Resande Mannen

1658

A spectacular hijacking

The Swedish naval vessel St. Johannes, whose home port was the northern German city of Stralsund, is transporting 120 Danish prisoners of war. But the prisoners rise up, take control of the ship and are able to sail it to Copenhagen. Without much ado, the St. Johannes changes sides between two arch rivals who are at war with one another: Sweden and Denmark.

In Danish service

The Swedish and Dutch fleet engage one another on 29 October 1658 in a major naval battle in the Öresund. From Kronborg Castle outside of Elsinore, Sweden’s king Charles X Gustav has to witness a painful defeat.

The Netherlands have united with Denmark in order to ensure that Sweden is not able to gain too much power in the Baltic. The day after the battle, the defeated Swedish fleet sails to Landskrona. On 31 October, the bulk of the fleet has reached safety, but a Danish naval force tries to attack the vessels that have not yet made it. They are unsuccessful and one of these Danish ships is the St. Johannes that changed sides.

23 July 1659

Recapture and change of name

Sweden is still at war with Denmark, which is still being supported by the the Netherlands and its mighty navy. Three Dutch ships and two Danish ones are transporting soldiers to the island of Fyn, which is controlled by Sweden. But in Ebeltoft Cove, off Jutland, they are surprised by a Swedish naval force of eight frigates led by the Englishman Owen Coxe. One Dutch ship blows up, the other four vessels in the Danish/Dutch force are captured by the Swedes, who also take around 1000 prisoners of war.

One of the ships captured is the St. Johannes, which is soon renamed Resande Mannen (The Travelling Man).

18 November 1660

Count von Schlippenbach prepares for a journey of bribery

Just over nine months has passed since the warrior king Charles X Gustav's death, when Count Christoffer von Schlippenbach arrives at Dalarö in the Stockholm archipelago. A ship is waiting there that will take him to Poland: the Resande Mannen. It is a small naval vessel, around 26 metres long, weighing about 500 tonnes and probably equipped with 22 cannons.

Our country is led by a regency and the Sweden's position as a great power in Europe is hard-pressed. Consequently, von Schlippenbach has been tasked with sailing to Danzig (Gdansk) to negotiate a treaty between Sweden and Poland in order to gain better protection from the might of Russia.

The Resande Mannen is loaded with bribes that are to entice the Polish king John II Casimir to sign the treaty – according to some accounts these included 7,000 riksdaler, 60,000 ducats and a number of jewels.

22-26 November 1660

The first stop: Älvsnabben

The Resande Mannen leaves Dalarö, but only sails a short distance. The ship anchors off the island of Älvsnabben in the Stockholm archipelago and stays there for four days. A few days later the Resande Mannen departs from Älvsnabben and heads towards Poland, but does not get far. The weather deteriorates rapidly, a storm blows up and the sea is wild. The ship is forced to anchor in the open sea.

There are about sixty people on board, among them Count von Schlippenbach, embassy secretary Andreas Biugg, the captain Hans Månsson and his wife. But no first mate, the one intended has become ill. Von Schlippenbach says he does not have the time to wait for a replacement, the winter ice may soon start to form and the stressed count wants to get to Danzig as soon as possible – perhaps this is a big mistake.

27 November 1660

Disaster

In spite of the ship being at anchor, it has moved and on the morning of the 27 November, the crew realise that they are dangerously close to a rock. In order to save the Resande Mannen, the anchor lines are cut, but the vessel is still heading for the rock with great force and soon begins to sink. There is a storm blowing and Count von Schlippenback tries to save himself in a small ship's boat, together with the captain's mistress and five others. The small boat soon capsizes and all those on board perish. It is said that Captain Månsson was so grief stricken when he saw his beloved drown that he threw himself into the waves.

Some twenty of those who were on board are able to save themselves in the Resande Mannen's longboat. Some of the crew, probably between five and ten, climb up into the maintop (a platform on the main mast) – it remains above the surface, even though the Resande Mannen has gone to the bottom. When rescuers arrive the following day, a couple of the men in the maintop have frozen to death. Thirty-seven die in the shipwreck, 25 survive. One of those who survived is embassy secretary Andreas Biugg. Subsequently, he writes a very graphic account of the Resande Mannen's terrible fate.

1661

Von Treileben's bluff?

For a couple of years now, army officer Albrecht von Treileben and his partners have had salvage rights for ships that have sunk in Swedish waters. In the summer of 1661, he leads a team that is able, with the help of diving bells, to salvage cannons, sails, anchors and probably parts of Count von Schlippenbach's bribery fund from the Resande Mannen, where it lies on the bottom in the Stockholm archipelago.
Von Treileben subsequently states that the wreck is lying at a depth of 14 fathoms, which is about 25 metres. It emerges much later on that this is a completely false statement. The question is why is the information is incorrect. Did von Treileben write the erroneous information down by mistake or did he want to hide the location of the Resande Mannen and prevent others from finding the ship?

Whatever the truth is, it is very probably that Albrecht von Treileben's possible bluff is an significant reason why it would be just over 350 years until the Resande Mannen was found again.

1682

Rumours of riches

In a statement dated 1682, it is claimed that Count Cristoffer von Schlippenbach's silver service is still aboard the sunken Resande Mannen. At the same time, stories with varying degrees of credibility about the riches that remain on the wreck are circulating. Some say that the Resande Mannen's captain, Hans Månsson, was smuggling goods that he intended to sell in Poland. Others claim that von Schlippenbach's own golden carriage remains – evidently this is nothing more than a cock and bull story.

2012

Rediscovered?

Carl During and Mikael Ågren from Grebbestad Marine Archaeology Association finds a wreck at a depth of around 15 metres by Norrskär and Bodskär (Nynäshamn Municipality) in Stockholm's southern archipelago. The association have been looking for the Resande Mannen for almost five years, but now believe they have finally found the legendary ship. The wreck is unusually well preserved and the appearance is consistent with that of the Resande Mannen. It is also found in the area where the unfortunate 17th-century ship is supposed to have sunk.

Beginning of June 2012

Inspection by divers

A group consisting of the Maritime Museum’s marine archaeologists, people from the MARIS marine archaeology research centre at Södertorn University and the Swedish Defence University examine the wreck. This is done in order to quickly establish whether it is likely that this is in fact the Resande Mannen that has been found – if it is, then the county administrative board will decide on a ban on diving and anchoring in this location.

No major treasures appear to be on board, but there is much that is of interest. Copper coins minted sometime between 1649 and 1657 are found. A typological dating of various objects found on board indicates that they are from the time when the Resande Mannen sunk. A lot of bones are also found – this is also an indication that the right vessel has been found since as many as 37 people are believed to have died when the ship sunk in 1660. In addition, the size and construction of the ship and the location where it was found are correct. Everything points to the Resande Mannen having actually been rediscovered.

8 June 2012

Ban on diving and anchoring

With the support of the Act concerning Ancient Monuments and Finds, the county administrative board decides to impose a ban on diving and anchoring in the area around the site of the wreck. The Resande Mannen is believed to have a very great scientific and cultural heritage value and it is therefore important to ensure that the ship is not destroyed and that the objects from it are not stolen.

Autumn 2012

Seventeenth-century toilet found

More examinations of the wreck of the Resande Mannen are conducted. Among the many objects found on and around the fascinating 17th century ship are small chests containing glass bottles, pots, jugs, four cannons, a large number of iron shot and the ship's wood store. One of the more unusual finds is one of the ship's toilets; a bronze funnel that is lying on the bottom close to the stern.

May 2016

Inspection

The Maritime Museum's marine archaeologists, the MARIS research centre at Södertorn University and the Marine Policing Unit conduct an inspection of the Resande Mannen. The aim is to inspect the wreck and begin documenting in order to see whether the wreck is deteriorating and/or objects are being stolen.