The Rune Stone Barge at Biskops-Arnö

In 1990, the Maritime Museum was contacted by a private individual who, together with a diving club in Uppsala, had investigated a wreck on the island. Despite poor visibility, they were sure that they had localised the old rune stone barge.

The county administrative board gave permission for the salvage of three stones to confirm that the cargo consisted of rune stones.

On 28 June 1990, a crowd gathered at Biskops-Arnö’s folk school. Among the people were representatives from Runverket and Radio Uppland, along with the well-known presenters of the TV science show ‘Vetenskapens Värld’.

The work began with the Maritime Museum conducting a dive on the wreck. The visibility was abysmal, so the divers had to use their sense of touch to do the inspection. They could feel the shipwreck and the huge stones, but couldn’t determine whether they were rune stones.

The group’s divers then descended to lift the first rock to the surface. Interest was at a peak, and the TV show host was getting ready for a first interview with the project manager and his divers. When the stone broke the surface, everyone could quickly see that it was simply a large blasted rock. The next stone to surface was a blasted rock, too. Interest in the project quickly faded.

Whether the rune stone barge is lurking somewhere in the waters surrounding Biskops-Arnö is even more uncertain now than before the project. Two elderly gentlemen living in the area later said that in their youth, they had been fishing on a barge in the area but that the barge was much further into the reeds.