''Västan'' is a

motor vessel 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 ...

, and former

steam ship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

, that was built in 1900 in

Motala Motala () is a locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 29,823 inhabitants (41,956 in the entire municipality) in 2010. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and Norrköping. M ...

. She was originally named ''Nya Svartsjölandet'' and traded between

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and

Slut ''Slut (archaic: slattern)'' is an English-language term for a person, usually a woman or girl, who is considered to have loose sexual morals or who is sexually promiscuous. It is usually used as an insult, sexual slur or offensive term of d ...

Lake Mälaren A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. She was sold to

Waxholmsbolaget Waxholms Ångfartygs AB, commonly referred to as Waxholmsbolaget, is a shipping company owned by Stockholm county council and is responsible for the seaborne public transport in the Stockholm archipelago and Stockholm harbour. The company, which i ...

for use in the Stockholm archipelago in 1937 and renamed ''Västan''. She was converted to diesel power in 1953. The ''Västan'' is today the oldest of Waxholmsbolaget's classic fleet, operating alongside ''Storskär'' and ''Norrskär'' which, although newer, have retained their original steam propulsion. She is a listed historic ship of Sweden.

History

''Nya Svartsjölandet'' was built by the

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, B ...

and was delivered to Nya Svartsjölandet Ångfartygs AB in May 1900. On May 21, she was introduced on the route from

and

via and . In 1937 she was purchased by Waxholms Nya Ångfartygs AB, better known as Waxholmsbolaget, and was renamed ''Västan''. Initially the ''Västan'' operated on the Stockholm to

Östhammar Östhammar is a locality and the seat of Östhammar Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 4,534 inhabitants in 2010. Today Östhammar Municipality is a part of Uppsala County, but the area has historically been a part of Stockholm County. Hist ...

route. In 1953 the ''Västan'' was rebuilt, receiving a new wheelhouse. and was converted from steam power to diesel power. Further rebuilds have taken place in 1966, 1969, 1990, 2002 and 2012. During the 2012 rebuild, a new diesel-electric power system was installed.

Operation

''Västan'' has been in regular traffic in the archipelago since 1937. Today, along with Vaxholmsbolaget's other classic ships, she is in regular traffic between May and September, serving the route from Stockholm to

Vaxholm Vaxholm is a locality and the seat of Vaxholm Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is located on the island of in the Stockholm archipelago. The name Vaxholm comes from Vaxholm Castle, which was constructed in 1549 on an islet with this nam ...

and other central archipelago islands. She has a top speed of , a length of , a beam of , a draft of , and carries 180 passengers.

References

{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)
Västan Västan