.jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Sweden | |
| Name | Storskär |
| Owner | Waxholmsbolaget |
| Builder | Lindholm Shipyard [sv],Gothenburg |
| Completed | 1908 |
| Identification | |
| Status | in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Steamship |
| Length | 38.95 metres (127.8 ft) |
| Beam | 6.99 metres (22.9 ft) |
| Draft | 2.75 metres (9 ft 0 in) |
| Propulsion | Steam |
| Capacity | 330 Passengers |
Storskär (literallyBig Skerry) is asteamship that was built in 1908 inGothenburg. She was originally namedSträngnäs Express and traded betweenStockholm andSträngnäs onLake Mälaren. She was transferred to service on theStockholm archipelago in 1939, and given her current name in the following year.Storskär has operated forWaxholmsbolaget and her predecessors since 1939, and is today one of that company's classic fleet, alongsideNorrskär andVästan. She is alisted historical ship of Sweden.[1]
Strängnäs Express was built by theLindholm Shipyard [sv] inGothenburg and was delivered to Strengnäs Nya Rederi AB in Strängnäs on 10 July 1908. As delivered she had a Lindholmtriple expansion steam engine of 660 horsepower (490 kW) and, during trials, attained a speed of 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph). She was introduced in 1908 on the route fromSträngnäs toStockholm viaStallarholmen. The ship was sold in 1918 to Ångfartygs AB Drottningholm-Fittja, which in 1925 changed its name to Trafikaktiebolaget Mälaren-Hjelmaren.King Gustav V travelled on the ship from Stallarholmen to Strängnäs in 1923 in connection with the celebration of the 400th anniversary ofGustav Vasa's election as King of Sweden.[2]
After another ownership change,Strängnäs Express waslaid up in Stockholm in April 1939. In December 1939 she was purchased by Waxholms Nya Ångfartygs AB, better known as Waxholmsbolaget, who gave her her current name ofStorskär in May 1940. The vessel was put into service on routes to the northern archipelago. Among other things, she traveled betweenNorrtälje andArholma viaFurusund [sv]. A new oil-fired boiler was installed in 1999 at Oskarshamns Varv.[2]
Storskär has been in regular traffic in the archipelago since 1940. She is still steam-powered and uses her original engine of 1908. Today, along with Waxholmsbolaget’s other classic ships, she is in regular traffic between May and September, serving the route from Stockholm toVaxholm and other central archipelago islands. She has a top speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph), which makes her the archipelago's fastest steamer.[2][3]
Storskär has a length of 38.95 metres (127.8 ft), a beam of 6.99 metres (22.9 ft), a draft of 2.75 metres (9 ft 0 in), and carries 330 passengers.[4]
