likely that the officers did not check the compass properly. Ultimate clarity will never be achieved, since everyone who was on the navigating bridge at the time in question and could have given information about what happened there - captain, pilot, chief helmsman and helmsman - died in the accident came.
literature
- Tormod Aune: Mayday fra St. Svithun , Verlag Speilet, 1992