Boat group Hasselö

Find

The crown mark on the Hasselö boat – a trace of state history in the archipelago

When the boat group Hasselö recently examined one of its older boats, a burn stamp mark was discovered in the wood – a crown above the letters LB. A seemingly small find, but with great historical significance.

The crown shows that the boat once belonged to the state. The marking is not decorative but an inventory and ownership marking, and that it is directly in the boat's work strengthens the interpretation that the boat had an official function in the archipelago.

The letters LB are interpreted with high probability as pilot boat – thus a boat that has been used within the state pilotage service. Historically, the pilotage operations were under The Pilotage Authority, and their smaller work boats were often marked just with a crown and function abbreviation.

This means that the Hasselö boat has likely been used in connection with piloting ships in the area – a concrete trace of how shipping and the state presence functioned in the archipelago along the Sörmland coast.

The find adds a new and very exciting layer to the story of the boat and about the clinker boat tradition's role in society – exactly the type of living cultural heritage that is highlighted within the project.

The crown mark is located on the transom, the stern power of the boat from Hasselö. 

The crown mark was discovered on February 5, 2026. In connection with the replacement of parts of the transom