The Gripsholm of 1925 was the first transatlantic motorship. The original machinery remained in the ship throughout her life.

The Gripsholm made the first cruise in Swedish American Line's history, from Göteborg to the Mediterranean on February 1, 1927. During her service with SAL she carried a total of 321,213 transatlantic passengers and 23,551 cruise pasengers.

Read about a Christmas on board the Gripsholm in 1929

Photos fom a Baltic Cruise in August 1932

Photos from a South America Cruise in 1938

Ad from The Daily Telegraph, London edition, December 11, 1936
Contributed by David Bell

The Mercy Ship

The Gripsholm was chartered to the US State Department during World War II, from 1942 to 1946, as an exchange and repatriation ship, under the protection of the Red Cross, hence the term "mercy ship". The venture was managed by American Export Lines. The crew was Swedish. Captain on the first two voyages was Sigfrid Ericsson, and after that Gunnar Nordensson, who had been Chief Officer until then. Gunnar Nordensson was later to become the captain of the Stockholm. Gripsholm made 12 round trips to various parts of the world and carried 27,712 passengers. The crew was signed up for six months, SAL had an order for one voyage, but it would take two years before they were back in Goteborg for a short visit.

One voyage from New York to Mormugao took 44 days, the return was estimated at 41 days. So she was out at sea for nearly 3 months, for just one of the trips. The passengers were POW's, diplomats, nurses, missionaries and "oil people".

At least twice, the Gripsholm exchanged passengers with the Japanese ship Teia Maru in Mormugao, on India's mainland. It did occur that passengers (those not disabled) from both sides cooperated in carrying light cargo and luggage from one ship to the other.

On the first voyage from New York, there were Japanese nationals on board, bound for Japan. Some were American relatives of Japanese nationals, who didn’t want to go to Japan, but wouldn’t abandon their husbands or fathers. The Gripsholm also picked up the Japanese Embassy staff in Rio. The embassy’s picture of the Emperor was covered by cloth when it was carried on board, and all the Japanese passengers kneeled and bowed before it. No one was allowed to go ashore in Rio. There were Brazilian military on the pier with machine guns. Gripsholm was anchored in the harbor, and the Japanese passengers came out on tenders.

Gripsholm crossed the Atlantic, and entered Port Elizabeth in darkness at night, through mined waters, to bunker fresh water and food.

The first exchange was made in Lorenco Marques, Mocambique. The Japanese disembarked on one gangway, while the Americans embarked on another. The Americans had lived on two cups of rice per day in captivity, and had to spend 30 minutes to take out the worms from the rice before eating. The majority wa not military personnel, but civilians who had been captured. One American journalist, normally weighing 160 lbs, weighed 64 lbs when he was carried on board. The 1500 Americans had to wait on Gripsholm’s deck while the cabins were cleaned. There were buffets prepared on the decks, and many Americans kneeled and prayed when they saw the food, while the Swedish crew wept.

After having returned to New York, there was a long wait for the next voyage. Gripsholm was laid up in Yonkers for over nine months. The Swedish crew members were given American Coast Guard passes, and had the same benefits on leave as American servicemen.

On the trip to Mormugao, one Japanese POW jumped overboard, and the Gripsholm set out lifeboats to find him. It was infernally hot, and the sea was full of sharks. The Japanes was not found. Upon arrival at Mormugao, there was a a lot of commotion among the officials of different nationalities on shore, because there was a passenger missing, and the exchange of prisoners was halted. Finally one American offered to return to captivity, and the exchange could be made. What an unselfish sacrifice!

The Gripsholm also carried German POW’s from New York to be exchanged in Lisbon and Goteborg. The Germans were submarine crews and other navy crews who had been captured by the US.

After the war Gripsholm sailed from the USA to Europé, carrying 600 deported criminals from American prisons to Naples and Greece. One of them was Frank Costello. They carried a lot of money, and they organized gambling on board, resulting in knife fights after accusations of cheating.

The Gripsholm sailed with flooding lights across the seas. She must have been a magic sight on the dark waters. Among the ports she visited were:
- Rio de Janeiro
- Mormugao, Portugese India, exchanging passengers with Teia Maru, arriving from Yokohama and Hong Kong.
- Singapore
- Port Elizabeth
- Lisbon - Barcelona
- Algiers
- Belfast
- Gripsholm sailed from the NYC to Göteborg, with German POW's and the Kungsholm crew, which had been stranded in NYC after Kungsholm was bought by US Government, and renamed John Ericson.
- Naples
- Lorenco Marques, Mocambique

The Gripsholm also transported mail and food packages to prisoners of war. One prisoner received his father's razor, sent from home to the prison camp. What a wonderful gift!

The SS Drottningholm was chartered jointly by the British and American governments for similar purposes.

For an eye-witness report of the mercy ship Drottningholm, read about Carl-Otto Claesson, who served 32 years on the bridge.

Read more about Gripsholm as a repatriation ship on these personal home pages:

James E. McEldowney's family, traveling to India in 1943.

Radzia, American prisoner in Nazi-Occcupied Poland

Lt Walter R. O'Sullivan, returning home in 1945.