A Tribute to the Swedish American Line The White Viking Fleet 14 Years on the Internet
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Rune Dahlstrand
Barber on the Gripsholm During WWII

Page 4

These pictures have been contributed by Rune Dahlstrand.
Many thanks to Mr. Dahlstrand for sharing these unique memories.

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

Rune Dahlstrand and the rest of the crew were awarded the U.S. Merchant Marine Victory Medal.

When the Gripsholm arrived in New Jersey, the crew was questioned by the FBI and two other intelligence agencies. Mr Dahsltrand says "they knew more details about my life than I did myself". They even knew where his father had served in the Swedish military service. When they returned from the long voyages, the authorities knew what they had done while they were on leave in foreign ports. Two Swedish hair dressers were not allowed to go ashore in the USA during the long wait between the first and second voyages, because they had been flirting with Germans in Lorenco Marques. There were some Americans who mustered on as crew in New Jersey. Mr Dahlstrand got to know one of them well, and he and his mates tried to teach the American a few Swedish words, which didn't seem to work at all. But the American accompanied the Swedes when they were ashore. Then, after one or two voyages, when the American was leaving the ship for good in the U.S., he surprised his friends by speaking to them in near perfect Swedish. Rune Dahlstrand got to know a family of German descent who owned a brewery in Yonkers, and was invited to spend Christmas Eve in their house. The family's ancestors were immigrants to America some generations earlier. He went to see a movie with a daughter of the family. He was later asked by the FBI if the family had asked him to deliver letters to or from Europe. The authorities knew which movie Mr. Dahlstrand and the daughter had seen.

The Gripsholm's Folk Dance Team made a performance in Yonkers. Rune Dahlstrand is the tall dancer in the center, on the other side of the girl dancer is a steward named Sture.

Rune Dahlstrand in Egypt.

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Drottningholm and Gripsholm
Mercy Ships During WWII