''Gustafsberg VII'' 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 1912 at

Oskarshamn Oskarshamn is a coastal city and the seat of Oskarshamn Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 17,258 inhabitants in 2010. History Etymology Döderhultsvik was the original name before a town charter was granted in 1856. The name was then chan ...

. In 1929 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 ...

. After being written off in a sinking accident in 1964, she was bought by steamship enthusiasts, salvaged and restored. In 1973,

Strömma Kanalbolaget Ångfartygs AB Strömma Kanal, better known as the Strömma Kanalbolaget, is an operator of tourist shipping services in and around Stockholm, Sweden, as well as a number of ferry routes under the name Cinderellabåtarna in the same area. It is par ...

bought the ship. She was converted to diesel power in 1985, and is now used for tourist services 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 ...

. Over the years, she has also operated under the names ''Gustavsberg VII'' and ''Saxaren''.

History

''Gustafsberg VII'' was ordered by the

Gustavsberg porcelain factory Gustavsberg is a Swedish porcelain company that originated in 1826.Helena Dahlbäck Lutteman. ''Svenskt Porslin 1700-1900'' It broke up in the 1990s and was sold off in pieces, to the dismay of residents of the Gustavsberg area, but artisans con ...

, principally to transport their products from their factory, She was built as a steam ship by the

Oskarshamn Shipyard Oskarshamn Shipyard is a shipbuilding and repair facility located in Oskarshamn, Sweden. General information The shipyard company was established in 1863, when a dry dock was built in Oskarshamn. About 540 vessels have been built and launched at ...

and was delivered to the Gustavsberg factory in May 1912. She ran on a route 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 Gustavsberg via the . In around 1925, the spelling of the name was changed to ''Gustavsberg VII''. In December 1929, she was purchased by Waxholms Nya Ångfartygs AB, better known as Waxholmsbolaget, who gave her the name ''Saxaren'' and run her on the route between Stockholm and via . In May 1964, the ''Saxaren'' capsized and sank at Stor-Krån's dock in western and was written off by her insurers as beyond economic repair. The sunken ship was sold to a pair of students and steamboat enthusiasts, Staffan Lindhé and Hans Johansson, for 1,200 kronor. The ship was subsequently salvaged and repaired, and, after an abortive sale to Danish interests, was sold to

in 1973. In 1974, she regained her original name of ''Gustafsberg VII'' and, at the wedding of Princess Christina and

Tord Magnuson Tord Gösta Magnuson (born 7 April 1941) is a Swedish business executive and the consul general for Mauritius. He is married to Princess Christina of Sweden, the youngest of the older sisters of King Carl XVI Gustaf. With the deaths of John A ...

, transported the royal couple and their wedding guests from Stockholm to

Drottningholm Palace Drottningholm Palace (), or Drottningholm, one of Sweden's royal palaces, situated near Sweden's capital Stockholm, is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. Located on Lovön island in Stockholm County's Ekerö Municipalit ...

. In 1985, the ''Gustafsberg VII'' was converted to diesel power, and her original steam engines were transferred to the Oskarshamn Maritime Museum, where they are still on display. In 2013, she reprised her 1974 role, by carrying the guests of the wedding between

Princess Madeleine Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

and

Christopher O'Neill Christopher Paul O'Neill, (born 27 June 1974) is a British-American financier and husband of Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, with whom he has three children. He declined to become a Swedish citizen and accept any ...

from Stockholm to Drottningholm.

Operation

The ''Gustafsberg VII'' is operated by

on cruises through the

that operate from the in Stockholm. Some of these cruises follow the ships's original route to Gustavsberg via the and

Baggensstäket Baggensstäket (also Baggarstäket or Södra stäket) is a strait in the Stockholm archipelago, between the island of Värmdö and the mainland (Södermanland). It is part of the waterway between the firth of and bay of . The waterway contin ...

waterways. The ''Gustafsberg VII'' has a length of , a beam of , a draft of and a tonnage of . She has a top speed of and carries 260 passengers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustafsberg VII (1912) 1912 ships Passenger ships of Sweden Ships built in Oskarshamn