Bygging av Lindås sluser 1908 The history of Lindås sea locks

 Bildet er fargelagt av Roy Tvedt.

History of Lindås sea locks

By Gunn Nordal and Stein Ottosen

 

Lindåsstraumane (Straumen=tidal current)

In "Topographical-historical accounts" from 1896, Lindåsstraumane is mentioned with the strongest in the country. “They go in by river and out again by low tide with rumble and noise like waterfall."  When they strongest of these currents were at their strongest, the steamboats could not go against them. Several times they had to lie for hours to get through.

 

Kjerringstraumen, Skallestraumen, Flatstraumen and Haukåsstraumen.

Kjerringstraumen saw the Lygrefjord in connection with a small pool which was left by two streams, Skallestraumen on the north side and Flatstraumen on the south side of Mølleholmen, are connected with it large Lindås basin which includes Straumsosen and Spjeldneshavet. Haukåsstraumen forms the connection between the pool and Fjellangervågen inside.

 

«Pinebenken»

The quay "Pinebenken" was built before the scheduled boat started to enter here (around 1877). It is located at the far end of Kjerringfjorden and was built on a voluntary basis by the landowners on Spjotøy. The "torment bench" was used as waiting city, hence the name. Here the crew could go ashore while they waited for good currents to pass Skallestraumen in. There could be many boats lying here waiting for a trip at the same time.

From the quay there is a paved path to the houses on “Mølna”. This was an old trading town where they operated with hostel / guesthouse for long distance travel. Due to the "pain" those who waited here felt, start the exchange of words about building locks in Skallestraumen.

 

Lindås sea locks

After a long design phase, the district engineer in February 1901 put forward the proposal that finally was realized, namely blasting of a lock through Mølleholmen with closure of Skallestraumen and cleansing of Kjerringstraumen and Haukåsstraumen. The current ratio wanted to join this plan will be about as they had been before the port authority did some work in Lindåsstraumen. The lock chamber was to have a length of 33 meters, a width of 7.6 meters and a depth of 3.5 meters.Kjerringstraumen should have a bottom width of 10 meters and Haukåsstraumen a minimum width of 8 meters. The dimensions of the projected lock in Skallestraumen were calculated from the steamboat Rolf their goals. In the autumn of 1900, however, Rolf sank in Lindåsstraumen, and Nordhordland which was seen in the route was much larger. The lock chamber was extended 2.5 meters at each end, and Haukåsstraumen more elaborate. Due to the mountain's poor consistency, the projected migration route along the lock was laid about and the edge of the lock walled up. The stone that the lock walls were built of, was transported here on barges from one crime on Herdlevær on Askøy. To transport the rock masses, they had a steam-powered locomotive. In order for boats to be able to be towed over the dams in Skallestraumen, fences and games were made.

The special thing about a sea lock is precisely that the current can enter both ways, as opposed to in a river lock where the lake only flows one way. Lindås sea locks is one of the two saltwater sea locks we have in the country.

The other is located in Skjoldastraumen in Ryfylke.

 

Openings

Lindås sea locks were opened in 1907. At each end of the lock opening, two gates were seen. When the current ran in, the outer gates took the pressure. When the current turned the inner gates took the pressure. When the boat had come in, something that took big time when it was big tide, it was closed at the other end.

The lock chamber was filled with seawater and lightened the boat until the water level was equal with outside and inside. Only then could one open the lock. The time it took to fill up the lock chamber depended on the tide and tide, and how strong the current was. In the beginning, the lock system lasted another quarter of a year. Later third quarter year shallow savings. By it last cleaning in 1951 it was four years since the lock gates had last been cleaned. Just sitting there putting the lock gates back in place after maintenance was a bit of a job. Everything had to be adjusted exactly and that was very fine mechanics. All bearings, siphons and hatches were to be replaced. They were to be washed and scraped clean of rust and dirt. A large crane had been used to raise the gates ashore. It took several days to put in place the crane and the travel cabinets that were to be used. The gates got two coats of lubrication, - they spent about two weeks to fix every gate when the weather was good.

 

Sea Lock fee (10 øre =0,1 NOK)

It was the municipal council who determined the fee for passing in the locks. In 1991 she was: «Rowing boats 25 øre, other vessels that did not require more than half a lock opening 40 øre, larger vessels 75 øre, muck barge with tow NOK 1.50, less such kr. 1, -, liner 60 øre, travelers with liner and other vessels 10 øre which the ticket agent on board hooks up ». The fee to go through the lock rose through the years. In 1953, for example, it cost five NOK for an ordinary motorboat.

 

Grants from the county

The municipality had a dispute with the steamship company which did not want the ticket agent to demand lock money from the passengers. Following advice from the county governor, they had to force the company to close sluice for steamboats if they would not collect this sluice money. In 1912, the lock fund applied for grants from the county. The county council provided subsidies, so that they helped cover the deficit by up to NOK. 100 I year.

 

The closure

In the mid-1960s, the Lindås locks were closed and the lock gates have since been left open. Former owner was this an important traffic artery because the boat traffic and the "Steam" could go in here and sew for people on Lindåsosane could make use of the communication with Lindås center and the area inside.

Both the dairy and the merchants depended on the locks to get the goods out. The lock was once in a while expensive affair, but still a great progress for Lindås itself and the surrounding villages.

Road developments, transport and private cars made the Lindås locks redundant as traffic arteries. It was well many trucks their slogan all traffic from sea to land that broke the locks. Today is Spjotøy vegfast. The landowners agreed to build the road, and in the summer of 1990 there was a road party

on the lock plating.

 

Basement:

Lindåsslusene, Gunn Nordal, Hordaland County Municipality 1990

Lindåsslusene, Gunn Nordal and Stein Ottosen, Hordaland County Municipality 1999

Lindås sjøsluser, Fortidsvern no. 3, 2002, Gunn Nordal and Stein Ottosen

The Norwegian Coastal Administration's archive on Lindås sea locks, Stein Ottosen 2003

 

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