The Gripsholm Exchange Voyage
from Goa to New York in 1943

George and Gertrude Wilder were American missionaries, who lived and worked in China from 1894 to 1943. They were interned in a prison camp in Weihsien, China, during World War 2, until they were sent back to the US on the exchange ship Gripsholm.

Painting by Gertrude Wilder

Gertrude Wilder documented the whole journey from the prison camp in Weihsien, China, to New York, in watercolor paintings.

In addition, George Wilder, who was an amatuer ornithologist, wrote a memoir of the voyage with an emphasis on the various birds seen along the way.  His friend, Howard Galt, also wrote a memoir of the voyage. These memoirs are valuable documents, describing daily life and conditions on the Gripsholm voyage.

George and Gertrude Wilder's grandson, Donald Wilder Menzi, has created a unique web site showing the paintings and other documents. Many thanks to Donald Wilder Menzi for sharing this information.

Read more, and find the link to the web site here.

Kungsholm as a Floating Hotel in Gothenburg

Swedish entrepreneur Lars Hallgren, the man behind the plans to convert the Kungsholm of 1966 into a floating hotel in Gothenburg, has informed us that the project is still in progress. At present an analysis is being made concerning the transportation of hazardous goods in the harbor near the intended docking site.

Mr Hallgren intends to invite representatives of the city authorities aboard when the Mona Lisa (ex Kungsholm) visits Gothenburg on July 21, to show what a cultural treasure this ship is.

We wish Mr Hallgren every success with this project, which is so important for preserving the memory of the Swedish American Line, and the history of the shipping trade in Gothenburg.

Read about the plans to convert the Kungsholm into a hotel in Gothenburg .

News About Kungsholm

The Scholar Ship Program Ends

During the Fall of 2007 and the Spring of 2008, the Kungsholm of 1966 has been sailing as The Scholar Ship, a floating university. Today we have received information that the Scholar Ship program will end.

The Scholar Ship Team writes:
"The Scholar Ship has been unable to secure funding necessary to continue the program at this time, including the upcoming September 08 and January 09 voyages."

It is not known to us right now what will happen to the Kungsholm in the short run.

Read about the plans to convert the Kungsholm into a hotel in Gothenburg .

Mona Lisa Afloat

The Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm, was refloated on Wednesday. The ship is currently in Ventspils, Latvia, for inspections.

Länk till nyhetsartikel i Svensk Sjöfartstidning
Tack till Lennart Angelmo för detta tips.

Mona Lisa Aground in the Irbe Strait

The Kungsholm of 1966, currently sailing as the Mona Lisa, ran aground on Sunday in the Irbe Strait, which is the main exit from the Gulf of Riga into the Baltic Sea. The ship was carrying 651 passengers who had all left the ship on Monday. According to several news agencies, 300+ crew members are still on board.

Inspections by divers from the Lithuanian Coast Guard have not found any damage to the hull so far. Powerful tugs from Sweden and other countries are on their way to assist.

Photos of Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm

Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm, visited Gothenburg in September of 2006. Photos from that visit are posted on Göteborgs-Posten's website.
Thanks to Lennart Angelmo for this news.

Read about the plans to convert the Kungsholm into a hotel in Gothenburg.

Mona Lisa will be back in 2008

Lord Nelson-Seereisen will operate the Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm, during the summer of 2008, from May 1 to August 31, for cruises in Northern Europe. See the itineraries here.

The Gripsholm Exchange Voyage in 1942

Ms. Carmen Puente Prieto of Mexico City, Mexico, has contributed an interesting and lovely story about her mother and grandmother, who left Shanghai in June 1942, and boarded the Gripsholm at Lorenco Marques, arriving in New York on August 25.

Read more about all the exchange and repatriation sailings during WWII here.

The Kungsholm Soccer Team 1970

A photo of the Kungsholm Soccer Team from 1970 has been added to the Bridge & Crew Pages. From Curt Dawe's collection.

Professor Christer Winberg avliden

Professor Christer Winberg, Göteborg, författaren till "Amerikabåtarna - från emigranter till miljonärer", har nyligen avlidit. Boken, som gavs ut 2007, är ett stort och mycket uppskattat bidrag till arbetet att bevara kunskapen och minnet av atlanttrafiken och livet ombord på fartygen.

Chief Purser Curt Dawe

Work in progress

A new page with photos showing the bridge of the Gripsholm of 1925 has been added.

A large donation, containing Chief Purser Curt Dawe's extensive collection of SAL memorabilia, has been contributed by Curt Dawe's nephews, Andreas and Christian Dawe. The collection has been donated to the Maritime Museum in Gothenburg, Sjöfartsmuséet, with permission for us to view the objects on this website.
Read more here

More pages will be added

The Kungsholm of 1953

Two new pages have been created with photos contributed by Magnus Baecklund. Magnus mustered on the Kungsholm in 1953 as a 3rd Engineer and served until the departure of the first World Cruise in 1954.

The Drottningholm in Gothenburg in 1943

Stuart and George MacRitchie have kindly offered to share an excerpt of their father's memoirs. Alistair Crawford Cameron MacRitchie was repatriated via Gothenburg after 3 1/2 years as a POW in Poland.

Read more about all the exchange and repatriation sailings during WWII here.

The Folk Dancers

Lars Nydén, Bellboy at the Kungsholm Radio Station in 1966 (working for Jalle Andersson / Keio Rockalati and Millding), has identified himself on folk dance photo D207. Lars also served on the Gripsholm in 1965 and 1967.

SAL Film Clips

A new page has been created with links to SAL film clips on the Internet.

Updated March 18, 2008

Senaste nytt om hotellplanerna för Kungsholm

Lars G Hallgren, initiativtagare til projektet att göra Kungsholm till hotell i Göteborg, har skrivit följande brev

Angående kajplats för M/S Kungsholm
2008-03-16

Sammanfattning

Den av Göteborgs stad föreslagna placeringen av fartyget längs Stigbergskajen väster om Amerikaskjulet är i dagsläget inte ekonomiskt försvarbart och ett beviljat tillfälligt bygglov riskerar att fastna i en byråkratisk process av överklaganden från sakägare. Det gäller nu att handla snabbt om staden vill ha fartyget till Göteborg

Mitt förslag är därför att staden i vart fall under en tioårsperiod godtar en placering längs kajen i Norra Frihamnspiren, vilket är den enda platsen som återstår mot bakgrund av ekonomi och tidsaspekt.

När fartyget är på plats kan Göteborgs stad utan tidspress besluta om man efter tio år vill projektera för en annan placering av fartyget text. vid Stigbergskajen eller om man inte vill ha kvar fartyget i hamnen. Man kan också välja att göra en planändring och behålla fartyget på plats.

Bakgrund

Vid årsskiftet 2006/2007 gjorde jag en förfrågan bland Göteborgs beslutande politiker från flera olika partier, om det fanns ett intresse att ta M/S Kungsholm till Göteborg, när fartygets kryssningskarriär var över.

I mars 2007 fick jag förslag från staden om att Top Industri AB borde ansöka om tillfälligt bygglov för fartyget på Södra Frihamnspiren. Projektarbeten påbörjades därefter för att bedöma möjligheten av att klara myndighetskrav för hotelldrift mm. När inhyrda konsulter bedömde att projektet borde klara ett bygglov lämnades bygglovsansökan in till staden.

I samband med att staden förordade att STCC-tävlingar ska få hållas samt att planering av bostäder/kontor ska ske på Södra Frihamnspiren, blev Top Industri AB ombedd att undersöka placering av fartyget längs Stigbergskajen.

Placering längs Stigbergskajen

Västra delen av Stigbergskajen rasade 1916. En kajkommission tillsattes för att i framtiden förhindra liknande ras. Stigbergskajen och markområdet mellan Amerikaskjulet och Fiskhamnen består enligt stadens geolog av lera som sträcker sig ut i älven. Kajen har satt sig och sjunkit ner så att vattennivån vid högvatten översvämmar kajen upp till ca 50 meter in mot trafikleden.

Djupgåendet utanför kajen är mestadels runt 7 meter men är i västra delen mellan 5 till 6 meter . För att kunna muddra till 9 meter - vilket fartyget kräver - måste kajen förstärkas.

Jan Andersson på Göteborgs Hamn har meddelat att en undersökning av vad det kostar att förstärka kajen uppskattningsvis kostar 500 000 till 700 000 kronor.

En mycket grov bedömning av vad det kan kosta att förstärka kajen 200 meter kan enligt Andersson göras mot bakgrund av ett arbete som gjordes i Skandiahamnen 2005. Man förstärkte då 400 meter kaj och ökade vattendjupet ca 2 meter till en kostnad av 200 000 000 kronor.

Muddring kostar idag per kubikmeter ca 100 kronor plus en deponeringsavgift om 400 kronor. En uppskattning är att en muddring för att få fartyget på plats kommer att kosta ytterligare 10 -15 miljoner kronor. Hamnens tillstånd att få lägga muddermassor går ut 2009.

Min bedömning är att kaj och muddringsarbeten kan kosta 100 000 000 kronor plus/minus 20 000 000 kronor.

Min bedömning är även att det finns alltför många sakägare i form av hyresgäster i närliggande fastigheter som kan överklaga ett beviljat bygglov. Tidsfaktorn är av avgörande betydelse för att kunna genomföra projektet. En utdragen beslutsprocess kan snabbt omintetgöra affären.

Placering vid Norra Frihamnen

Norra Frihamnspiren har kajer med ett bottendjup som klarar en stationär placering av fartyget. Om muddring behöver göras så är det av relativ liten omfattning. Ytor för parkeringsplatser finns och kan planeras. Kollektivtrafik och tillgänglighet från vägnät finns. I stort sett samma förutsättningar finns som gjordes i samband med tänkt placering vid Södra Frihamnspiren.

Om fartyget läggs vid byggnad 113 så torde påseglingsrisken vara minimal. Beroende på vad som kommer att ske med byggnad 113 så kan entré med hissar mm antingen anläggas mellan byggnaden och fartyget eller så kan man eventuellt använda delar av byggnad 113 som entré med gångbro.

I området på Norra Älvstranden finns idag inget hotell. Ett flertal företag är idag etablerade i området och man kan anta att det finns ett behov av hotell, konferens och restauranger i området. Någon speciell hotelletableringsutredning har inte gjorts för Norra Frihamnen men samtal har förts med hotellkonsulten Hans Åke Petersson som i allmänna ordalag är positiv till en hotelletablering av denna typ.

Politik och ekonomi

Mot bakgrund av de ekonomiska intressen och den konkurrenssituation som råder om ytor i attraktiva lägen antar jag att frågan måste bli föremål för ett politiskt beslut.

Vill staden ha ett av världens vackraste kryssningsfartyg som eventhotell och landmärke i Göteborg, måste en viljeyttring till som gör att ett fortsatt arbete på ett tillfälligt bygglov kan påbörjas snarast.

Vill stadens politiker inte ha M/S Kungsholm till Göteborg under förutsättningar enligt ovan så bör Top Industri AB också få ett snart besked därom.

Lars Hallgren

 Läs mer om planerna att göra Kungsholm till hotell i Göteborg.

Rädda Kungsholm!

Skriv till politikerna i Göteborg och framför din mening!

bmr@stadshuset.goteborg.se
Attention: Göran Johansson, Kommunfullmäktiges ordförande.

Debattartikel om Kungsholm

I tidningen Goda Nyheter skriver skeppsredare Michael Kjellberg att Kungsholm skulle ge nytt liv åt hamnen i Göteborg.

The Kungsholm Hotel Plans

Swedish entrepreneur Lars Hallgren has signed a letter of intent with Leonardo Shipping, Greece, to acquire The Scholar Ship, (ex KUNGSHOLM of 1966), in 2010. The ship is to be docked in Gothenburg, Sweden, as a hotel, restaurant, and maritime museum. The two funnels with the Swedish American Line symbol, and the aft mast will be restored. Leading politicians of the City of Göteborg have assured Mr Hallgren of political support for the project.

Since then Mr Hallgren has inspected the ship accompanied by a team of engineers and naval officers. The technical part of the project has not presented any major problems so far - the biggest challenge is the ventilation system on board, which does not comply with Swedish hotel regulations. However, that can be fixed.

Although the politicians in Gothenburg are positive towards the project, the three municipal companies that control the harbor are not interested. The KUNGSHOLM would interfere with their future projects for the harbor, such as condo developments, facilities for visiting cruise ships, etc. So there is a need for political decisionmaking to force these companies to cooperate with the KUNGSHOLM project. Why hasn't that decision been made? The municipal companies are independent profit making entities. Issuing a decree would most likely involve tax funding.

Mr Hallgren has raised the necessary funding to acquire and operate the ship as a hotel, but construction work needs to be done ashore, for roads, parking, sanitation systems, etcetera.

Now is the time for all good men, and women, to write to the politicians in Gothenburg to show that there is an international opinion to save the KUNGSHOLM, and that the ship would be a unique tourist attraction in the harbor. Gothenburg has a long and proud maritime tradition, there are several old ships in the harbor, so there is a deep understanding of maritime history in the city. They just need a few pushes.

Please send an email to the politicians stating your personal views on this matter:
bmr@stadshuset.goteborg.se
Attention: Mr Göran Johansson, Chairman of the City Council.

Lars Hemingstam
Webmaster

Read more about the plans to convert the Kungsholm into a hotel in Gothenburg.

Cruise Memories 1962 - 73

Robert Neilson of Fort Lauderdale, FL, sailed on SAL ships across the oceans for months at a time,  continuously from 1962 -73, aged 9-20. He became a close friend of Captain Carl-Otto Wijkmark, Captain Per-Erik Sjölin, and Mr Jack Fraser of the SAL Office in New York City.

Mr Neilson has kindly offered to share his personal memories of these cruises. The texts have been compiled from several emails written in 2008.

Passenger Area

A new page called the Passenger Area ha been added. This is the area where you will find links to the contributions from the SAL Passengers, their memories and photos from cruises and Atlantic crossings.

Photos of Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm

Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm, visited Gothenburg in September of 2006. Photos from that visit are posted on Göteborgs-Posten's website.
Thanks to Lennart Angelmo for this news.

Read about the plans to convert the Kungsholm into a hotel in Gothenburg.

Mona Lisa will be back in 2008

Lord Nelson-Seereisen will operate the Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm, during the summer of 2008, from May 1 to August 31, for cruises in Northern Europe. See the itineraries here.

M/S Kungsholms inredning
Ett mästerverk i svensk
art deco
Anne Marie Ericsson

Första M/S Kungsholm, Amerikalinjens stora passagerarfartyg, byggdes på 1920-talet. Det gick mellan Göteborg och New York. Arkitekten Carl Bergsten fick uppdraget att hålla i den påkostade inredningen som skulle visa för världen vad svenska konstnärer kunde åstadkomma. Under andra världskriget togs fartyget i beslag av amerikanarna för att användas i trupptransporten till Europa. Inredningen revs då ner och förstördes. Anne-Marie Ericsson har letat i arkiv och museer efter beskrivningar, ritningar och gamla fotografier för att försöka rekonstruera denna makalösa uppvisning i svensk inredningskonst.

Köp boken här

Amerikabåtarna
Från emigranter till miljonärer
Christer Winberg

Christer Winberg, professor i historia vid Göteborgs universitet, har skrivit en bok om SAL som bygger på bevarat samtida material från Svenska Amerika Linien på Landsarkivet och Sjöfartsmuseet i Göteborg. Det omfattar exempelvis reserapporter, minnesberättelser och personligt färgade reseskildringar. Författaren har också samlat in eget material genom intervjuer med f.d. anställda.

Köp boken här

Andrea Dorias undergång
Britt-Marie Mattsson

I Andrea Dorias undergång berättar Britt-Marie Mattsson den fascinerande berättelsen om kollisionen, den heroiska räddningsaktionen och det rättsliga efterspelet till den mycket uppmärksammade olyckan - sin tids Titanic. Mattssons far var vid tiden för olyckan informationschef vid Svenska Amerika Linien. Britt-Marie Mattsson har träffat flera av de överlevande och intervjuat dem för denna bok. Hon har bland annat talat med vittnen som ger information som kan kasta nytt ljus över vad som egentligen orsakade den fruktansvärda kollisionen. Boken är rikligt illustrerad i svartvitt.

Köp boken här

SAL enthusiast Bob Zeschin has recommended
Kungsholm - Europa - Columbus C
by Nico Guns

A book about the Kungsholm of 1953.
Primarily Dutch text, but with English language insertions, captions and a full summary at the end of the book.

"Såna" på Amerikabåtarna
Arne Nilsson

SAL har skildrats i böcker, dokumentär-filmer, journalfilmer och tidningsartiklar. Oftast är det glamouren som uppmärk-sammats men en grupp har alltid saknats i beskrivningarna: homosexuella män. Såna på Amerikabåtarna är en välskriven, lättläst och underhållande studie av en värld som gått i glömska.

Köp boken här

De Flytande Palatsen
The White Viking Fleet
Algot Mattsson

From the very inception of the line in 1915, the ships of the Line attracted much attention on both sidesof the Atlantic. Not only did they represent the bonds between the old country and the new, they also represented new concepts in service, decor, and furnishings as well as in art and handicraft. Published in 1987. This book can be found on Amazon.

Huset Broström
Algot Mattsson

Huset Broström för tankarna till Forsythesagan och Onedinlinjen. Inget svenskt företag har upplevt så stor dramatik som just Broströms. Detta är den dramtiska berättelsen "inifrån Huset", om det som skedde i det som syntes ske. Utgiven 1980.

Vägen mot Väster
Algot Mattsson

Detta är en berättelse om den dramatiska färden över Atlanten, från de hårda och riskfyllda överfarten med små lastskutor i mitten av 1800-talet, till lyxresorna med Amerikalinjens sista skepp. Utgiven 1982

Out of the Fog
Algot Mattsson

Out of the Fog is an American edition of a Swedish book by Algot Mattsson, who was the information officer for SAL, the owner of Stockholm, the ship that collided with Andrea Doria in 1956. The book describes the collision from the perspectives of both ships as well as the heroic rescue of hundreds. Testimony given at the hearing is also included as is a legal opinion by the American editors, one of whom was directly involved with the case.

Artikel om Kungsholm i Göteborgs-Posten

En artikel i GP idag, den 18:e februari, informerar om det senaste i turerna kring planerna för Kungsholm som hotell i Göteborg.

Skriv en kommentar på tidningens webbplats!

Tack till Lennart Angelmo för detta tips.

Omröstning

En omröstning har startats på diskussionsforumet salship hos Yahoo Groups.

Gå med i gruppen och lägg din röst här.

New SAL Discussion Forum

A discussion forum has been started at Yahoo Groups. Everyone can read the discussions, but to write an entry, you have to create a Yahoo account. It only takes a minute to create an account, and it is free.

You can write comments about the Kungsholm hotel plans, ask questions about SAL, and reply to questions from other members.

The name of the group is salship. Find the discussion group here.

Click to join salship

Request for help

An American author would like to know the nautical distance from Lisboa, Portugal, around Africa to Goa, India. Please email salship@yahoo.com

Save the Kungsholm

SAL enthusiast L-O-Rydén has started a group on Facebook to save the Kungsholm.

Join here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6929343235&ref=share

När hotellplanerna för Gripsholm grusades 2001

Resebyråmannen Tommy Asklund har skrivit ett brev om hur det gick till när planerna att göra Gripsholm till hotell i Stockholm stoppades av en liten grupp motståndare år 2001.

Läs brevet här.

Kommentar av Lars Hemingstam:
Jag var närvarande vid ett möte 2001 mellan motståndarna och representanter för Stockholms Hamn och politiker från Stockholms Stadshus. En ung arkitekt visade en tecknad nidbild där Gripsholm framstod som en grå betongkloss som skulle skymma hela utsikten över Stockholms Ström från Fjällgatan. Så lyckades motståndarna förhala beslutet medan Gripsholm bogserades mot sin undergång.

Read about Gripsholm's final voyage in 2001

Chief Purser Hugo Billén

A new page has been created about
Chief Purser Hugo Billén.

Midsummer on the Kungsholm

Thomasine in Norway has sent us photos from a
Midsummer celebration on the Kungsholm in 1974.

Photos from the WW2 Exchange Voyages

David W Smith has contributed unique pictures of the Gripsholm's exchange voyages during World War 2. View them here.

Read more about the repatriation and exchange voyages here.

Kungsholms sista resa

Befälet på Kungsholms sista resa 1975 har identifierats. Läs mer här.

Artikel om Kungsholm i GP

I Göteborgs-Posten den 7:e december, finns en artikel om hotellplanerna för MS Kungsholm.
Tack till Lennart Angelmo för detta tips.
Länk till artikeln

Läs mer om planerna att göra Kungsholm till hotell i Göteborg.

The Architect's Vision

War Bride on the Gripsholm

Denise has contributed photos from her mother's voyage to America as a war bride. Berthe Jardon, from Verviers, Belgium, came over on the M.S. Gripsholm in 1947.  She met Denise's father during WWII, waited, wrote letters, and then bravely sailed over alone. The photos are posted on the Gripsholm of 1925 page. Denise would like to get in touch with other passengers on that voyage, with arrival in New York on January 11th, 1947. Write to: salship@yahoo.com

Bridge & Crew Pages Updated

A chart showing the ships' on board organization in 1959, and news about officers' appointments in 1957 and 1966, have been added to the Bridge & Crew Page.

The Stockholm in peril in 1920

Bearing in mind the fate of the Lindblad Explorer, Örjan Slätte, former Information Officer on the Gripsholm, reminds us that the Stockholm of 1915 was halted by ice and close to sinking on a return trip from New York in 1920. He wants to commend the crew which was able to save the ship, just eight years after the Titanic sank. The polar ice is as hard as granite, and can't be compared, for example, to ice in the Baltic Sea.

News about the Kungsholm hotel plans

Mr Lars G Hallgren, the initiator of the project to convert MS Kungsholm into a hotel in Gothenburg in 2010, has informed us of the following: Because of proposed new building plans for the Free Harbor, other sites for the Kungsholm will be investigated. Alternate sites could be the northern pier of the Free Harbor, or Stigbergskajen, west of where the SAL ships docked 1915 - 1975.

Read more about the project here.

Återbesök på Kungsholm

Since 1998, when this site was launched, many friends of SAL, especially former crew members, have contributed information and pictures to make the nearly 100 pages possible. There is still a great deal of information waiting to be published. We all hope you will enjoy these memories of The White Viking Fleet and all "the happy ships, with the happy crew".
Lars Hemingstam
Webmaster
salship@yahoo.com

Donations
Maintaining this website since 1998 has been enjoyable and rewarding, through all the correspondence and friends I have obtained throughout the years. Although it is time consuming and there are some expenses involved, I intend to keep up the work for many more years to come. There are generations growing up who are very interested in finding information about their relatives' experience on board these ships. Any contribution to the development and maintenance of this site is welcome.

Bidrag
Att sköta dessa webbsidor sedan 1998 har varit roligt och berikande, genom all den korrespondens och vänner jag har fått genom åren. Även om det går åt mycket tid och innebär en del kostnader, tänker jag fortsätta i många år till. Nya generationer växer upp som vill veta mer om sina släktingars liv ombord på fartygen. Alla bidrag till utveckling och underhåll av webbsidorna välkomnas. Bidrag genom PAYSON.

A Champ On Board

Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson won the World Heavy Weight Championship fight vs. Floyd Patterson at Yankee Stadium on June 25, 1959, New York time (Swedish records often say June 26). Ingo and his fiancée Birgit Lundgren visited the Gripsholm at Pier 97.

Johansson, a native son of Göteborg, said:
"Being on board the Swedish American Line's beautiful ship is like feeling a breeze from my home town."
SAL-Nytt, Aug, 1959
From the Dawe collection

Johansson winning the heavy weight title was a big event for Swedes all over the world. My father, Tage Hemingstam, born in Jonsered, a suburb of Göteborg, watched the fight being broadcasted live in a theater in Chicago, IL. - Lars Hemingstam, Webmaster

SAL Advertisement

A SAL ad from 1956 has been added.
From the Dawe collection.

The Scholar Ship - ex Kungsholm

See a slideshow of life on board the Scholar Ship, ex Kungsholm.
(Scroll down the page to see the slideshow.)

Also, read about the future plans for the Kungsholm.

Mona Lisa will be back in 2008

Lord Nelson-Seereisen will operate the Mona Lisa, ex Kungsholm, during the summer of 2008, from May 1 to August 31, for cruises in Northern Europe. See the itineraries here.

More Folk Dance Photos added

A new page with photos of SAL's Folk Dance Teams
from the Curt Dawe collection has been added.

Pier 97 in New York City -
The Hudson River Park

Pier 97 at the end of West 57th Street, where the SAL ships docked, has for many years been a parking site for garbage trucks. It is now going to be restored and will be used primarily for active recreation and historic ships. Unfortunately, the building on the pier will not be reconstructed. The Hudson River Park Trust, a partnership between New York State and City is charged with the design, construction and operation of the five-mile Hudson River Park.Read more here. Also read about the Friends of Hudson River Park.

Pier 97

A new page has been created about Pier 97 in New York.

Drottningholm in NYC in 1940

See a film clip of the Drottningholm arriving in NY Harbor in 1940. The ship carried Rabbi Joseph I. Schneersohn (1880-1950), the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to freedom from war torn Europe. The film clip is from Lubavitch archives. Many thanks to David Shatz for contributing this link. Read about a "March of Time" clip further below on this page.

Read more about all the exchange and repatriation sailings during WWII here.

SAL Offices in 1968

A list of all the SAL offices in 1968
has been added to the About SAL page.

New updates to the Voyage of Mercy
The story of Floyd Randall Riebling, RN & MA
Registered Nurse on the Gripsholm in 1944Spies on the Gripsholm?
Eugene Floyd Riebling has contributed additions concerning the event on September 11, 1944, when the Gripsholm was boarded by the German Navy and crewman Erik Schmidt-Hansen was abducted. Read more about all the exchange and repatriation sailings during WWII here.

Returning Allied POWs on the Gripsholm, 26 Sept 1944. National Archives Photo

Many thanks to Eugene Floyd Riebling of Tucson, AZ,
for the permission to publish his father's story.

Gripsholm in NYC in 1944
Watch a video of the Gripsholm as a repatriation ship,
arriving in New York in 1944

The Gripsholm appears in the second part of the newsreel, from the US National Archives.

Göran Forsén, 3rd Engineer 1959-60 on the Kungsholm of 1953,
has contributed photos, and a story (in Swedish).

Dance Instructors

A bio of SAL dance instructors Marlene and Michael Pekala
has been added to the Entertainers' Page.

More Kungsholm Memories in Print

More memories of Kungsholm cruises have been contributed by Gary McDonough.

Film clip showing Drottningholm arriving in NYC

A link to a "March of Time" film clip, showing the Drottningholm arriving in the U.S. in 1942 with diplomatic officers leaving Axis nations, has been added to the Drottningholm page. The link connects to the Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive at USHM.
Many thanks to Susan Pentlin for this tip.

Kungsholm Visiting Stockholm 1975

Great new photos of
Kungsholm in Stockholm 1975
contributed by Richard Jacob

During the recent weeks, we have received several photos from passengers and crew members of the SAL fleet. The pictures have been added to the corresponding pages on this site.
You will find the links below. Many thanks to all of these contributors.

Ingrid Bergman visits the Gripsholm

The Folk Dance Team 1966

Birthday party

Kungsholm visiting Curacao

From Kungsholm to Götheborg

Bengt-Göran Nilsson with visitor on board the Götheborg

Bengt-Göran Nilsson is now the Chief Engineer on the Swedish East Indiaman Götheborg, on her way back to Sweden from China. Bengt-Göran served his first time as a 2nd engineer on the MS Kungsholm's maiden voyage in 1966.

Bengt-Göran has been at home in Sweden for a short visit, and is now flying to China to represent Götheborg at a tea-festival. On April 15, he will join the ship in Nice, France, for the last two legs of the voyage to Gothenburg, via London. The Götheborg is planned to arrive in Gothenburg on June 9.

Read more about the Götheborg

Drottningholm and Gripsholm During WW2
During World War 2 Drottningholm and Gripsholm were used
as exchange ships and made 33 voyages to exchange prisoners of war,
diplomats, women and children, between the warfaring nations.

There is a growing interest in the exchange voyages. I receive many emails from relatives of the passengers, and there are several entries in the guestbook on this subject. If you have information or stories about these voyages, I will be very honored to publish them on the website.

Read about the exchange voyages here.

OFFICIAL U.S. NAVY PHOTO
Many thanks to Susan Pentlin for contributing this photo.

Vintage SAL Movie Clips Online
SVT, Swedish Television, has made public several vintage film clips showing KUNGSHOLM and GRIPSHOLM cruises. Among other scenes, there are great views of the NYC harbor, as well as amusing on board scenes from a cruise during the prohibition.

The online instructions are in Swedish. Select anyone of the red links in the righthand table. By clicking on "Extern spelare" above the small display screen, the clips can be viewed full screen in an external player, such as Windows Media Player or Real Player. If you have any questions concerning how to view the clips, don't hesitate to send me an email to
salship@yahoo.com Many thanks to Jan Leonard for this tip!

Click here to view the movie clips