Moon Mausoleum
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After being stranded on their little island at Struten Lighthouse in stormy weather with the waves crashing in, a woman succumbed to her illness and has since then been haunting it, still waiting for the help that never came.
After being stranded on their little island at Struten Lighthouse in stormy weather with the waves crashing in, a woman succumbed to her illness and has since then been haunting it, still waiting for the help that never came.
Far out at sea beyond Hvaler, Østfold, where the Skagerrak turns unforgiving and the horizon feels endless, lies a small volcanic island called Struten. The island is crowned by an abandoned lighthouse that should, by all logic, be dark and silent. At night, its light still shines across the water, guiding ships away from hidden reefs.
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Today, the lighthouse is part of the coastal trail in the Oslofjord, with options for overnight stays. And when darkness deepens, the island reveals something else.
The waters between Hankø and Hvaler have long been feared by sailors. Storms rise quickly, currents shift without warning, and countless ships once met their end on unseen rocks. So many lives were lost that public pressure eventually forced authorities to act.
In the autumn of 1904, the barque “Sir John Lawrence” went down at Struten, and the entire crew of 13 perished. The wreck was located in 1997 and is considered a marine archaeological find of great interest. A proposal has been made to leave the wreck untouched as an “underwater museum”. The tragic sinking led to the demand from the seamen’s associations being made again. Now the matter gained momentum and a lighthouse station was built at Struten during 1906/07. In the autumn of 1907, Struten Lighthouse was completed and put into service.
Fyrvokter Fredrik Nannestad arrived from Kristiania with his wife Albertine Marie and their two sons, Fredrik and Arthur. Together, they were entrusted with keeping the paraffin lamps burning so that no more vessels would be claimed by the sea.
Life on Struten was harsh and lonely. The family worked in shifts through the night, seven days a week. There was no telephone. No motorboat. No school for the children. Their only regular contact with the outside world was the mail boat, which arrived every other week if weather allowed.
In case of emergency, they were given one lifeline. If help was needed, a black balloon was to be raised on the flagpole. Someone on the mainland would see it. Help would come.
The winter of 1910 was unusually brutal. Storm after storm battered the island throughout February, cutting the family off completely. Waves smashed against the rocks. Wind screamed around the lighthouse tower.
Albertine fell gravely ill. She burned with fever, coughing blood and mucus as her strength faded. Fredrik did everything he could. As the storm howled, he tried again and again to raise the emergency balloon. Each time, the wind tore it loose.
At last, he managed to secure the black balloon to the flagpole. It fluttered wildly in the storm, a silent cry for help. But no one on land saw it, or they did, but it was a week until they could get a boat out to see what was going on.
For days, Albertine lay dying while the lighthouse continued its duty. When the weather finally calmed a full week later, a rescue party was sent. They arrived too late. Albertine Marie Nannestad had been dead for several days. The doctor later determined she had suffered from tuberculosis, a deadly and contagious lung disease.
Albertine was buried in the city. The very next day, Fredrik and his sons were required to return to Struten and resume their duties.
The story shook the entire region. Locals began calling the lighthouse Djævleø-Fyre, the Devil Island Lighthouse. Newspapers wrote of the tragedy for days.
That same autumn, the eldest son died from a heart condition. The youngest left for America as soon as he was old enough. Fredrik remained alone on Struten until retirement, watching the light burn where his family had once lived.
Struten Lighthouse was automated in 1985. Since then, no one has lived on the island.
Many report hearing footsteps in the steep spiral staircase leading up the lighthouse, even when they are completely alone. Others have seen the shadow of a woman moving silently across the island, her figure fading before they can approach.
Every night, as the old wall clock in the keeper’s residence nears quarter to eleven, she is said to begin her rounds. She is often seen near the flagpole. It is also said that the boulder on the north side turns every Thursday at midnight.
Since Struten Lighthouse was opened to tourists, witnesses claim she appears every single evening. In the fading light, a woman stands by the flagpole, scanning the horizon. At Struten, the lighthouse still does its job. And beside it, a keeper’s wife still waits for help that is more than a century too late.
DEN FORTVILTE FYRVOKTERKONA på Struten fyr på Hvaler – Issuu
https://laguide.no/utstillinglindesnesfyr/norgesfyr/struten/dynamic-no.htm
Fredrikstad-spøkelser: andre spøkesteder
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