Gripsholm & Drottningholm Film Clips from WWII

There are several film clips from the Gripsholm and Drottningholm exchange and repatriation voyages in the Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. You can find links to the clips on the SAL Film Clips Page.

Read more about the Exchange and Repatriation Voyages during WWII here.

Karl Gustav Ingemo

Helene Carlsson in Mölndal, Sweden, has sent us three photos of her
grandfather, Karl Gustav Ingemo, serving on one of the SAL ships in the 1930's. One of the pictures is a group photo. Helene would like to get in touch with anyone with knowledge of her grandfather.

See the photos on the Bridge & Crew Page.

Folk Dancer Identified

Anders Tidström has identified himself in this
Folk Dance photo (s-100) from 1966.
See the picture in the Sandholm Family collection.

Cruise Staff Identified

Bill Klingener, Shore Trip Staff member, has identified the
Cruise Staff members in this photo. Bill Klingener worked on
both the Kungsholm and Gripsholm for several years and
continued after the Kungsholm was sold to Flagship Cruises.
Bill has also contributed memories of the duties of the Cruise Staff.
See the picture and all the names here and here.

Officers Identified

Sven-Olof Svensson has identified two officers in this photo.
See the picture and the names here.

Kungsholm Memories from 1966

Lars-Erik Jansson, former Information Officer on the Kungsholm
and Gripsholm, has contributed two photos from 1966.

Read more about Lars-Erik Jansson here.

Peanut Butter Sandwich in Alex*

Robert Neilson has added a story of a shore trip in Egypt
in 1963, to the Neilson Family Page in the passenger section.

* Ice-Cold in Alex (1958) is an award winning British film based on
the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon.

News Items Moved to the News Archive

News items posted before July 2010 have been
moved to the SAL News Archive.

An Interesting Link About SAL

The site Resandemannen shows photos of the Gripsholm in 1950, and many
of the SAL freighters, as well as ships belonging to other Swedish shipping companies.

Resandemannen.se has this information of what you can find
about SAL at the Regional Archives in Gothenburg:

A SAL Cabinet and Wash Basin

Maria Ericson bought and old cabinet with a wash basin at an antique fair a few years ago. The wash basin has the SAL logo, but she does not know which ship it came from, one of the passenger ships or a freighter?

A similar cabinet in Rune Dahlstrand's cabin on the Gripsholm of 1925.

Maria Ericson would like to have more information about this antique cabinet. She has not decided if she is going to sell it or keep it.

Email salhip@yahoo.com

A Lighthouse Brings Back Memories

When Lars-Erik Jansson, former Information Officer on the Kungsholm and Gripsholm, visited a lighthouse in Malmö, it brought back memories of his years at sea as a young seaman. "I started out as a potato peeler and advanced to the position of Information Officer", he told the reporter from Sydsvenskan. "The lighthouses were our best friends! I still like them very much."

Lars-Erik Jansson also has fond memories of the betting pools on board the ships, which were based on the exact time the ship passed a lighthouse, such as the Ambrose Lighthouse Ship outside New York.

Read the whole article here.

Read more about Lars-Erik Jansson here.

Several SAL Clips on Youtube

Go to youtube.com and you will find many video clips relating to the Swedish American Line. By searching for the combination Kungsholm Mona Lisa, you will find clips about the Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm.

Continue to search for each of the ships Kungsholm, Gripsholm, Stockholm and Drottningholm, and you will find a treasure of film clips.

Read more about SAL clips here.

A Fire on Pier 97 in 2010

There are several video clips on Youtube of a
fire on Manhattan's Pier 97 in September, 2010.
There are video clips showing views from both sides of the river.

See more memories of Pier 97, where so
many SAL passengers entered America.

Our Thoughts Go To Norway

The Norwegian American Line's Sagafjord and SAL's Kungsholm, side by side.
Contributed by Franz Havranek.

Johnny Grahm, Dining Room Waiter 1965-66

Johnny Grahm has contributed a photo from his time on
the Gripsholm and Kungsholm as a dining room waiter in 1965-66.

Read more on the Bridge and Crew page.

A Kungsholm Memory of H.R.H The Duke Of Edinburgh

Lars-Erik Jansson, Information Officer on the Kungsholm,
remembers an event in Plymouth in 1969. Read more here.

News from the Reunion in June 2011

The weekly magazine Ennsseiten in Austria has
published a news article from the reunion in June.
60 SAL friends attended. Read more here.

Read more about SAL Reunions here.

Gripsholm Memories

Lis Brokmose has contributed a photo from the Gripsholm's last Atlantic crossing.
Lis has also identified Bridge Instructor David Croft in a photo of the cruise staff.

Find Passenger Lists and Crew Lists on Ancestry.com

Through Ancestry.com I found my grandmother's cousin Arvid Norling
in this passenger list for the Kungsholm's departure from Göteborg
on March 15 1923, plus this list below, showing his arrival in NYC.

You can find many passenger and crew lists on Ancestry.com, (but not all).
I also found information about Arvid's siblings Richard and Fanny Norling,
who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1920's.

You can find records of births, and deaths from Sweden and the United States.
The historical documents at ancestry.com can show family members, occupations,
birth and marriage dates, addresses, and more for your ancestors. With billions of records, ancestry.com has the largest online collection of genealogical documents anywhere in the world.

Price List and Sailing List for 1957

A price list and the sailing list for 1957,
have been added to the About Us Page.

WWII Medal

The US Merchant Marine Victory Medal.

The Gripsholm crew members were awarded medals for their service during WWII. Lennart Svedberg of Söderhamn, Sweden, has contributed information
about one crew member who was awarded. Read more here.

Gripsholm Photos

Lis Brokmose has contributed more photos from the Gripsholm.
See them here.

Pier 97, 1974-75

Lars Johansson has contributed two photos of Pier 97.
He served on the Gripsholm and the Kungsholm.
See them here.

Reunion in June 2011

Once again, the Zirngast Family will host a SAL Reunion
in Schladming, Austria. Sepp Zirngast served on
the Gripsholm and the Lindblad Explorer. Read more here.

Read more about SAL Reunions here.

Updated May 14, 2011

Second Purser Ingvar Torstensson

Ingvar joined the Swedish American Line in 1970 on board the Kungsholm.
He stayed until the ship was sold in 1975. During his time on board
he served in different positions in the Purser Office, and was later
promoted to Second Purser, substituting as Chief Purser.

Read more here.

Updated March 29, 2011

Manhattan Piers in 1954

A photo showing Piers 7 to 10
has been added to the Pier 97 page.
The photo was taken by Tage Hemingstam,
passenger in 1954 and 1957.

Compare the two almost identical views,
one taken by Tage Hemingstam in 1954, and
the other by Annica Roussetos in 1964.

Updated March 29, 2011

Drottningholm Label

Ken Sandholm has contributed this photo of a rare luggage label from his mother's voyage from Göteborg to New York on the Drottningholm in January 1948.

Updated March 27, 2011

Gripsholm to Naples in 1945

In the autumn of 1945, Mr Vernon T Hands, his
mother, and two sisters departed New York City
on the Gripsholm for the Mediterranean Sea.
See two new photos, and read his story here.

Stigbergskajen

10 Years as a Young Cruise Member

Updated March 17, 2011

An American Road Trip in 1954

My father was a member of a Swedish Men's Choir which made a two month tour of the USA in 1954, leaving Sweden on August 25 and returning on October 22. They made the westbound crossing on the Gripsholm of 1925 and the eastbound crossing on the Kungsholm of 1953. I have now made seven web pages about this tour.

Read more here.

Updated March 9, 2011

New Photo Added

Carl-Gustaf Edhardt in cabin 78 on C-deck.
Read more here.

Updated March 5, 2011

Chief Purser Bilén's Page Updated

Chief Purser Hugo Bilén and his wife, Mrs Elsa Bilén.

Mr Ola Bilén, grandson of Chief Purser Hugo Bilén,
has contributed more photos. The photos have
been provided by Per Bilén, Hugo Bilén's son.
who also served on SAL ships. See the photos here.
Hugo Bilén was on board the Gripsholm's first voyage from
Genoa to Gothenburg, and his son Per has contributed
interior photos from 1957.

Doctor and Nurse on the Gripsholm

Updated

Anna-Greta and Maurits Lindblad.

Several photos and other documents have been contributed by Gunilla Lindblad,
daughter of Dr Maurits Lindblad and his wife Anna-Greta. They served in the Gripholm's hospital 1931-1936. Read more here.

Lars-Erik Jansson, for many years Information Officer on the Kungsholm and Gripsholm, has provided information about Ernest Hemingway, passenger on the Gripsholm's Winter Cruise in 1934, and Frank Heller, passenger on the Gripsholm's Winter Cruise in 1933. Dr and Mrs Lindblad served on both of those cruises. Jansson has also contributed a folder with the itinerary of the 1934 cruise.

Even more pages will be added.

Updated March 2, 2011

The World's Fair in 1964

Serving on SAL's ships was a way for young Swedes to
see the world. Information Officer Lars-Erik Jansson shares
photos from a visit to the World's Fair in New York in 1964.
At that time Jansson was a bus boy and an elevator piccolo.

Officer's Apprentice on the Stockholm

Leif Vickberg was an officer's apprentice on the
Stockholm in 1956, at the time of the
collision with Andrea Doria.

Read more here.

Photos added

Photos of Leif Vickberg and the Neilson family
have been added to the Neilson Family Pages.

Anonymous Letter on Gripsholm Stationary

Pharmacist's Mate 2C  Roland  Erich Going
at a naval hospital in Honolulu in 1936. 
His nickname, for reasons unknown, was Pete.

Valerie Boersma has contributed an anonymous letter in 1943 concerning her uncle who was in Japanese captivity during WWII. The letter is written on Gripsholm stationary.

Read more here.

From Bombay in 1945

Heather Waters Bedford of Canada has contributed six pages of her father's autobiography, describing the family's voyage from Bombay in August 1945.

"My parents, brother and I left Bombay India in the first part of July 1945 and sailed to New York City landing there Aug 3, 1945. My Dad has written details of our voyage in an autobiography and I could find the exact date."

(According to my notes, the ship left Bombay on June 21, 1945. LH)

Read the intriguing story from Mr Waters' autobiography here.

Read more about the Exchange and Repatriation Voyages During WWII here.

Updated Feb 7, 2010

SAL Tenders

Carl-Gustaf Edhardt has contributed more photos
of SAL tenders. See them here and here.

Updated Feb 7, 2010

SAL Soccer Team in the 1930's

SAL soccer team. Click on the image to enlarge.

The Swedish American Center in Karlstad, Sweden,
is hosting a SAL exhibition, which has been extended throughout 2011.
Read about it here.
The exhibition is based on Mr Torsten Torstensson's collection of
SAL memorabilia. The photo above shows a soccer team on
one of SAL's ships, most likely in the 1930's
Do you have more information about this photo?

Email salship@yahoo.com

Updated Feb 7, 2011

Mrs Bilén identified

Chief Purser Hugo Bilén and his wife, Mrs Elsa Bilén.

Mr Ola Bilén, grandson of Chief Purser Hugo Bilén,
has identified his grandmother, Mrs Elsa Bilén in photo B002.

Updated Feb 2, 2011

Repatriated on the Drottningholm

Donald Prager
and his older brother in 1942.

Mr Donald Prager has contributed a story about his voyage from Lisbon to Liverpool in August 1944, on board the Drottningholm, after four years of internment, of which two years were in Vittel.

The original version in French, has now been posted here, along with the English version, posted earlier.

Reunion in June 2011

Once again, the Zirngast Family will host a SAL Reunion
in Schladming, Austria. Sepp Zirngast served on
the Gripsholm and the Lindblad Explorer. Read more here.

Read more about SAL Reunions here.

Folk Dancers Identified

Lis Brokmose has identified several folk dancers
in photo K-6. Read more here.

Klaus Gnegel has identified himself in photo D-218
Klaus served on the Kungsholm from July 1969 to July 1971.
Read more here.

Updated Dec 4, 2010

Divine Exercise

The Lindblad collection

A unique collection of Gripsholm memorabilia has been contributed. The collection includes a photo of a Swedish goddess, amusing herself among mortals. Much more will be be revealed in February, 2011.

Updated Dec 4, 2010

They Met on the Gripsholm in 1945

John Borrego of Guthrie, Oklahoma tells the story about his parents, who crossed the Atlantic in November, 1945, to work at the American Embassy in Rome.

SAL was one of very few shipping companies who sailed on the Atlantic in 1945 and 1946.

Read about it here (scroll down the page).

Updated Dec 4, 2010

Lucia Celebration on the Gripsholm in 1957

A new page has been created with photos contributed by Lene Mikkelsen,
Beautician in the Gripsholm's Beauty Parlor,
from December 1957 to April 1958.

December 13, 1957

Updated Nov 30, 2010

Gripsholm Dining Room Staff

Patrick Zeller has contributed a photo of the Gripsholm
Dining Room Staff, 1967 or 1968, heading towards New York.

Updated Nov 29, 2010

Gripsholm Leaving Pier 97 in 1937

Two photos of the Gripsholm leaving Manhattan
in 1937 have been added to the Pier 97 page .

Updated Nov 28, 2010

Ett novemberminne

Informationsofficer Lars-Erik Jansson delar med sig av en
minnesvärd upplevelse på Falklandsöarna i november 1969.

Updated Oct 17, 2010

Patrick Zeller's Pages

Helmut Bretmaisser has identified Richard Grabner in photo Z-14.

Patrik Zeller, who served in the dining room of the Gripsholm 1967 - 1970,
and the Kungsholm 1970- 1973, has contributed two pages of photos

Please help us to identify the persons in the photos.
salship@yahoo.com

Read more here,

News Archive Updated

News items posted before July 2009 have been moved to the News Archive.

Photos from the Reunion in Onsala, 25-26 September 2010

SAL enthusiast L-O Rydén, grandson of crew member Bertil Bärgström,
and Carl-Gustaf Edhart, Assistant Deck Steward on the Gripsholm 1965 - 1967
have sent us photos from the reunion in Onsala, 25-26 2010.

Lars Nydén and Carl-Gustaf Edhardt were shipmates
on the Gripsholm in 1965, and now met for the first time in 45 years.

Read more about SAL Reunions here.

The Kungsholm Not Bound For Stockholm

The Swedish Newspaper Svenska Dagbladet reported on September 4, that the Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm, is not to become a floating student accommodation in Stockholm.
- We tried to find a solution, but the business calculation did not add up, says Lars G Hallgren.

Thanks to David Leidenborg for this information.

Read more here.

This site is not about refurbishings, altered doorways, or funnel colors. The purpose of the site is primarily to describe the life and people on board the "White Viking Fleet" - the emigrants, the tourists, and the business passengers who crossed the stormy North Atlantic to reach America, - and the cruise members, sailing smoothly from port to port in a world of luxury, many of them coming back for a new cruise, time and time again. And, of course the crew, who worked and lived on the ships for months and years - in some cases decades - regarding them as their homes.

The News Archive

See older news in the News Archive.