RESTAURANT IS CLOSED FOR THIS SEASON

R/S Faros

In the beginning of 1788 the line-of-battle ship Äran, which belonged to Sweden's deep-sea fleet, ran around on one of the outer shoals off Helsinki. It was stuck long enough for the shoal to be located. The shoal was named Äransgrund.

As the ship traffic grew busier in the 19th century, the shoal at the entrance of the capital was marked with an unlighted iron buoy. In 1891 the Pilot Service ordered two unmotored lightships equipped with steam boilers from the dockyard of Chrichton in Turku. One sister ship was to be placed at the entrance of Raahe, and the other at the entrance of Helsinki.

The iron lightship which was to be stationed by the shoal of Äransgrund measured 29 metres in lenght and 6,9 metres in beam. There was a group of three oil lanterns showing a fixed red light at both masts. The vessel was equipped with a steam boiler, and its fog siren ans capstan were steam-operated.

The lightship was named Äransgrund. It was anchored in its position shouteast of the Äransgrund shoul on 22 fathoms deep water for the first time on August 2nd, 1892. It served as a pilot station as well, and four pilots of Harmaja were stationed on board.

Winter traffic to Helsinki kept growing thoroughout the 1890s. A sturdier lighsgip was needed by the shoul of Äransgrund. The new ship was intended to be kept in its position as late as possible after ice covered the sea. This type of ship was completed in summer 1901. The old Äransgrund, which was now called Gamla Äransgrund, still continued its service during midsummer. The new vessel Nya Äransgrund was in use in late autumn, early winter and early spring.

In 1932 it was transferred 20 nautical miles southeast of Helsinki to replace a very old lightship which had been warning of the shoul of Kalbådagrund. Gamla Äransgrund was now renamed as Kalbådagrund.

In autumn 1953, the first offshore lighthouse in Finland was completed on the open sea at Kalbådagrund. The old lightship was sold, since it was not needed anymore. Today it serves as a floating restaurant in Vaasa.