''Lady Hutton'' is a former

luxury yacht A superyacht or megayacht is a large and luxurious pleasure vessel. There are no official or agreed upon definitions for such yachts, but these terms are regularly used to describe professionally crewed motor or sailing yachts, ranging from to ...

built in 1924 at

Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft Friedrich may refer to: Names *Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' *Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other *Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' ...

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

, Germany. She has now been converted to a hotel and restaurant ship, riding at anchor at the

Riddarholmen Riddarholmen (, "The Knights' Islet") is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating back to the 17th century. The main landmark is the church Riddarh ...

in Stockholm since 1982. In addition to its size and proximity to the old city, much of the ship’s fame is tied to

Barbara Hutton Barbara Woolworth Hutton (November 14, 1912 – May 11, 1979) was an American debutante, socialite, heiress, and philanthropist. She was dubbed the "Poor Little Rich Girl"—first when she was given a lavish and expensive debutante ball in 1930 a ...

, for whom the ship is named.

Background

Originally named ''Vanadis'', the diesel-driven

motor yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

was built in 1924 for C. K. G. Billings, his second yacht by that name. "The largest of its day," she is steel-and-nickel hulled and was opulently outfitted. ''Vanadis'' was purchased by stock tycoon Harrison Williams, renamed ''Warrior'', and steamed on a year-long around-the-world 1926 honeymoon cruise taken with his wife, Mona. Woolworth heiress

received the vessel in 1930 as a present from her father on her 18th birthday. The yacht was renamed in Hutton's honor, and she was ''Vanadis's'' most celebrated owner. In 1940, the yacht was sold to the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, it was stationed in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

and also used as a schoolship in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

from 1948. At the start of the 1950s it was renamed ''Cort Adeles'' at Stadsgårdskajen, Sweden. The vessel was also used as a regular passenger ship to and from

Åbo Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The yacht was later slated for scrap, but was purchased by a group of Swedish businessmen who spent more than $2.5 million to renovate her into a permanently moored, floating hotel and restaurant.

Current use

Begun in 1980, the renovation as a hotel for business travelers and a restaurant ship was completed in 1982. Most of the rooms or cabins are comparatively small. The vessel includes meeting facilities for up to 20 people and a

Finnish sauna The Finnish sauna ( sv, bastu) is a substantial part of Finnish and Estonian culture. It was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the December 17, 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguardi ...

. The yacht is registered as the ''Lady Hutton'', and this name appears on the stern, but the hotel's name on the

prow The bow () is the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is usually most forward when the vessel is underway. The aft end of the boat is the stern. Prow may be used as a synonym for bow or it may mean the forward-most part ...

is ''Mälardrottningen'' (the Queen of Lake Mälar). Since September 1982, the yacht has been docked at Riddarholmen in Stockholm. It is owned by the family company Mälardrottningen Holding AB; ''Mälardrottningen'' has been a nickname for the city of Stockholm since the end of the 1800s. The lounge is glass-floored, so that the guests can view the

engine room On a ship, the engine room (ER) is the compartment where the machinery for marine propulsion is located. To increase a vessel's safety and chances of surviving damage, the machinery necessary for the ship's operation may be segregated into var ...

below. The Captain's Lounge has the best view, overlooking city hall. The 59 eccentric rooms are generally described as "tiny." On the other hand, one writer notes that parents traveling with their children will probably opt for separate rooms for their offspring, as sleeping in a floating palace is proffered as a unique way to calm them down. Meals are said to be relatively expensive at the gourmet restaurant.

Earlier names

Before the yacht had its current name, its name was changed ten times: # ''Vanadis'' (1924–1926) # ''Warrior'' (1926–1937) # ''Vanadis'' (1937–1939) # ''Warrior'' (1939–1940) # ''Troubadour'' (1940–1948) # ''King'' (1948–1950) # ''Cort Adeler'' (1950–1954) # ''Brand VI'' (1954–1960) # ''Marina'' (1960) # ''Gann'' (1960–1978) # ''Vikingfjord'' (1978–1981)

References

Notes

Citations

External links

* View of Riddarholmen, including ''Lady Hutton''
Mälardrottningen - Stockholm, Sweden
{{coord, 59.3240, N, 18.0627, E, source:wikidata, display=title 1924 ships Ships built in Kiel Motor yachts Merchant ships of the United States Ships of the Royal Navy World War II naval ships of the United Kingdom Training ships Merchant ships of Sweden Merchant ships of Norway