''Västan'' is a

motor vessel A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship Marine propulsion, propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The names of motor ships are often Ship prefix, prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V. Engines for motorships were develo ...

, and former

steam ship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The fir ...

, that was built in 1900 in

Motala Motala () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with a municipal population of 43,717 inhabitants in 2024. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and N ...

. She was originally named ''Nya Svartsjölandet'' and traded between

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 ...

and

Slut ''Slut (archaic: slattern)'' is an English-language term for a person, usually a woman, who is sexually promiscuous or considered to have loose sexual morals. It is predominately used as an insult, sexual slur or offensive term of disparageme ...

Lake Mälaren A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

. She was sold to

Waxholmsbolaget Waxholms Ångfartygs AB, commonly referred to as Waxholmsbolaget, is a shipping company owned by Stockholm county council and is responsible for the seaborne public transport in the Stockholm archipelago and Stockholm harbour. The company, which i ...

for use in the

Stockholm archipelago The Stockholm Archipelago () is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea (the largest being the Archipelago Sea across the Baltic in Finland). Part of the archipelago has been designated as a Rams ...

in 1937 and renamed ''Västan''. She was converted to diesel power in 1953. The ''Västan'' is today the oldest of Waxholmsbolaget's classic fleet, operating alongside ''Storskär'' and ''Norrskär'' which, although newer, have retained their original steam propulsion. She is a listed historic ship of Sweden.

History

''Nya Svartsjölandet'' was built by the Motala Verkstad in

and was delivered to Nya Svartsjölandet Ångfartygs AB in May 1900. On May 21, she was introduced on the route from

and

via and . In 1937 she was purchased by Waxholms Nya Ångfartygs AB, better known as Waxholmsbolaget, and was renamed ''Västan''. Initially the ''Västan'' operated on the Stockholm to

Östhammar Östhammar is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Östhammar Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 4,534 inhabitants in 2010. Today Östhammar Municipality is a part of Uppsala County, but the area has historically been a part of ...

route. In 1953 the ''Västan'' was rebuilt, receiving a new wheelhouse. and was converted from steam power to diesel power. Further rebuilds have taken place in 1966, 1969, 1990, 2002 and 2012. During the 2012 rebuild, a new diesel-electric power system was installed.

Operation

''Västan'' has been in regular traffic in the archipelago since 1937. Today, along with Vaxholmsbolaget's other classic ships, she is in regular traffic between May and September, serving the route from Stockholm to

Vaxholm Vaxholm is a city, urban area and the seat of Vaxholm Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It occupies the islands of Vaxön and Kullö in the Stockholm archipelago. The name Vaxholm comes from Vaxholm Fortress, which was constructed in 154 ...

and other central archipelago islands. She has a top speed of , a length of , a beam of , a draft of , and carries 180 passengers.

References

{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)
Västan Västan