When Frithiof and the sister launch Ingeborg were built there was no lack of steam launches in and around the Stockholm waters. They were a natural and important part of the public transport system in a city with many waterways and few bridges.
Frithiof and Ingeborg were both constructed and built at the shipyard Södra Varvet in Stockholm in 1897 and designed to transport visitors to the big Arts and Craft Exhibition held in Stockholm that same year. They were built to order by The Stockholm Steamlaunch Co and were two of forty-two small vessels all in

regular passenger service.
After the summer Exhibition Frithiof was put into regular passenger service as well. As Stockholm grew bigger, new quays and bridges were built all over town and the launches shuttled back and forth all the year round.
In the 30ies and 40ies, however, many bridges started to cross the waters and the need for water transport gradually diminished. Frithiof stayed in passenger service til around 1950 and was after that promptly forgotten. - During the 50ies all the passenger services disappeared except for a few still in existence and the old launch companies became otherwise engaged, many of them in the building trade. says Claes Insulander, manager of the restoration of Frithiof.
At this point Frithiof was of no value to anyone , but towards the end of the 60iesa buyer turned up who wanted to put Frithiof back in business. His plans were dashed to the ground when a fire broke out after a welding job and Frithiof was abandoned one again, an empty tattered shell.
In complete decay the old boat lay forgotten at Beckholmen, when in 1998 she was taken over by engineer KG Knutsson and her large-scale renovation began.

WANT TO CHARTER FRITHIOF

Frithiof offers a tasteful frame for many occasions such as weddings, family parties, public relations events, business meetings and so on.
The price is 4 000 SEK per hour and VAT (at present 6%). We can offer menues of all kinds, there is room for twenty sitting down dinner guests and thirty to thirty-five people at a buffet/bar occasion.
For further information please call 0046* 70 669 88 55 or 0046*8 669 88 50
FAX 0046*8 658 67 62
Address: s/s Frithiof, GMÅA, Box 170 83, S- 104 62 Stockholm

 

FRITHIOF DATA

Builder: William Lindbergs shipyard in Stockholm 1897
Steam-engine constructor: Engineer Gustav Ferdinand Flodman, 1987
Boiler: oil-fired, constructed at Sävsjö, Sweden, 1999
l.o.a. 20 m
w 4,5 m
d 1.7 m
Cruising speed 7.5 knots
Passengers 62
Crew 3 (captain, engineer, seaman)
Owner: Ångfartygs AB Stockholms Omgifningar