English
MS Sunnhordland was one of six PCE ships that were rebuilt for Norwegian shipping companies into passenger boats after World War II. There was a great need for these before roads and tunnels took over most of the infrastructure along the coast. After a rich history, the ship is today a well-restored hotel ship, and a veteran boat based in the west country. Contact us if you would like help arranging your trip with the ship.
MS Sunnhordland is a large boat with a total of four decks. She was newly restored in 2016. Outdoors, there is good capacity on the top and lower decks. At the front of the ship there is a large lounge with seating for 125 guests. Aft, there is also a large lounge that can accommodate 100 people with a bar, seating areas, dance floor and stage.
There is also a dining room on board with space for 48 people. It is also possible to stay in the Men's and Ladies' lounges, which are two smaller lounges with room for 12 people.
With its 78 berths in 37 cabins, it is possible to use Sunnhordland as a hotel ship. This fits perfectly, whether it is accommodation between destinations or you need hotel capacity for the quayside. The cabins, shown in the photo carousel above, have toilets and showers and are distributed accordingly:
Length: 177.0 feet
Width: 33.1 feet
Depth: 9.1 feet
Main engine: 2x 8cyl. 4T DM (Caterpillar Inc., Peoria IL)
Performance: 1735 bhk
Tonnage: 795 grt
1943-1943 USS PCE
1943-1946 HMS Kilchrenan
1946-1949 USS Kilchrenan
1949-1974 MS Sunnhordland
1974-2010 MS Kristina Brahe
2010-2016 MS Brahe
2016-present MS Sunnhordland
The PCE-830 was part of the PCE-842 class of patrol vessels designed and built in Chicago, USA. The boat was transferred to the British Navy under the Lend and Hire Act and was here renamed HMS Kilchrenan. She was given a home port in Gibraltar, and served as an escort vessel and submarine chaser.
After the war, she was returned to the United States and was then named USS Kilchrenan. The US now had many redundant boats, and due to a shortage of steel in the post-war period, new construction in Norway was out of the question. Six of these boats were therefore bought in Norway for the conversion of passenger boats. The price for Kilchrenan was NOK 340,000. Crew from HSD, under the leadership of coxswain Johan Fleten and 1st engineer Wilhelm Wasmuth prepared and collected the boat in Sheerness outside London, and on 22 December 1947 the boat arrived in Bergen.
The work on the conversion to a passenger boat was carried out by Bergens Mekaniske Verksteder, department Laksevåg. The extensive rebuilding started in the late summer of 1948 and already on 20 June 1949 MS Sunnhordland underwent a technical trial. The original engines, General Motors with a total of 1,800 horsepower gave Sunnhordland a speed of 16 knots. On 22 and 23 June there was a presentation trip to Hardanger with Captain Martin Olsen on the bridge.
In June 1949, Sunnhordland was ready for speed. With room for 13 cars, 600 passengers and other goods, Sunnhordland got a fixed route from Bergen to Skånevik with a return the next morning. For 24 years, this route was the main road between the city and the countryside and was used extensively by both business and private life.
HSD had already established Sunnhordland Snøggruter in 1928. Up until 1947, DS Stord had operated the route, but after the war there was a need for greater tonnage. With 996 gross tonnes and a certificate of 681 passengers, it was at the time the country's largest local ferry.
In 1960, MS "Sunnhordland" was involved in an accident which could easily have been serious. On a trip from Ølen to Etne on 22 December 1960, the boat went straight into the rock face at Kamparholmen, the lighthouse at the entrance to the Etnefjord. There were a number of injuries and "Sunnhordland" suffered some damage in the bow. But there were no leaks, and the boat continued on its route to Bergen. In the newspaper Hardanger you could read that Sunnhordland had arrived in Bergen, only an hour late.
In 2016, HSD Sunnhordland AS was founded with the main purpose of buying and operating MS Sunnhordland. The vessel was given a home port at Stord. Before the return journey, the boat was restored back to the way it was when it sailed as MS Sunnhordland. On 3 November 2016, she was able to return to Western Norway under the Norwegian flag and old name.
MS Sunnhordland today functions as a living museum, veteran ship and hotel ship. It casts an exclusive authentic aura over your event.
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