– An ice-cold rescue

On 13 January 1945 she departed Norrköping with a crew of 15 men and three women, carrying 1,123 tonnes of wheat for transport to Helsinki, Finland. Vesta lacked bulkhead beams that are supposed to prevent loose cargo from shifting when the ship heels. Wheat was considered particularly dangerous to transport without such blocking. Vesta’s commander was reportedly warned about leaving port with such a risky cargo and the absence of bulkhead beams in the holds.

At midnight they were between Örskär and Argos Grund. The ship began to heel in the rough sea, and the loose wheat shifted so much that the ship took on a heavy list. They tried in vain to correct the list and soon understood that the ship was about to capsize.

The commander gave the order to abandon ship. After much effort, they managed to launch the port-side lifeboat, and three men and a woman succeeded in getting on board. At the same time, six men managed to climb up on a life raft.

After listing around four times, the raft floated ashore on Norra Gåsgrundet where it was discovered by reconnaissance aircraft. The destroyer Vidar made its way to the scene and found the raft with three men still alive. The three of them had frozen in the raft and had to be pried loose.

The three men, together with the three who came ashore on Örskär in the lifeboat, were the only surviving crew members. 

The wreck of Vesta was discovered in 1992 at a depth of almost 40 metres. It was exceptionally preserved.