Page 2 - Standing Display

The Swedish American Line 1915 - 1984

The Swedish American Line (SAL) was born from the idea of Wilhelm R. Lundgren, the owner of
the Transatlantic Shipping Company, with the purpose of offering ocean liner services from Sweden
to North America. Lundgren died in September 1914, but his successor Gunnar Carlsson managed
to attract the attention of Dan Broström of the Broström Company, and on 4 December 1914 the
new line was founded in Göteborg. Broström had operated freighters across the North Atlantic since
1911 through the Swedish American Mexico Line (SAML).

The majority of this display traces the history of the SAL cruise lines until the disposal of the final
vessels in 1975. In September 1915, the newly formed SAL purchased the SS Potsdam from the
Holland America Line, renaming her SS Stockholm, and began Atlantic sailings on 11 December
1915. After the Stockholm, the SAL acquired the Virginian from the Allen Line in 1920 and
renamed it the Drottningholm. With the demand for Atlantic travel increasing and a burgeoning
cruise market, the first purpose-built liner, the Gripsholm, was commissioned. While awaiting
completion, the SAL leased the Noordam and renamed it the Kungsholm. After the launch of the
Gripsholm in 1925, the SAL commissioned a second liner which was also to be called the
Kungsholm, which had its first sailing in November 1928, following the sale of the Stockholm. The
launch of the Kungsholm saw the creation of post offices on each of the three vessels.

The first cruise of the Gripsholm, to the Mediterranean, had been in 1927 but there had been no post
office on board. The creation of the on-board post office was accompanied by sea post office date-
stamps. While the liners continued their Cross-Atlantic work, the SAL started to increase its
cruising activity. The 1932 winter cruise of the Gripsholm saw the first special cruise date-stamp
and a wide range of cruise cachets. The 1935 winter cruise was to the Mediterranean. At its
planning stage stops were planned in Turkey and Greece but civil unrest required last minute
changes to the itinerary. The Kungsholm was also used more and more as a cruise ship
concentrating on shorter cruises to Northern Europe and to the West Indies. Even though the war in
Europe had started, cruising in West Indies continued until 1941, with the protection of the
emblazoned Swedish flag.

The display continues with the wartime activity of the Gripsholm and Drottningholm as “Mercy
Ships”. After the war, the SAL upgraded its fleet, re-using previous names to provide continuity,
with the final liner being the Kungsholm in 1966.

With a weakening cruise market resulting from the expansion of air travel, the SAL acquired the
expedition cruise ship Lindblad Explorer in 1972 for which it created the United Cruising
subsidiary. While the other cruise ships ceased operations by 1975, the Lindblad Explorer continued
under SAL ownership until 1980.

To support the cruise ships in their Baltic cruises in the 1930's the SAL operated three smaller ships
as feeder vessels.

In addition to its passenger activities, a re-organisation of its parent company in 1946, saw the SAL
acquire the cargo fleet of the SAML. This arrangement lasted until 1967, when Broström once again
separated its cruise from its cargo operations by creating the Swedish Atlantic Line. By 1975, the
main cruise operations ceased, although the United Cruising subsidiary continued operating until
1980. It was not until four years later, in 1984, that the Swedish American Line name became
history with its de-registration within the Broström group.

John Perry, FRPSL