MV Akka

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Akka under way, probably in the Scheldt
History
Sweden
NameAkka
OwnerTrafik Ab Grängesberg–Oxelösunds
OperatorM Waldenström
Port of registryStockholm
BuilderA/B Götaverken
Yard number568
Launched6 May 1942
Sponsored by26 July 1942
Identification
Fateran aground, 1956
General characteristics
Typecargo ship
Tonnage5,409 GRT, 3,553 NRT, 8,960 DWT
Length
  • 442 ft 10 in (135.0 m) overall
  • 434.5 ft (132.4 m) registered
Beam56.7 ft (17.3 m)
Draught25 ft 10+3⁄4 in (7.89 m)
Depth24.3 ft (7.4 m)
Decks1
Installed power
  • 6-cylinder Götaverken diesel
  • 744 NHP; 4,200 bhp
Propulsion1 × screw
Speed12 knots (22 km/h)
Crew1956: 33
Sensors and
processing systems
Notessister ships: Sarek, Sagged, Suorva, Saivo

MV Akka was a Swedish cargo motor ship that was built in Gothenburg in 1942. In 1956 she ran aground in the Firth of Clyde. Six of her 33 crew were killed. Her wreck, off Dunoon, is now a wreck diving site.

Akka-class ships

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Akka was the lead ship of a class of five single-screw motor ships that A/B Götaverken built for Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg–Oxelösunds between 1942 and 1944. Her sister ships were Sarek; Sagged; Suorva; and Saivo.[1]

Building and registration

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Götaverken built Akka as yard number 568. She was launched on 6 May 1942, and completed on 29 July.[1] Her lengths were 442 ft 10 in (134.98 m) overall[2] and 434.5 ft (132.4 m) registered. Her beam was 56.7 ft (17.3 m); her depth was 24.3 ft (7.4 m); and her draught was 25 ft 10+3⁄4 in (7.89 m). Her tonnages were 5,409 GRT; 3,553 NRT;[3] and 8,960 DWT.[1]

Her single screw was driven by a six-cylinder, single-acting, two-stroke diesel engine. It was rated at 744 NHP[3] or 4,200 bhp, and gave her a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h).[1]

Akka was equipped with wireless direction finding.[3] By 1948, she was equipped with radar.[4]

Grängesberg–Oxelösunds registered Akka in Stockholm. Her Swedish official number was 8535, and call sign SFMN. When IMO Numbers were introduced, hers was 3008535.

Loss

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On 4 April 1956, Akka left Oxelösund for Glasgow with a cargo of iron ore. On 9 April she entered the Firth of Clyde. At about 21:00 hrs that evening, her steering gear failed, which led to her grounding her on the Gantocks. Her port side had been holed for almost half her length, and water was rapidly filling her number two hold. Master, Captain Sundin, ordered her engines reversed, but this only hastened the ingress of water to her holds and engine room.[5][6]

Captain Sundin gave the order to abandon ship. Within three or four minutes of striking the rocks, Akka heeled over to port, and sank. This caused a swell, which swamped those lifeboats that had been launched, and throwing their occupants into the sea. Three crewmen were killed on the scene, and a further three died on the way to hospital.[5][6]

Wreck

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Akka lay on the seabed, with only her two mastheads showing above the surface of the sea. Three months later, a passing fishing boat collided with her wreck. Metal Industries, Limited of Gare Loch then removed her masts, and the upper two levels of her bridge superstructure, to eliminate the hazard to navigation. The rest of the wreck lies intact on an even keel. The seabed is 30 metres (98 ft) below the sea surface at her bow, and 40 metres (130 ft) below the surface at her stern.[5]

Akka is the largest shipwreck in the Firth of Clyde that divers can reach by using compressed air. Divers can explore much of the wreck, but risks include disturbance to the mud causing poor visibility. The wreck is rich in fauna, including sea anemones; hydroids; nudibranches; sea squirts; and many species of fish. Seals are frequent visitors.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "M/S Akka". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  2. ^ Lloyd's Register 1955, Akebono Maru Mo. 8.
  3. ^ a b c Lloyd's Register 1943, AKI–ALA.
  4. ^ Lloyd's Register 1948, AKB–AKS.
  5. ^ a b c d "Akka". Scottish Shipwrecks. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b Macdonald, Rod. "MV Akka". Shipwrecks of Scotland. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2025.

Bibliography

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