SS Styrbjörn in Oslo harbourPhotographed on 18 August 2005.
This was the first vessel build by Götaverken in Gothenburg (on the site where I now live, in a block of apartments built on the old shipyard site) for the Gränges iron ore company. On 27 July 1910 Styrbjörn was deliverd and went directly to Narvik in the Northern Norway.
She served the growing fleet at the Narvik port until 1963.
Gränges had a fleet of 23 ships at the beginning of WW II, and lost 16 of them. During the battle of Narvik in April 1940, that lasted for 8 weeks, 45 ships were destroyed at the harbour, and thousands of soldiers and 70 civilians lost their lives.
After the war Styrbjörn was due for an major overhaul, so in 1950 she went back to Gothenburg where she was built. Some changes to the brigde and interior were made. The steam engine is still installed, however. Styrbjörn is now one out of two coal-fired steamships left in Norway, formerly the worlds largest shipping nation.
Styrbjörn was saved from demolition by The Norwegian Veteran ship Club, and underwent restoration in Oslo. In June 1996 she had steam pressure in her boiler for the first time for over 30 years.
In the spring 1999 the Compound engine again took her out from her berth in Oslo, after thousands of working hours.
Technical data:
Tonnage : 167 BRT.
Length : 29.42 m
Beam: 6.95 m
Draught: 3,83 m
Engine : Compound steam engine, 550 IHP.
Speed : 12 knots
Picture added on 06 February 2008
