Fingalvej
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Fingal.
In the winter of 1916, the Swedish steamship sails from Scotland to Stockholm. The cargo is full of coal. The crew of 15 men and 2 women watch as a dense fog forms over the sea and surrounds the ship. A strong southbound storm pushes the ship off course. The compass is set. The crew no longer has the ability to navigate.
On the night of December 23rd, the Fingal ran aground one and a half kilometers north of Nørre Lyngvig fyr. Both Nørre Lyngvig and Søndervig's rescuers were called. The rescue operation begins and a rescue boat comes out to the ship. The crew does not want to come ashore, but sends the first mate to report the stranding to the shipping company in Sweden. He calls a salvage steamer.
The following morning, December 24, the wind picks up. The rescuers fire several rockets to make contact. The rescue chair is secured and ten men and two women come ashore. Back on the ship are the captain, first and second engineers, boatman and carpenter. They will decide for themselves when and if they go ashore.
The next day, the 1st mate returns to the ship and the captain announces that the ship is to be unloaded. Another day passes before the shore crew and the salvage team board the ship. They tow a couple of barges out to load the cargo onto the flat-bottomed freighters. But the ship's machinery has moved and now it's impossible to unload the ship's cargo onto the barges. Most of the ship's crew head back to shore. With the exception of the first mate, the second engineer and the two women; the stewardess and the cook. The women return to shore on December 27. The last two crew members are brought ashore on December 31. The rescue operation is now over.
The salvage team spends the rest of the winter unloading the coal cargo. The ship is freed and goes to the shipyard.
