SS ''Constitutionen'' was a

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...

constructed in England and imported to Norway in 1826. It was the first steamship of Norway, and was used for passenger traffic between Christiania and

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

. It was scrapped in 1871. A long-term captain of ''Constitutionen'' was Peter Severin Steenstrup, later founder and manager of the workshop

Akers Mekaniske Verksted Akers mekaniske Verksted (often abbreviated ''Akers mek. Verksted'' or ''Akers Mek.'') was a workshop, later a shipyard which was established in Fossveien by the Aker River in Oslo in 1841. In 1854 the company moved to Holmen on the west side of P ...

An incident involving the ship happened in Christiania on 17 May 1829, on the Norwegian Constitution Day, when a crowd of people welcomed the arrival of the ship with greetings like ''Leve Constitutionen''. The commander of

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

met the crowd with armed

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

, the so-called '' Torgslaget'', an event which eventually influenced the population's attitude to the Swedish authorities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constitutionen Steamships of Norway Passenger ships of Norway 1826 in Norway 1826 ships Ships built in England