Helena set to be sunk in Borðoyavík for Seaman’s Day celebrations

The 60-year-old steel longline vessel, Helena, has been docked for years in Klaksvík, where it was originally intended to serve as a part of a fishing heritage museum. Built at the Skála Shipyard in 1964, Helena, originally named Nónhamar, is one of the few remaining steel longline ships.

Leif Abrahamsen, one of the initiators for the project, shared in a 2017 interview that the plan to use Helena for the museum did not come to fruition.

However, the fate of the aging vessel is set to change. Helena is now slated to be sunk in Borðoyavík as part of celebrations for Seaman’s Day, offering recreational divers the opportunity to explore the wreck. This information was released by the interest group Reynsmúli, according to the news outlet Norðlýsið.

Earlier this summer, the Environmental Agency granted Reynsmúli permission to sink Helena in Borðoyavík, just off Norðoyri. Conditions for the permit include the removal of all pollutants from the ship before it is submerged, and that the wreckage will be utilized for diving purposes.

The plan to sink Helena will be carried out on January 19, 2024. The process involves opening the bottom valves, with the vessel expected to take approximately four hours to reach the seabed after flooding.

The 30-meter-long steel vessel will be sunk at a depth of 25 meters, west of the wreck of the fishing boat Reynsmúli, which was previously sunk at a depth of 14-15 meters. The plan involves anchoring the ship to the seabed with two 1,000 kg anchors and chains weighing 2,300 kg each.