The Maritime Museum is listing culturally and historically interesting ships

The Maritime Museum protects our maritime cultural heritage

As early as 1722, his Royal Highness made land available on Djurgården for the fleet. The galleys of the archipelago fleet were drawn ashore after the Venetian model and kept in special galley sheds. We probably do not see any of these particular vessels in Stockholm’s waters now, but so many other culturally and historically valuable ships. The Maritime Museum has taken on the important task of listing culturally and historically interesting ships, so-called k-marking. Two more vessels have now been listed, the sailing ship Amber in Stockholm and the steamship Strand with a new home port in Motala. A total of 149 vessels along the coast of Sweden are now listed as k-marked.

How do you k-mark ships?

Ships that have been in commercial traffic under Swedish flag or in other ways can further our knowledge of maritime history in Swedish waters can apply to be listed as k-marked. It is the owner who applies to have his or her ship k-marked. There are k-marked vessels along the entire coast of Sweden as well as in some of the larger lakes and rivers. Thousands of enthusiasts around the country are engaged in all areas of preservation as well as developing activities around these ships.

Two new vessels are now k-marked

The two vessels that have now been k-marked are the sailing ship Amber, which nowadays can be found on Beckholmen in Stockholm, and the steam tug Strand, which is currently situated in Gothenburg, but will soon have its home port in Motala.

– Both Amber and Strand are great examples of ships that are very representative of their time, says Karolina Matts, curator at the Maritime Museum in the Museum Park at Djurgården.

During the first half of the 20th century, a lot of building materials and agricultural products were transported by tugs and sailing ships the same size as Amber and Strand. Amber sailed as a cargo ship with, among other things, stone and cement until the mid-60s, at first only for sails but then with an auxiliary machine. Strand, which still has its original steam engine, has, additionally, towed timber to the sawmills along the Norrland coast during the early 20th century.

– We are both proud and happy to be able to present two more k-marked ships. For the museum, it is important that vessels of cultural-historical interest can be preserved and used. The opportunity to be on board attracts thousands of visitors every year. These vessels are important for a vibrant coastal culture. The hope is that the k-marking will provide encouragement and support to the owners who work with managing the maritime cultural heritage, says Mats Djurberg, museum director at the Maritime Museum.

Read more about the now k-marked vessels below. More information about other k-marked ships and about the Maritime Museum´s work with ship preservation can be found on the museum’s website, www.sjohistoriska.se.