Lost for 30 years: The incredible story behind the first Schubert cruiser
Lasse Johannsen
· 28.12.2023
When the inhabitants of the Stockholm archipelago talk about classic yachts, the historic saloon boats from Pettersson & Co. are an obvious choice. One rare example is still talked about today as "Sweden's most famous vintage boat". And there was at least one moment when this title almost certainly applied to the "Alba II". In 1993, the 18 metre long boat made of riveted shipbuilding steel and built in 1912 was found at the bottom of the Stockholm archipelago after having been considered lost for 30 years. A highly complicated salvage operation took place with great media attention, and this rare Schubert cruiser - the type is named after its designer, the shipyard owner Hugo Schubert from Saltsjöbaden - was painstakingly restored in 25,000 hours. A yacht that caused a sensation throughout the country. Here is her story.
What makes the classic steamer
In 2020, "Alba II" is moored on a covered jetty on Lake Mälaren, not far from Stockholm's old town centre. Lovingly maintained, the historic motor ship is used by a consortium of owners, financed by trips with paying guests. One of them is Richard Kahm. The retired banker clearly enjoys showing interested guests around the ship. With a twinkle in his eye, he puts on his white captain's hat and leads the way across the varnished Oregon pine deck. Just like a miniature of an ocean liner, everything that makes a classic steamer is there. In addition to details such as large fans, glass skylights and red and white lifebuoys, the layout is particularly striking. A clinker dinghy and the style-defining smokestack, at the foot of which benches made of fine wood invite you to sit down, are located behind the bridge with its deck, which is framed by covered railings. All of this takes place on the superstructure, which houses the eponymous saloon. The massive house extends from the stern to the beginning of the forecastle, which covers the first third of the ship. It takes up the leap of the foredeck so discreetly that it is perceived as part of the hull shape when looking at the yacht's silhouette. The only striking feature is the small deckhouse on the foredeck, where a semicircle of leather sofas invites you to dream, while large windows offer a view of the passing archipelago.
Those who descend the companionway reach the plush saloon, whose inlaid panelling is a pure work of art. Everywhere, refurbished or reconstructed details recall scenes from the life of this motor yacht and her last owner, who spent 35 happy years on her and then scuttled her to prevent her from falling into the wrong hands. The "Alba II" was built in the period before the First World War. Mastering the sea, on both a large and small scale, was considered one of the supreme disciplines of earthly existence at the time. And anyone who could afford it as a coastal dweller was happy to set a sign of the times by operating a floating vessel. The welcome side effect of this plea is the impression that someone here has the wherewithal to make themselves independent of the timetable of the public steamer fleet. And so it is no coincidence that the external appearance of private yachts resembles that of contemporary passenger ships.
The shipyard of Hugo Schubert
Hugo Schubert's shipyard in the Stockholm suburb of Saltsjöbaden was serving this trend at the time. Schubert himself had the best prerequisites for this. Born in Gothenburg in 1863, he came to Stockholm at the age of 25 as a shipbuilding graduate and became director of the Mälar shipyard in 1898, where, among other things, the fleet of steamships for the lake was built. Schubert then founded his own shipyard in 1906. Six years later, today's "Alba II" was launched here as the first of a series of ten sister ships. At the time, she was called "Tosca" and was built on his own account for the opera-loving shipyard boss. However, a buyer was immediately found when the ship was on a representative voyage during the Stockholm Sailing Olympics in 1912. The banker Alfred Berg sailed the archipelago with her for two summers under the name "Wijk", and in 1915 the ship passed into the hands of the US ambassador J. N. Morris. It now bears the star-spangled banner and the prestigious name "America". One year after the end of the war, Mauritz Philipsson, head of the Swedish merchant bank, bought the ship and gave it its current name.
The last change of ownership heralded the era in which the yacht's history was significantly shaped. In 1927, the wealthy Stockholm crispbread manufacturer Nils Westerdahl took over the helm and lavished all his love on the "Alba II" for 35 years. Numerous black-and-white photographs from this period bring back to life the happy days in the archipelago, and many an anecdote that has been handed down underpins this impression. Above all, the illustrious company on board - Westerdahl's guests included celebrities and members of the royal family - lent the ship its proverbial glamour at the time. Until one fine day in 1964, when Westerdahl was 79 years old, the last voyage of the "Alba II" took her into a bay called Kanholmsfjärden. The owner sent his ship to a depth of one hundred metres out of concern that his son-in-law, who he felt was morally unstable, might one day seize it from his estate. It is anecdotes like these that the witty Richard Kahm tells with obvious pleasure as he steers the surprisingly manoeuvrable ship at a brisk pace towards the town hall of the kingdom's capital. It was a rocky road that Kahm travelled right from the start before this was possible again in spring 2000.
The search for the Schubert cruiser
It all began in 1993, when the initiator of the rescue operation, Peter Upmark, asked the daughter of the last owner, Westerdahl, for permission to search for the ship. Two areas in the archipelago were considered because it was possible to obtain official authorisation to sink the ship there in the 1960s. As it was no longer possible to research documents relating to such authorisation, Upmark had to rely on his intuition. He concentrated his search on an ammunition dump at a depth of one hundred metres in Kanholmsfjärden.
The fact that the yacht was actually located by the crew of the geological research vessel "Stratos" from Stockholm University is a minor miracle in itself, and the fact that it could then actually be lifted from the munitions-contaminated ground with the help of the military is a major one. The media response was corresponding. With this kind of presence, it was later possible to set up a publicly funded project in which many companies participated and which restored "Alba II" to the highest standard, with the hull remaining almost completely in its original condition. The detailed restoration report is available with numerous Photos on the Internet documented.
It is now powered by a 272 hp 6-cylinder Volvo Penta with a top speed of 16 knots. At 1800 rpm, it does not rev particularly high, but according to Kahm, a speed of 8 to 10 knots is considered economical on board. Then the propulsion system is barely audible on deck and you can enjoy the passing archipelago landscape at your leisure. And that is what the Schubert cruiser "Alba II" is all about today, just as it was more than a hundred years ago.
Technical data Schubert cruiser "Alba II"
- Designer/builder:Hugo Schubert
- Year of construction:1912
- Material: Steel, pine, mahogany
- Restoration:1994-2000
- Length: 18,5 m
- Width:3,4 m
- Displacement:18 t
- Motor: Volvo Penta TMD 102A
- Performance: 200 kW/272 hp
- Internet: www.myalba.se
The "Alba II" - ex-"America", ex-"Wijk", ex-"Tosca" - is the first of ten identical motor yachts designed by Stockholm shipbuilding engineer Hugo Schubert
This article appeared in BOOTE issue 08/2020 and was revised by the editorial team in December 2023.
