Swedish steamer Trafik (1892)
The brand new steamer Trafik ready to leave Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstad in Stockholm, where she was built in 1892. Amazingly she is still sailing from her home port Hjo as one of the best preserved old steamers in Sweden.
My restoration and digital hand colorization of an 1892 image in the Swedish Marine Museum archive (digitaltmuseum.se).
Here is a brief summary of her story:
"S/S Trafik was built at Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstad and on November 1, 1892, as the icebreaker and passenger steamer Trafik, made its first voyage from Hjo to Hästholmen.
The ship had room for 250 passengers, with a crew of six. In the 1930s, competition became greater, and in 1933 Ångfartygs AB Hjo–Hästholmen went bankrupt, to be replaced as shipowner by the municipally owned Hjo Rederi AB. S/S Trafik increasingly became a tourist steamer and eventually came to be used only for a few summer months.
The summer of 1959 was the last season, and S/S Trafik was laid up in Hjo harbour. Hjo Rederi AB wanted to sell her, but a handful of Hjo residents formed an association to take on the maintenance. In 1972, it was decided that the steamer would be broken up. With this decision, a rescue operation was quietly started. A group of Hjo and Skövde residents, the Sällskapet S/S Trafiks Vänner, bought the ship for 5,000 SEK and towed her to Sjötorp shipyard.
She returned to Hjo in the summer of 1977, after a renovation that involved 30,000 man-hours. Since then, S/S Trafik has served as a tourist attraction, with trips to Visingsö, Hästholmen, Vadstena and jazz tours.
In her aft saloon there is a room with two portraits, depicting Oscar II and Sofia of Nassau (here spelled "Nassay"). This tribute comes from the ship's history, as it was not only built during the reign of Oscar and Sofia but was also visited by them. In 1896, the couple traveled to Hjo by train and Oscar, who was not only king but also admiral, took command of the ship and steered her across Lake Vättern.
In her aft saloon there is a room with two portraits, depicting Oscar II and Sofia of Nassau (here spelled "Nassay"). This tribute comes from the ship's history, as it was not only built during the reign of Oscar and Sofia but was also visited by them. In 1896, the couple traveled to Hjo by train and Oscar, who was not only king but also admiral, took command of the ship and steered her across Lake Vättern."
(Wikipedia)
In 2001 the ship was marked as a cultural heritage site that warrants special protection and preservation.
Swedish steamer Trafik (1892)
The brand new steamer Trafik ready to leave Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstad in Stockholm, where she was built in 1892. Amazingly she is still sailing from her home port Hjo as one of the best preserved old steamers in Sweden.
My restoration and digital hand colorization of an 1892 image in the Swedish Marine Museum archive (digitaltmuseum.se).
Here is a brief summary of her story:
"S/S Trafik was built at Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstad and on November 1, 1892, as the icebreaker and passenger steamer Trafik, made its first voyage from Hjo to Hästholmen.
The ship had room for 250 passengers, with a crew of six. In the 1930s, competition became greater, and in 1933 Ångfartygs AB Hjo–Hästholmen went bankrupt, to be replaced as shipowner by the municipally owned Hjo Rederi AB. S/S Trafik increasingly became a tourist steamer and eventually came to be used only for a few summer months.
The summer of 1959 was the last season, and S/S Trafik was laid up in Hjo harbour. Hjo Rederi AB wanted to sell her, but a handful of Hjo residents formed an association to take on the maintenance. In 1972, it was decided that the steamer would be broken up. With this decision, a rescue operation was quietly started. A group of Hjo and Skövde residents, the Sällskapet S/S Trafiks Vänner, bought the ship for 5,000 SEK and towed her to Sjötorp shipyard.
She returned to Hjo in the summer of 1977, after a renovation that involved 30,000 man-hours. Since then, S/S Trafik has served as a tourist attraction, with trips to Visingsö, Hästholmen, Vadstena and jazz tours.
In her aft saloon there is a room with two portraits, depicting Oscar II and Sofia of Nassau (here spelled "Nassay"). This tribute comes from the ship's history, as it was not only built during the reign of Oscar and Sofia but was also visited by them. In 1896, the couple traveled to Hjo by train and Oscar, who was not only king but also admiral, took command of the ship and steered her across Lake Vättern.
In her aft saloon there is a room with two portraits, depicting Oscar II and Sofia of Nassau (here spelled "Nassay"). This tribute comes from the ship's history, as it was not only built during the reign of Oscar and Sofia but was also visited by them. In 1896, the couple traveled to Hjo by train and Oscar, who was not only king but also admiral, took command of the ship and steered her across Lake Vättern."
(Wikipedia)
In 2001 the ship was marked as a cultural heritage site that warrants special protection and preservation.