The story of

MS Nordstjernen

A living piece of Norwegian maritime history.

The beginning

Built for the Norwegian coast

Since the summer of 1893, a combined mail, passenger and cargo express line has connected the remote ports of northern Norway with the south of the country and the world beyond. It quickly became the preferred way to travel in the demanding conditions of the Arctic north — for local communities and for travellers alike. The name Hurtigruten became a trademark known far outside Norway.

Bergenske Dampskibsselskab, known internationally as the Bergen Line, was the most important shipping company of the old Hanseatic city of Bergen — the southernmost port and main hub of the Hurtigruten service — and had been part of the operation since 1894.

1954 – 1956

A new Nordstjernen

Bergen Line ordered Nordstjernen as an urgent replacement for the company's former flagship of the same name, built in 1937 and lost after grounding in Raftsundet in September 1954. The order for a new passenger, mail and cargo vessel went to the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, which had only recently recovered from the heavy war damage of the last months of the Second World War. Restrictions on German shipbuilding were lifted in 1953, and the yard was eager for international orders. It could guarantee delivery in spring 1956, which suited Bergen Line very well.

Fitting out posed no further problems, and on 24 February 1956 — a few days ahead of schedule — the new Nordstjernen was delivered to Bergen Line. She measured 2,194 gross register tons, with a length of 80.77 metres, a beam of 12.6 metres and a draught of 4.5 metres. She could carry 450 passengers, 195 of them in first and second class cabins, and up to 645 tons of cargo in two forward holds. A single 3,000 hp six-cylinder Burmeister & Wain two-stroke diesel driving a variable-pitch propeller gave her a top speed of 15.5 knots.

1956 – 1979

Hurtigruten years

Nordstjernen entered the Hurtigruten service on 1 March 1956 and soon became a popular and successful member of the fleet.

In 1968 came new challenges. Alongside the regular coastal sailings, the companies introduced a Svalbard Express service to Spitsbergen. Each company supplied its flagship, and for Bergen Line that was Nordstjernen. The route proved very attractive to travellers and was repeated every summer until 1982. From 1976 to 1979 spring cruises to the Shetland Islands were added to her programme.

1982 – 1992

Rebuilt for a second life

The early 1980s brought a new generation of much larger Hurtigruten vessels with ro-ro loading, and the classic ships of the 1950s and 60s began to look dated. Some were retired; Nordstjernen instead received a major upgrade to fit her for further service.

The work was carried out during the winter of 1982–83 at the Mjellem & Karlsen yard in Bergen. Her ageing main engine was replaced with a new 3,600 hp eight-cylinder MaK four-stroke diesel, and her interior was thoroughly refurbished. The generation-old division into first and second class was abolished, many former first class cabins were rebuilt and private shower and toilet facilities added — reducing her capacity to 179 passengers.

1994 – 2012

An unexpected Arctic career

It was not. Some at Troms Fylkes thought it far too early to retire a ship with a fairly new main engine and a recently upgraded interior. Remembering the successful Svalbard sailings of the 1970s, they decided she should run Spitsbergen trips from Tromsø in summer and serve as a relief vessel on the coastal route in winter. Her one-week Svalbard cruises from the summer of 1994 proved extremely successful and were repeated, with variations, every season until 2009.

All good things come to an end. By 2012 Nordstjernen was surplus to requirements. She completed her final Hurtigruten voyage in March 2012, sailed a last Spitsbergen season that summer, and arrived back in her former home port of Bergen on 1 September 2012 after the repositioning voyage south.

A living heritage

Nordstjernen carries the story of the Norwegian coast in every deck, passage and polished detail.

Nordstjernen today

A new chapter at sea

In November 2012 the ship was handed over to new owners and is today operated by Vestland Marine for classic voyages under the Vestland Classic name. At almost the same moment the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage protected Nordstjernen as an outstanding example of 1950s ship design, with technical and design features reaching back to the 1930s.

Since then she has sailed coastal voyages across northern Europe — the same ship, in the same hands as the sea, still carrying the artwork, panelling and proportions she was given in Hamburg in 1956.

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