Anna Maria - up in smoke

The wreck in Dalarö’s harbour has often been called Saltskutan, "Salt Ship", because it was believed to be the remnants of a barge loaded with salt that sank in the late 19th century. Today, Saltskutan’s secret has been revealed. The wreck has been identified as the fluit Anna Maria, which sank on 6 February 1709.

In November 1708, Anna Maria with cargo departed Stockholm bound for Lisbon, Portugal. At Dalarö, the journey had to be cancelled because the ice had already begun to set in. The decision was made that Anna Maria would stay there over the winter. Five men from the crew remained on board as guards.

After breakfast on 6 February 1709, Bewe went ashore to purchase spirits, bread rusks and meat. He would invite his comrades from other laid-up ships to dinner. After dinner, the company went to the tavern. The four other crew members remained on the ship with instructions to take care with the fire. But it didn’t take long for them to leave the ship and join the others at the tavern.

After drinking beer for an hour, cries were heard from the harbour: “Fire!” The tavern guests ran to the harbour and saw Anna Maria up in flames. Those who discovered the fire had tried to put it out, but the ship could not be salvaged and vanished below the ice with a crackling hiss.

During searches following the incident, three of the men were sentenced to four days of water and bread in prison. The last two who were last to leave the ship were sentenced to eight days in prison. The punishments were quite lenient relative to the damage caused.

Anna Maria has been part of Dalarö Dive Park since 2014.