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| The "G.D. Kennedy", (later renamed "af Chapman"), painted by Jakob Hägg. |
The first sail training ship serving the Swedish merchant fleet - "Carl Johan" - was acquired in 1849. In 1879 it was replaced by a small frigate, named after the merchant Abraham Rydberg, who had donated the money for the first ship.
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| The launch of Abraham Rydberg on January 12, 1912 |
The first "Abraham Rydberg" was in 1912 replaced by the brand new steel hulled training ship wearing the same name. The new Abraham Rydberg, built by Bergsunds Mekaniska verkstad, annually trained about 120 young sailors, of age 14 - 20. In 1920 altogether 5000 youth had received training on board the ship.
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| The brand new "Abraham Rydberg" in 1912. |
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| Trainees on board the "Abraham Rydberg". |
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| "Abraham Rydberg" with almost all sails hoisted. |
The first Swedish ship for training of officers for the merchant navy - the four masted frigate "Svithiod" - was acquired in 1906. The ship was used as a combined training and cargo ship. In 1915 the shipping company Rederi A.B. Transatlantic bought the frigate "G.D. Kennedy", which it thereafter used as a combined training and cargo ship for training officers for its own fleet. (The "G.D. Kennedy" was in 1923 acquired by the Swedish Royal Navy and renamed "af Chapman". The "af Chapman" is nowadays a familiar sight in Central Stockholm, where it is used as a youth hostel.)
Inspired by the success of the Transatlantic's "G.D. Kennedy", the shipping company Svenska Lloyd in 1920 also acquired a sail training ship of its own, the "Svecia".
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| The four masted frigate "Svithiod" |
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| The "Svecia" |
In the late 19th century the Swedish Royal Navy still used the corvette
Eugenie as a training ship:
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| The corvette "Eugenie" |
