English
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The steamship Stord I has been plying the fjords in Western Norway since 1913, and thanks to a lot of hard work and a good dose of luck, it is today an attractive travel and experience offer in Western Norway.
It is possible to use Stord I for e.g. for seminars, companies and special cruises in the Vestlandfjords and along the coast.
The boat's facilities
The boat today has several salons, the historic 1st and 2nd class, as well as the ladies' and men's salons. There is also plenty of space out on the deck.
1913-1969 Stord
1969-1984 O. T. Moe
D/S Stord was built by Laxevaag Maskin- og Jernskibsbyggeri for Hardanger Søndhordlandske Dampskibsselskab (HSD) in 1913. Stor" had a promenade deck over the entire aft deck on the 1st place and a well between the ground and the midship. The construction cost for the ship was NOK 220,000.
Stord, together with her sister ship, Rosendal, was quite a bit smaller than the boats the company had delivered in recent years, and which were especially built with the increased traffic on Indre Hardanger in mind. Both Rosendal and Stord were intended for more versatile speed, both on the Sunnhordland-Hardanger- and Stavanger routes.
During the conversions that were made on the HSD fleet from 1924 and later, Stord came last in the line, in 1931. But then the work became all the more extensive. Apart from the well being rebuilt, Stord was extended by 3.3 meters amidships, between the cargo room forward and the boiler room. With this, the midship superstructure also became larger with space for mail cabins and more passenger cabins.
The reason for the extensive rebuilding of Stord was Sunnhordland Snøggruter, which was started in 1928. With an ever-increasing increase in passengers and cargo, the grounds for criticism increased. The demand for better boat equipment on the route gradually became stronger. The Snøggrutet became an increasingly important main vein in the route network in Sunnhordland and Nord-Rogaland, with corresponding boat and car routes at each stop. With this, the requirement for punctual routes also grew, which could be difficult when there was a lot of goods on the boat.
In order to meet some of the complaints, the board of HSD made a decision in 1937 to increase cabin capacity by rebuilding the cargo room aft. But engineer Daae opposed this; he claimed that there were other boats in the company that were in greater need of rebuilding. Instead, two new cabins were made in 1939 on the forward middle deck. And to get better speed, Stord got a new propeller.
After all, Stord escaped the war years easily. But it could easily have gone wrong during the big explosion accident at Vågen in Bergen when the Dutch cargo ship Voorbode blew up with 120 tons of dynamite on board. Stord was at Holbergkaien in Bergen, and mate Johan Fleten on Stord, and captain Lund on DS Ullensvang each got their boat out of the harbour, with DS Aalvik in tow. The three boats suffered extensive damage, and were immediately sent to a workshop. Stord had then had the wheelhouse and part of the interior destroyed.
After the war, a large part of the boats in the HSD fleet were old and worn out. Demands for greater speed, separation between cargo and passengers and, not least, high coal prices after the war, led the company to consider building a new one. But it took time to renew the fleet at the pace that was necessary. As a solution to the problems of unprofitable coal-fired boats, HSD decided to motorize some of the steamships. Stord was the first boat out.
The conversion started in 1947 with engines from Davey, Paxman & Co. at Bergen's Mechanical Workshops in Laksevåg. But the work took time, and it was not until 13 July 1949 that the motor ship Stord could go on trial. On board saw a big change. In the engine room, the boiler and engine were gone, and two new green-painted diesel engines had arrived in their place. In the old engine casing, there were two new 4-man cabins, and otherwise all the furnishings in the cabins, messes and salons had been renewed.
But the conversion from steam to diesel was not entirely successful. Stord suffered a troublesome shaking in the stern, which meant that she was often unable to complete the routes. This led to plans to motorize the other boats in the company being shelved. New construction was the only solution, and in the years to come the old steamships were replaced with new construction.
From 1950 until 1959, "Stord" ran the night route between Bergen and Odda. In 1955, the boat was equipped with radar. After MS Kvinnherad was sold in 1957, Stord also had to serve as substitute for MS Sunnhordland in Sunnhordland Snøggrute, where Stord himself had been the pioneer.
Upon delivery of MS Hardangerfjord in 1959, Stord became a reserve ship for the company. Until 1969, Stord came to serve in the entire route area of HSD when other boats were being refurbished. The narrow holds, and the old-fashioned way of unloading and loading, led to major delays in the routes, which were adapted to newer boats.
It was as a reserve ship in the Hardanger routes that Stord collided with Fred. The Olsen boat Bravo at Knarrevik shortly after departure from Bergen on the evening of 2 October 1962. The bow of the Bravo hit the starboard side of the Stord, just behind the bridge. Stord subsequently suffered extensive damage from the waterline to the bridge deck. However, Stord returned to Bergen for his own machine.
On 27 August 1969, Stord's time as a scheduled ferry in Western Norway was over. The boat then set course for Oslo. The buyer was Oslo Kreds of the Blue Cross. Stord became a dormitory and social center for alcohol-impaired war sailors and was named O. T. Moe. With the stern towards shore, the boat was laid up in Grønlia. A new era took hold for the old fjord boat.
After 11 years, old Stord had made a profit in Oslo, and in 1979 was put up for sale. With the help of the Norsk Veteranskibsklub in Oslo, the Veteran Ship Team Fjordabåten took over the boat in 1981, which renamed her Stord I.
In August of the same year, Stord I was towed to Vestlandet. It was further decided that the boat should be steam-powered and extensive work took place. A steam engine was bought in from England, and after six years of voluntary work, in 1987 the boat was again able to use its own steam engine.
On 20 May 1987, D/S Stord I was on its way from Stord to Bergen to start its first sailing season. Just north of Sandvikvåg in Fitjar, a fire broke out in the engine room. The fire was initially extinguished, but took off again after a short time, without the crew or the fire brigade being able to get control of the fire.
During the morning hours, Stord I was completely burnt out, and six years of hard work and a lot of cultural history seemed to have disappeared.
Stord I was declared a total loss by the insurance company. Many saw it as useless to start a reconstruction. But closer examination showed that the boiler had only minor damage. The steam engine was also repairable. Based on the positive information that came to light, it was decided that Stord I should be repaired. The boat was returned from the insurance company, together with the insurance sum. There was still a need for both more work and funds to get her back.
A long and time-consuming work began. Drawings and arrangement according to antiquarian principles were approved by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate. The project received support from the National Archives, which declared Stord I worthy of conservation in 1991 and allocated funds. The reconstruction project was also approved as a research project in collaboration with the Association of Ancient History.
After a few years without progress, Stord I was towed to Bergen and Mjellem & Karlsen Verft AS, the same shipyard that had restored Stord I in its time, started the work. The machine, which was on land, was repaired and taken on board. Extensive steelwork was also carried out. The stern above the waterline, which was twisted during the fire, was straightened. A new deckhouse, wheelhouse and steel deck were installed.
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Stord I is today a well-kept cultural treasure, and gives a good insight into what it was like to travel among the villages in the interwar period.
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