The paddle steamer Eric Nordevall II is a piece of floating Swedish maritime history. It is an act replica of one of Sweden’s first steamships built in 1836 and shipwrecked in lake Vattern 20 years later. This masterpiece is now up for bidding at Bilweb Auctions.
With its twin paddle wheels, 3,6 meters in diameter and driven by a 34 hp Motala steam engine, the Eric Nordevall II is a stunning ship. It can host 64 passengers and has 8 cabins, typical for the 1830s, where 20 passengers can spend the night.
The original Eric Nordevall steamer was built in the Hammarsten shipyard in Norrköping, Sweden, in 1836. The purpose was to use it on the newly built, 190 kilometer long, Gota channel between Gothenburg and Stockholm. And so it was, until it ran aground and sank to a depth of 45 meters close to the Jungfrun island in Lake Vattern.
After decades of searching for the Eric Nordevall, the wreck was found in 1980. It turned out to be in a well preserved state due to the cold and dark lake water. Extensive documentation through measuring, film and photographs was carried out and would later be the base for the building of the replica Eric Nordevall II.
The replica project started in 1995 and after 14 years, in 2009, the paddle steamer was launched in the same lake where the original went down 153 years earlier. The Swedish Crown Princess, Victoria, performed the christening ceremony.
To step onboard the Eric Nordevall II is to travel back in time into the mid 19th century. Everything is built after the original ship, but with some modern technology added, like navigation equipment and diesel generators for power supply.
The engine room is a truly beautiful place of vintage technology where the boiler, holding 5000 liters of water, consumes 12 cubic meters of birch wood per 24 hours at full speed - 5,5 knots.
The Eric Nordevall II is anchored in Sjotorp, where the Gota channel flows into Lake Vanern.
The auction for this historic paddle steamer closes on 30 Marsch and the value has been estimated to between 2 and 3 millions by Bilweb Auctions.
27 MAR 12:49 PER-ÅKE FRÖBERG
Swedish maritime history on Bilweb Auctions: 19th century paddle steamer Eric Nordevall II
The paddle steamer Eric Nordevall II is a piece of floating Swedish maritime history. It is an act replica of one of Sweden’s first steamships built in 1836 and shipwrecked in lake Vattern 20 years later. This masterpiece is now up for bidding at Bilweb Auctions.
