Concept and Construction
After the end of World War II the Swedish American Line, the company that had been pioneers of cruising during the 1920s, was left in a difficult situation. MS Stockholm, the large newbuild that had been planned during the late 1930s, never entered service for them because of the war, with the remaining fleet consisting of ageing ships. The company took delivery of their first post-war ship, the fourth MS Stockholm, in 1948. She was a small cargo/passenger liner far removed from the luxury of her pre-war predecessors.
In 1948, during the same year that the Stockholm was delivered, SAL had already begun market research on both sides of the Atlantic, with the propect of building a new ship in mind. Based on the results of the research, the company decided to order a 20,000 gross register ton combined ocean liner / cruise ship that could accommodate 802 passengers. After contacting 50 shipyards around the world about the prospects of buildings their new ship, SAL placed an order for their new ship with the De Schelde shipyard in The Netherlands on 1 April 1950.
On 18 October 1952 the new ship was launched and christened MS Kungsholm by Princess Sibylla of Sweden. The name "Kungsholm" was a traditional one, having been the name of two previous SAL ships. The newest Kungsholm was delivered to her owners on 30 September 1953.
Read more about this topic: MS Kungsholm (1953)
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