Daftö's Hijacking History
The year is 1710, Karl XII is king and Sweden is a great power. Sweden has lost an important battle in Poltava and the king has been forced into exile in Turkey. It is costly to wage war on all fronts and difficult to get goods into the country. Somehow the financial situation must be resolved and an idea of piracy under the flag of the crown emerges. The country needs hijackers who can weaken the enemy and at the same time strengthen Sweden's economy. All said and done, soon the first privateer ships set out from the port of Gothenburg with the aim of snatching the enemy's cargo.
Eight years later – 1718
On board the privateering schooner, Captain Svartkrut looks out over the horizon. For eight long years, the crew has hijacked, plundered and stolen enemy cargo with great success. But this sailing is different. Strömstad is the destination and the contents of the cargo secret. As they approach Strömstad, they are greeted by an alarm that the city is in flames.
The words echo:
- Burn the ships, the king has fallen and the enemy is coming! Burn the hijacker? Never in my life, I'd rather fall from the enemy's guns, thinks Captain Svartkrut. Now they really are deserters. It is about hiding, quickly finding a sheltered bay where no other ship dares to enter. The captain remembers a small bay inside the Koster Islands. He gathers the crew.
- Shut up, we're going to seek shelter. Daftö will be our refuge, if it doesn't suit you, you can leave here and now. The privateer skirmishes through sound and narrow passages. The mast disappears behind the rocks just as the Danish-flagged fleet looms above Strömstad. The seafaring season is over. Now the adventures continue on Daftö.
(We have of course taken the liberty to modify the story a bit)
The latest wreck discovery in Daftö Bay confirms the story
It has long been known that piracy under the crown's flag, with the aim of strengthening the crown, has taken place just off Daftö. But the latest wreck discovery is still sensational and confirms that hijackers were probably at our exact coordinates.
As recently as the fall of 2019, a team of marine archaeologists made a cool discovery right outside our guest harbor pier. The discovery was a wreck that is most likely one of Karl XII's warships that were used during the 18th century in the Swedish navy. The theory that the naval archaeologists have about the ship is that it was in battle but then sunk by its own crew so as not to be taken over by the enemy.
- The ship that lies here at the bottom of the sea was probably used to defend Strömstad. Now it's up to us to defend and tell the ship's story, says Lena Kempe, CEO at Daftö. Ships and pirates are undeniably part of our history and identity. Now we await with excitement what the next find on the bottom of the sea might be - perhaps a hidden pirate treasure.
Pirates on Daftö – Tordenskjold's victory brought the pirates to Daftö.
It is not only in skiing that we Swedes sometimes get beaten by our Norwegian friends. We rode a lot of dung when Peter Tordenskjold won over Karl XII's Swedish fleet in the battle at Dynekilen just north of Strömstad. But some of the Swedish hijackers who were with got away. They are the ones who show up here at Daftö from time to time. The adventure at sea had to be changed to an adventure on Daftö and luckily that was, right? Here, the days are filled with treasure hunts, fast-paced rides in attractions, tours with the Daftö train and lots of other fun. Sometimes the longing to go to sea is too strong. Before the pirates cast off and sail out, they invite you to, among other things, Skattkammarön.
Read more about the boat trip to Skattkammarön, which can be experienced during the summer.
How did Tordenskjold fare? He dies from a saber thrust in a duel in 1722 with the Swedish warrior Jacob Axel Staël von Holstein. The cause of the duel is said to be that Tordenskjold accused Staël von Holstein of swindling money from people to see his stuffed snake with seven heads.