The ships were painted white from 1931

There were 3 ships named Kungsholm that were owned by SAL.

Read about Kungsholm of 1966

Read about Kungsholm of 1953

Original name:	S/S Kungsholm
Shipyard:	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, Germany
Year:	1928
Tons:	21,250
No of passengers:	1544
Delivered to SAL:	1928
Sold:	1941
Sold to:	US Government
Renamed:	John Ericsson, 1948 Italia
Today:	Scrapped in 1965

"The only sound in the night came from the Havana harbor water slucking gently against the sides of the ship. Through the moon mist the Kungsholm could be seen, anchored sleepy and rich, just a few hundred feet aft. Farther shoreward a few small boats corked about." Quote from A Young Girl in 1941 With No Waist At All (Mademoiselle 25, May, 1947) by J.D. Salinger. This famous liner was built in Hamburg in 1928. Her gross registered tonnage was 21,256 and her passenger capacity 1,544. The Kungsholm inaugurated cruises for SAL on January 19, 1929, when she first visited the Caribbean. On January 20, 1940, the Kungsholm made the first South Seas Cruise. The Kungsholm was taken over by the U.S. government on December 12, 1941. On January 2, 1942, the Swedish flag was lowered and the American flag was raised as the vessel was named John Ericsson. During World War II John Ericsson served with distinction as a troop transport in the Pacific, the Mediterranean, as well as during the invasion of France in 1944. She was repurchased by SAL in 1947 and operated by the Home Lines as the Italia. While in Swedish American Line service, the Kungsholm carried 82,745 transatlantic passengers and 58,779 cruise passengers. In 1941, the position of entertainment director for the M.S, Kungsholm of 1928 was held by J. D. Salinger. Mr. Salinger would go on to become a world-renown author with the publication of "The Catcher in the Rye" in 1952. Undoubtedly the Kungsholm's most famous crew member. No doubt he used this experience when writing his short story "Teddy" (republished in his collection Nine Stories) which takes place on an ocean liner.   A Masterpiece of Art Decó Design Although the Kungsholm of 1928 was a masterpiece of Art Decó design, and the architect Carl Bergsten was a Swede, Art Decó was not a typically Swedish style at that period. The style was primarily chosen to suit the American market. A similar design can be found in the Empire State Building. At this period there were two different trends in Swedish design. Carl Bergsten had designed the Swedish pavillion at the 1925 Paris Exhibition, and the Swedish participation had been a great success, especially the display of exclusive Orrefors chrystal glassware. At the same time the Swedish welfare state was evolving, favoring a functional, but attractive, design at a price range the workers could afford. The Kungsholm was a combination of both these trends. The first class smoking room The Art Decó interior was primarily to be found in the first class sections. The first class public rooms were decorated in black, grey, red and gold, with geometrical patterns and Egyptian details. There was a red grand piano in the first class lounge. Grey seal skin was used in some of the tapestry and carpets. The first class smoking room was inspired by the Orient. In the main embarkation hall, there was a round table with an Orrefors glass top, decorated with astrology symbols. The furniture was mostly manufactured at the NK factories in Nyköping, Sweden. As a contrast, and a special feature of the first Kungsholm, was the general upgrading of the third class sections. The dining room had bright colors and tables for four or six persons, instead of the long tables that were customary in third class dining rooms at that period. The public rooms were inspired by Swedish rural life, with much influence from Carl Larsson paintings. When the ship was seized by the US Government in December 1941 (soon to be purchased) and converted into a troup transport ship, all the furniture was thrown on to the pier in New York. None of it has been found, with the exception of a mirror that appeared at an auction in New York some years ago.

Updated Feb 11, 2010 Donation to The Maritime Museum of Gothenburg Photo: Olle Andersson Christer Bengtsson, crew member on the Gripsholm 1968-69 and the Kungsholm 1969-70, has informed us about a unique donation to Sjöfartsmuseet, the Maritime Museum in Gothenburg. It is a statue of Venus and a model in relief of the Kungsholm of 1928. Both objects were removed from the Kungsholm in 1941, when she was converted into a troop transport ship, and renamed John Ericson. Read about it here and here.

A Kungsholm Cruise from New York to Haiti 1935

Kungsholm 1928-1941

The Kungsholm Song was written by a passenger in the thirties, and became the ship's official song, sung at the Farewell Dinners. A legendary Chief Purser, Evert Eriksson, made a 78 rpm recording of the song.

Kungsholm Cruises 1937	Wonder Cruise to the North Cape, Russia, and Lands of the Vikings, 1938
Contributed by L-O Rydén

The following photos from a Caribbean Cruise in February 1935, have been contributed by
Colonel Edward S. Murphy, USMC Ret., of Yuma, Arizona.

Kungsholm at Curacao in 1935

Ed Murphy's (standing) 7th birthday party, Feb 6, 1935.

Caribbean Costume party 1935.
Syl Murphy, Anita Wilson Schmidt, Bill Schmidt, Aileen Wilson Murphy, (plus unknown passenger).

The Kungsholm Follies, October 20, 1938.
A show performed by passengers and cruise staff.

Third Cabin Class Menu, June 10, 1935.

Third Class Farewell Dinner Menu, October 6, 1938.
This crossing must have been just prior to the cruise featuring the Kungsholm Follies, above.

Parts of the Third Class accommodation shown below.
Click on the images to enlarge.

Excellent site! Don't miss a visit to Henrik Ljungström's and Daniel Othfors' excellent website The Great Ocean Liners, where you can find lots of information about the SAL liners.

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Lindblad Explorer
Drottningholm and Gripsholm Mercy Ships During WWII

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Recommended Books
Updated Jan 3, 2010 Länspumpen om SAL:s Östersjötrafik Länspumpens årsnummer 2009 beskriver historien om Svenska Amerika Liniens Östersjötrafik med tonvikten på de små passagerarångarna Borgholm, Kastelholm och Marieholm, men även atlantfartygen. Över 170 foton på 60 sidor! Flera unika foton som aldrig tidigare varit publicerade. Turlistor, ritningar m m. SAL bedrev en omfattande trafik med de små ångarna från 1924 till krigsutbrottet 1939, samt med SAL:s stora fartyg på Östersjökryssningar. Skriften kan beställas genom att sända in 60 kr på plusgiro 81 57 68 - 7, Tidningen Länspumpen. Ange namn och adress. Läs mer här. Tack till Bertil Söderberg, Örjan Slätte och Jörgen Areskough för denna information. Se även bilder från en Östersjökryssning med Gripsholm 1932.
Updated Sep 7, 2009 Waterline - Images from the Golden Age of Cruising John Graves Örjan Slätte, ex Information Officer on the Gripsholm, recommends Waterline - Images from the Golden Age of Cruising by John Graves, published by the National Maritime Museum in London in 2004. It is based on photos by Marine Photo Service, which were acquired by the museum in 1996 The book features many photos from SAL cruises. Buy at amazon.co.uk   Please note that the book's edition at Amazon.co.uk may not have the Kungsholm on the cover. Örjan Slätte, Informationsofficer på Gripsholm, rekommenderar boken Waterline - Images from the Golden Ages of Cruising. Boken är utgiven år 2004 av National Maritime Museum i London som 1996 förvärvat Marine Photo Service (MPS) samlingar. Redan omslagsbilden föreställer Kungsholm 1953 med två vattenskidåkande ynglingar i fronten. MPS fanns i många rederier och där finns många mycket bra foton från SAL:s kryssningar. Våra fotografer var mycket yrkesskickliga med konstnärlig talang. Man kan förmoda att de tidvis kände för att fotografera annat än leende, välklädda pax med cocktailglas i hand. Fina miljöer från fartygens "omvärld". Anser boken vara av god kvalité. 255 sidor, inkl. noter. Här i Göteborg hittade jag den i Haga i en butik som köper in restupplagor (remainders) och säljer till bra pris, ca 160 sek. "Böcker som vi gillar till pris som ni gillar": Bokrummet i Haga, Skolgatan 11, 413 02 GÖTEBORG, bokrummet, tfn 031-7010028. De har ett traditionellt antikvariat, Bokmalen, Haga Nygata 16.	Updated July7, 2008 MERCY SHIPS by David Miller Buy at amazon.co.uk Köp på adlibris.se     Mercy Ships   During World War 2 the Drottningholm and the Gripsholm were used as repatriation ships and made 33 voyages to exchange prisoners of war, diplomats, women and children, between the warfaring nations. David Miller has written a book about the exchange and repatriation voyages,with an emphasis on the British experience. It is loaded with facts about these voyages of mercy. Read more about all the exchange and repatriation sailings during WWII here.