4. THE FRIGATE FORTUNA 

The builder of the frigate FORTUNA was the merchant and ship owner Carl Tesche. The ship was built in the New Shipyard of Siksala and was completed in 1811. Her length was 122 feet (about 36 meters) and width 34 feet (about 10 meters). She carried a capacity of 365 last (about 900 tons), which made her the biggest merchant ships in Finland at the time.

FORTUNA sailed regularly between Loviisa and Spain. In the autumn of 1822, she sailed under the command of captain J. F. Enqvist from Cádiz to Loviisa and met her fate right outside her home port. The ship ran aground and sunk by the Hudö island. The crew and some of the cargos were saved.

The wreckage was forgotten until amateur divers found her in the 1960’s. The anchor was found during the dredging of the fairway. In the winter of 1996, a diving group of the voluntary fire service in Valko researched and measured the wreck, which according to divers still was in good condition.

The model infront of you was made by Tapani Tikanoja according to the preserved measure books and the sea protest made by the captain.