Lindholmens or Lindholmen varv was a shipyard on the

Göta älv The Göta älv (; "River of (the) Geats") is a river that drains lake Vänern into the Kattegat, at the city of Gothenburg, on the western coast of Sweden. It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic Ic ...

in Gothenburg, Sweden. Named after the small leaf linden that grew on the island, Lindholmen was founded in 1848 and closed in 1976. It was at one time the largest employer in Gothenburg and produced some of the most powerful ships in the Swedish Navy, as well as the first modern oil tanker.

Early years

There is evidence that there was "a loading place (...) a loading dock with a storage bed of ship repair beams" () in 1844 and the first ship known to have been built at the yard, the brig ''Aurora'', was launched in 1848, but the history of the company dates from the foundation of a joint stock company called the Lindholmens Varvs- och Fabriksaktiebolag in 1853. The company was one quarter owned by

Motala Verkstad AB Motala Verkstad is one of the oldest engineering companies in Sweden. The company was founded in 1822 during the construction of Göta Canal. Motala Verkstad has also built about 400 ships, 800 bridges (e.g. Västerbron, Skeppsholmsbron, Be ...

and specialised in constructing ships of steel. The first steel steamship, ''Gustaf II Adolf'' was launched on 13 December 1854. The shipyard subsequently constructed a number of major ships, including

coastal defence ship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...

s for the Swedish Navy and

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

s for

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. One of the most important vessels was ''Zoroaster'', constructed for Branobel to designs of

Ludvig Nobel Ludvig Immanuel Nobel ( ; russian: Лю́двиг Эммануи́лович Нобе́ль, Ljúdvig Emmanuílovich Nobél’; sv, Ludvig Emmanuel Nobel ; 27 July 1831 – 12 April 1888) was a Swedish-Russian engineer, a noted businessman and a ...

, the first modern

oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined cru ...

. The company employed 1,496 people by 1891 and was Gothenburg's largest employer.

Lindholmens Verkstads AB

Economic factors caused Motala Verksted to go bankrupt in 1891 and the shipyard was sold for SEK 820,000 to a consortium of companies and individuals. Sven Almqvist took over the management and formed a new company, Lindholmens Verkstads AB, with SEK 1,000,000 capital. The new business employed Hugo Hammar, fresh from the United States and later to lead

Götaverken Götaverken was a shipbuilding company that was located on Hisingen, Gothenburg. During the 1930s it was the world's biggest shipyard by launched gross registered tonnage. It was founded in 1841, and went bankrupt in 1989. History The company ...

, as the chief engineer. New commissions came in from Svenska Lloyd and, in 1903, the company was asked to build the Swedish Navy's new flagship . Other large ships followed, including two cargo vessels for the

Axel Johnson Group The Axel Johnson Group is a Swedish family-owned company run by the fourth and fifth generation of family owners. It traces its origins to the trading company A. Johnson & Co, founded in 1873. The group consists of four legally and financially in ...

, named ''Axel Johnson'' and ''Annie Johnson'', launched in 1910 and 1911 respectively. In 1912, AB Bergsund purchased a majority of Motala Verksted, and so acquired their shares in Lindholemen. The company attempted to consolidate its operations to save money, but the challenge proved too difficult and in 1917, Lindholemen was bought out by Gothenburg Bank.

AB Lindholmen-Motala

The company saw substantial growth in the years immediately following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. By 1920, the company was larger than its former parent and bought all the shares in Motala Verksted for SEK 2.6 million. The new company was named AB Lindholmen-Motala. However, the business limited itself to constructing steam-powered vessels and so was incapable of accessing the emerging

motor ship A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The names of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V. Engines for motorships were developed during the 1890s, and by th ...

market.

AB Linholmens Varv

The 1930s saw another change in company structure as the steam engine business was left behind and the company focused on diesel powered motor ships. A new company, AB Linholmens Varv, was formed on 5 September 1936 with SEK 700,000 capital. ''Astri'', a cargo ship of , was the first motor ship produced, launching in 1937. The company had an increasingly strong relationship with the Axel Johnson Group, who acquired the business in 1941. During

World War II 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 opposing ...

, the shipyard saw a boom, producing . The company continued to operate as part of the Axel Johnson Group after the war. In 1960, the company still employed 1,800 staff.

Last years

The end of the 1960s were a difficult time for the Swedish shipbuilding industry and in 1971 the Axel Johnson Group sold the shipyard, now known as Lindholmens Mekaniska Verkstad, to merge with nearby Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad. The plan was to construct a new sectional yard, but economic conditions were unfavourable. The end was in sight when Eriksbergs moved production from Lindholmen, the last vessel being built in 1974. The shipyard closed in 1976, the first in a series of closures which struck the Swedish shipbuilding industry. Since 1999, the site has been occupied by

Lindholmen Science Park Lindholmen Science Park is a science park dedicated to research and development in mobile communication, intelligent vehicles and transports systems, and modern media industry, located in Lindholmen Gothenburg, Sweden. Chalmers University of ...

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* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lindholmens 19th century in Gothenburg 20th century in Gothenburg Companies disestablished in 1976 Swedish companies established in 1853 Swedish companies established in 1891 Swedish companies established in 1936 Defunct companies of Sweden Manufacturing companies based in Gothenburg Shipbuilding companies of Sweden 1976 disestablishments in Sweden