Grundkallen is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

on a shallow of the same name in the southern part of the

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...

, some northeast of

Öregrund Öregrund is a locality situated in Östhammar Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden. As of 2010, it had 1,555 inhabitants. It is located by the Baltic Sea, on the coast of Uppland. Despite its small population, Öregrund is still commonly referre ...

. The current lighthouse was built in 1961 to replace a

lightship A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

in the same location. It is a round concrete tower with a helipad on top and a round two-storey crew quarters in the bottom, both painted red, mounted on a round caisson which is painted black. The lighthouse, owned by the

Swedish Maritime Administration The Swedish Maritime Administration () is the government agency in Sweden which provides services to the transport sector by keeping the sea lanes open and safe. The agency is to a certain degree financed through fees levied on commercial shippin ...

, is automated and unmanned.

The wreck of ''Herakles-Bulk''

On 3 March 2004 at around 00:30 (

UTC+02 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

) a Finnish pusher-barge combination ''Herakles-Bulk'' sank near the Grundkallen lighthouse. The combination had left Oxelösund two days earlier and was heading north with the barge fully laden with coal. On 2 March she ran into a storm and the captain, not certain if the vessel could be safely turned around in such conditions to seek shelter closer to the coast, decided to evacuate half of the crew by helicopter. When the port engine began overheating and later the starboard engine lost all power, the combination was no longer able to keep the bow into the wind and began to drift uncontrollably in the storm. The remaining crew was soon evacuated and shortly afterwards ''Herakles-Bulk'' collided with the lighthouse, causing superficial damage, and foundered in the nearby shallows.Työntöproomuyhdistelmä HERAKLES-BULK, vaaratilanne ja uppoaminen Selkämerellä 2.–3.3.2004
. Onnettomuustutkintakeskuksen tutkintaselostus B 02/2004 M. The 159-metre barge broke in two and an approximately 95 metres long section settled in the bottom on an even keel only tens of metres from the lighthouse. Part of the side structure and a ramp protrude above the surface. Another section, approximately 60 metres long, is located about 300 metres south-southeast from the lighthouse, with the forecastle of the barge protruding in an oblique angle above the surface.Swedish Maritime Administration
Notices to Mariners, SWEDEN, Nr 87 (2005-10-12)
. The wrecks do not pose a hazard to navigation.Tornator 2/04.

References

External links

Sjofartsverket

{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1961 Lighthouses in Sweden Buildings and structures in Uppsala County Östhammar Municipality

The wreck of ''Herakles-Bulk''

See also

References

External links