MÅSEN

At 3 a.m. on August 4, 1950, the Måsen, a former British minesweeper, slipped out of Falkenberg harbor south of Göteborg with over 100 refugees on board. “Another refugee ship left Sweden under the cover of night without a flag, name, or necessary papers,” Vaba Eesti Sõna reported August 19, 1950. “The customs authorities, police, and Coast Guard were alerted, but they were unable to stop the ship in Swedish waters.” 

Yngve Johansson, chief constable of Falkenberg, described the boat’s departure as a “semi-escape” in Stockholms-Tidningen Eestlastele on August 6, 1950. That’s because the 105-foot-long (32 meters) Måsen had been banned from sailing until a certificate of seaworthiness was issued, which was impossible due to the high number of passengers on board.

Most of the refugees on the Måsen were Latvians, who were also its main owners. According to various reports, the ship carried 108 passengers, including 30 babies and  an 81-year-old woman. There were nine Estonians, four Poles, and two Russians. The boat’s sea route is not known but on September 1, 1950, Dagens Nyheter reported that its original destination was Venezuela. 

On August 28, 1950, the Måsen collided with the Waymouth, a fishing vessel, off the northeastern American coast. No one was injured, but the refugee ship was damaged above the waterline. The boat was towed to Boston, which took two days. After landing, the refugees, who did not have visas, were sent to Ellis Island, New York, where they were detained for almost five months before being released on bail.

Known crew and passengers:

• H. Evert, wife, and two children
• Eduard Kiss
• Valter Eidok
• Ansis Tipans
• Anastasia Čakste and children, Anna, 14, Katrina, 12
• Rita Brieze, 8 months
• Grundage Steinberg, 8 months
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