Järflotta

Last updated
Järflotta Nature Reserve
Location map Sweden Stockholm County.png
Red pog.svg
Location within Stockholm County
Location Sweden
Nearest city Nynäshamn
Coordinates 58°50′00″N17°55′00″E / 58.83333°N 17.91667°E / 58.83333; 17.91667 Coordinates: 58°50′00″N17°55′00″E / 58.83333°N 17.91667°E / 58.83333; 17.91667
Area 3,538 ha (8,740 acres) [1]
Established 1968 [1]

Järflotta is an island in Stockholm archipelago, approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Nynäshamn. Once separated from the mainland by a natural sound, this navigable route was rendered unusable in more modern times by post-glacial rebound and has been replaced by the artificial Draget Canal. The island is a nature reserve. [1]

Stockholm archipelago archipelago north of Stockholm, Sweden

The Stockholm archipelago is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea.

Nynäshamn Place in Södermanland, Sweden

Nynäshamn is a locality and the seat of Nynäshamn Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 13,510 inhabitants in 2010.

Post-glacial rebound Rise of land masses that were depressed by the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period

Post-glacial rebound is the rise of land masses after the lifting of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound and isostatic depression are phases of glacial isostasy, the deformation of the Earth's crust in response to changes in ice mass distribution. The direct raising effects of post-glacial rebound are readily apparent in parts of Northern Eurasia, Northern America, Patagonia, and Antarctica. However, through the processes of ocean siphoning and continental levering, the effects of post-glacial rebound on sea level are felt globally far from the locations of current and former ice sheets.

Contents

Nature reserve

Järflotta is a flat island which covers about 755 ha (1,870 acres). The entire island, as well as some outlying islands, constitute a nature reserve which in total covers around 3,538 ha (8,740 acres), including water. Most of the island consists of a sandy heath and Scots pine forest. Only the central part of the island contains arable land. Unusually for Stockholm County, the island has several sandy beaches which are a habitat for a number of red listed plants. The islands surrounding Järflotta, especially Gunnarshögarna, are also included in the nature reserve and support important habitats for birds such as Caspian tern, razorbill, black guillemot and common murre. The explicit purpose of the nature reserve is to preserve an important archipelago environment and make it accessible for recreation and, for the outlying islands, to protect the bird-life. [1] Parts of the nature reserve belongs to the EU-wide Natura 2000-network. [2]

Heath shrubland habitat

A heath is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler and damper climate.

Scots pine species of plant

Scots pine is a species of pine that is native to Eurasia, ranging from Western Europe to Eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains and Anatolia, and north to well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia. In the north of its range, it occurs from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), while in the south of its range it is a high altitude mountain tree, growing at 1,200–2,600 m (3,900–8,500 ft) altitude. It is readily identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orange-red bark.

Arable land Land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops

Arable land is, according to one definition, land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops. In Britain, it was traditionally contrasted with pasturable land such as heaths which could be used for sheep-rearing but not farmland.

Coastal artillery battery

The coastal artillery battery in 1943 Batteri Jarflotta 1942.jpg
The coastal artillery battery in 1943

Parts of a former coastal artillery battery, which now consists of a single 9.4in (24cm 43calibre) Bofors M06 naval gun, are still present on Järflotta. The site was decommissioned during the 1990s, and today is preserved as a protected historical building. [3] [4] The 9.4in gun is believed to be the largest caliber preserved in Sweden.

Coastal artillery Military service branch equipped with artillery in defense of territory against attack from the sea

Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.

Bofors company

Bofors AB is a Swedish arms manufacturer. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years.

The coastal artillery battery, which dates from 1942, is part of a series of fortifications built during World War II to protect Södertälje and Nynäshamn from attack and minefields in the Baltic Sea. The battery originally consisted of three guns that were relocated to Järflotta from a fortification in Vaxholm. Barbed wire and a total of 291 concrete bunkers defended the site from direct assault. When the battery was deemed fit for action in 1943 it was manned by 605 personnel. After the war, the battery remained part of Swedish defensive planning during the Cold War. As late as 1954, it was used in exercises simulating seaborne attacks by the Soviet Navy. In 1948, nine people died in an explosion at the gun battery while handling ammunition. Whether the cause was the result of sabotage or mishandling of the ammunition has never been clarified. [4] Although the coastal battery ceased as an artillery platform in the 1950s, it remained in military use until it was decommissioned in the 1990s. [3]

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Södertälje City in Södermanland, Sweden

Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. As of 2016, it has a population of 71,774 inhabitants.

Naval mine explosive weapon for use in seas and waterways, triggered by the targets approach

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any vessel. Naval mines can be used offensively, to hamper enemy shipping movements or lock vessels into a harbour; or defensively, to protect friendly vessels and create "safe" zones.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Järflotta". Stockholm County Administrative Board. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "Naturtypskarta Järflotta Natura 2000-område" (PDF). Stockholm County Administrative Board. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Byggnadsminnen". Nynäshamn Municipality . Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 Boye, Jörgen (2009). "Sveriges grövsta kanon bevarad" (PDF). Skärgårdsstiftelsen (The Archipelago Foundation). p. 19. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
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