The old mastcrane in Karlskrona.

In connection to the building process of new docking constructions in Karlskrona, was also the magnificent mast crane built. This creation of stone has become the doubtless most characteristic building in this naval town - admired and famous far beyond the borders of Sweden.

The large mast crane was meant to be built already in the middle of the 18^th century and is mentioned first in a letter to the king in 1749, when it was decided to, instead of a regular crane; build this mast crane of stone. The price for this was approximately 6800 riksdaler. War and other obstacles got in between and the final drawings, made by the architect Fredrik Blom, were not approved until the 16^th of March 1803. Johan Lindström was later on responsible for the construction. The material was stone, except for the crane head, which was made of wood, under a copper roof. When the crane was finished, it stood 42 metres high and 12 metres across at the very bottom. It had nine storeys and one had to climb 200 steps to get to the top.

The mast crane was earlier used when putting the masts in place on the ships. To do this, 96 people manned four capstans, two on the first storey, and one on the second.

Today, the crane is a museum piece, and many contracts of ship-buildings, both military and civilian, have been signed in the conference room on the second floor. The interior of the conference room reflect a marine environment. From the crane head, one has a great view of both the shipyard and the town.

There is a story about a little boy, who got chased by a non-commissioned officer up in the crane. According to the story the boy should have yelled: “I have suffered, and you have waited a long time, open up, Satan, and you will get another little gull in your peak.”