In Sweden, the Navy's armoured boats Oden, Thor and Niord and the torpedo cruiser Claes Uggla were provided with wireless equipment as early as 1901. The first Swedish merchant ship with a Marine Radio station was the steamer St. Paul owned by the Gothenburg Shipping firm Wilson & Co. This ship sent the very first telegram on 15 December 1911. The ship struck a mine and sank off Tyne in England on 2 September 1914. The antenna fell down while the emergency SOS message was sent out. St. Paul was the first Swedish vessel that was lost in the first world war.
The first Swedish privately owned ship with a radio station was the tug Max in Gothenburg. The installation was completed on 27 January 1912. The vessel was able to report the catch from its fishing barges, which resulted in faster fish sales for the owner, who was a herring exporter. The radio mast was hijacked, and fishermen refused to sell their goods to the owner of the boat, because of the "unfair" competition.
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