''Lady Hutton'' is a former

luxury yacht A superyacht or megayacht is a large and luxurious pleasure vessel. There are no official or agreed upon definitions for such yachts, but these terms are regularly used to describe professionally crewed motor or sailing yachts, ranging from t ...

built in 1924 at

Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft (often just called Germaniawerft, "Germania shipyard") was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for the Kaiserliche Marine in W ...

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

, Germany. She has now been converted to a hotel and restaurant ship, riding at anchor at the

Riddarholmen Riddarholmen (, "The Knights' Islet") is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating back to the 17th century. The main landmark is the church Riddarh ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

since 1982. In addition to its size and proximity to the old city, much of the ship’s fame is tied to

Barbara Hutton Barbara Woolworth Hutton (November 14, 1912 – May 11, 1979) was an American debutante, socialite, heiress and philanthropist. She was dubbed the "Poor Little Rich Girl"—first when she was given a lavish and expensive debutante ball in 1930 ...

, for whom the ship is named.

Background

Originally named ''Vanadis'', the diesel-driven

motor yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

was built in 1924 for C. K. G. Billings, his second yacht by that name. "The largest of its day," she is steel-and-nickel hulled and was opulently outfitted. ''Vanadis'' was purchased by stock tycoon Harrison Williams, renamed ''Warrior'', and steamed on a year-long around-the-world 1926 honeymoon cruise taken with his wife, Mona. Woolworth heiress

received the vessel in 1930 as a present from her father on her 18th birthday. The yacht was renamed in Hutton's honor, and she was ''Vanadis's'' most celebrated owner. In 1940, the yacht was sold to the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it was stationed in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

and also used as a schoolship in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

from 1948. At the start of the 1950s it was renamed ''Cort Adeles'' at Stadsgårdskajen, Sweden. The vessel was also used as a regular passenger ship to and from

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. The yacht was later slated for scrap, but was purchased by a group of Swedish businessmen who spent more than $2.5 million to renovate her into a permanently moored, floating hotel and restaurant.

Current use

Begun in 1980, the renovation as a hotel for business travelers and a restaurant ship was completed in 1982. Most of the rooms or cabins are comparatively small. The vessel includes meeting facilities for up to 20 people and a

Finnish sauna The Finnish sauna (, ) is a substantial part of Culture of Finland, Finnish and Culture of Estonia, Estonian culture. It was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the 17 December 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmen ...

. The yacht is registered as the ''Lady Hutton'', and this name appears on the

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

, but the hotel's name on the

prow The bow () is the forward part of the hull (watercraft), hull of a ship or boat, the point that is usually most forward when the vessel is underway. The aft end of the boat is the stern. Prow may be used as a synonym for bow or it may mean the f ...

is ''Mälardrottningen'' (the Queen of Lake Mälar). Since September 1982, the yacht has been docked at Riddarholmen in Stockholm. It is owned by the family company Mälardrottningen Holding AB; ''Mälardrottningen'' has been a nickname for the city of Stockholm since the end of the 1800s. The lounge is glass-floored, so that the guests can view the

engine room On a ship, the engine room (ER) is the Compartment (ship), compartment where the machinery for marine propulsion is located. The engine room is generally the largest physical compartment of the machinery space. It houses the vessel's prime move ...

below. The Captain's Lounge has the best view, overlooking city hall. The 59 eccentric rooms are generally described as "tiny." On the other hand, one writer notes that parents traveling with their children will probably opt for separate rooms for their offspring, as sleeping in a floating palace is proffered as a unique way to calm them down. Meals are said to be relatively expensive at the gourmet restaurant.

Earlier names

Before the yacht had its current name, its name was changed ten times: # ''Vanadis'' (1924–1926) # ''Warrior'' (1926–1937) # ''Vanadis'' (1937–1939) # ''Warrior'' (1939–1940) # ''Troubadour'' (1940–1948) # ''King'' (1948–1950) # ''Cort Adeler'' (1950–1954) # ''Brand VI'' (1954–1960) # ''Marina'' (1960) # ''Gann'' (1960–1978) # ''Vikingfjord'' (1978–1981)

References

Notes

Citations

External links

* View of Riddarholmen, including ''Lady Hutton''
Mälardrottningen - Stockholm, Sweden
{{coord, 59.3240, N, 18.0627, E, source:wikidata, display=title 1924 ships Ships built in Kiel Motor yachts Merchant ships of the United States Ships of the Royal Navy World War II naval ships of the United Kingdom Training ships Merchant ships of Sweden Merchant ships of Norway