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PILOTS AND LIGHTHOUSES. MARITIME LIFE-SAVING ESTABLISHMENTS. 5)61
Pilots and Lighthouses. Maritime Life-Saving Establishments.
In Sweden, Pilots and Lighthouses, as well as the Institutions for
succouring the shipwrecked, form together the Pilot Service
(Lotsverket), under the Pilotage Board (Lotsstyrelsen).
As early as the middle of the 16th century, there existed ordinances
enacting that whoever, after undertaking the duties of a pilot, ran the ship aground,
should incur the penalty of death, unless such grounding were caused by a high
sea or violent stress of weather. The Pilot Service, as a State institution, dates
back to the times of Charles XI (1660/97). In 1655, Pilots of the Crown
had allotted to them certain farms out of the Crown domains; these farms were
exempt from all taxation, on condition that the owners undertook to give
preference in piloting to ships of the Crown. As the navy increased, piloting
developed. In 1687, a Director of the Pilotage was appointed. In 1774,
compulsory pilotage was introduced, all ships coming in from the open sea being thereby
obliged to employ one of the Crown pilots. Beacons and other sea-marks were
in use as far back as the Middle Ages, but during the reign of Gustavus Vasa,
in 1550, the peasants residing on the coast and adjacent islands were enjoined
to beacon all reefs, shoals, or shallows with broom-beacons, both within the
fringe of islets and rocks (the »Skärgårds) and out at sea. At the present day,
the waterways and channels are beaconed in such a way that, on one side, there
are beacons painted red and surmounted by a broom (Ruskprickar), and, on the
other side, beacons consisting of a stake or pile painted black and white,
plain-beacons (Slätprickar).
With respect to Lighthouses, it may be remarked that the Kullen Light,
in Skåne, is the oldest, having been erected as early as 1560 (consequently
during the period when that province was a Danish possession). However, it is
only since 1800 that the development of lighthouses has been rapid. The first
light-ship was stationed on the Falsterboref, in Skåne, in 1844.
The Life-saving organization dates from the end of the 17th century, but
was at that time entrusted to private persons. It was not until 1855 that the
first Life-saving Station supported by the State, was established; since then,
however, life saving facilities have developed with tolerable rapidity.
Sailing Directions for the Baltic Sea were published in 1644 by one Captain
Johan Månsson, of the Admiralty, who also published a kind of chart of the
Baltic. A better one was issued in 1694 by Captain Gädda, but the formation
of a Nautical Charts’ Office (Sjökarteverket) was not commenced until 1737. At
present, there are excellent charts extant of the coasts of the kingdom. A fuller
account of this will be found under the heading Official Maps.
The Pilotage Board (Lotsstyrelsen), the functions of which are
regulated by instructions of October 14, 1898, includes a president,
with the title of Director General (Generallotsdirektör), and three
other members, of whom one superintends the Secretary’s Department
(Kanslibyrån), and another the Pilot Branch, the third being Chief
Engineer (Öfverfyringeniör) and presiding over the
Lighthouse-Engineering Office. The officer at the head of the Pilot Branch is only
appointed for a limited term of years. — The regular staff of the Pilotage
Board, in 1902, numbered 20 persons.
Sweden. 61
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