 | ||
Lady Hutton is a former luxury yacht built in 1924 at Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel, Germany. She has now been converted to a hotel and restaurant ship, riding at anchor at the Riddarholmen in Stockholm since 1982. In addition to its size and proximity to the old city, much of her fame is tied to Barbara Hutton, for whom the ship is named.
Contents
Background
With a 240-foot (73 m) steel-and-nickel hull, this 1924 motor yacht was "the largest of its day." It was originally named Vanadis, was ordered by C. K. G. Billings, a Texas oil millionaire. The diesel-driven vessel was his second yacht.
In 1926 she was owned by Harrison Williams, who took his new bride on a year-long around-the-world honeymoon cruise on the Warrior.
Barbara Hutton, Woolworth heiress, reputedly received the vessel in 1930 as a present from her father on her 18th birthday.
The yacht was twice eponymously named in Hutton's honor, and she is Vanadis's most celebrated owner. The affectation and flirtation with yachting was part of her over-the-top lifestyle, complete with such infamous quotes as: 'If you've got it, flaunt it' and also declared: 'Living well is the best revenge'. This hard-edged and vocal elitism made her unpopular with Woolworth employees and customers—"poor people were reluctant to spend their hard-earned pennies at a business which had such a gargoyle at its prow." Indeed, such an ostentatious lifestyle hurt the business, and was particularly unpalatable admidst the Great Depression. In any event, though Hutton is popularized as though she is the current owner (by the ship's operators), she "only kept it" for one year.
In 1940 the yacht was sold to the British Royal Navy. After the Second World War, it was stationed in Panama and also used as a schoolship in Norway from 1948. At the start of the 1950s it was renamed Cort Adeles at Stadsgårdskajen, Sweden. The vessel was also used as a regular passenger ship to and from Åbo, Finland.
The yacht was later slated for scrap, but was purchased by a group of Swedish businessmen who spent more than $2.5 million to renovate her.
Current use
Begun in 1980, the renovation and rebuilding as a hotel for business travelers and a restaurant ship was completed in 1982. Most of the rooms or cabins are comparatively small. The vessel includes meeting facilities for up to 20 people and a Finnish sauna. The yacht is registered as the Lady Hutton, and this name appears on the stern, but the name on the prow is Mälardrottningen (the Queen of Lake Mälar). And Barbara Hutton's name is used once again, as the ship is renamed Lady Hutton.
Since September 1982, the yacht has been docked at Riddarholmen in Stockholm. It is owned by the family company Mälardrottningen Holding AB; "Mälardrottningen" has been a nickname for the city of Stockholm since the end of the 1800s.
The lounge is glass-floored, so that the guests can view the engine room below. The Captain's Lounge has the best view, overlooking city hall. The 59 eccentric rooms are generally described as "tiny." On the other hand, one writer notes that parents traveling with their children will probably opt for separate rooms for their offspring. And sleeping in a floating palace is proferred as a unique way to calm them down.
The hotel has conference rooms which will hold up to 20 guests. Meals are said to be relatively expensive at the gourmet restaurant.
A positive attraction is its central location. It combines easy access with ample parking, and is just a brief jaunt to the Gamla stan, the Old Town city core. It is near Stockholm Palace and City Hall where the Nobel Prize award dinners are fêted.
Earlier names
Before the yacht had its current name, it was changed no less than ten times:
- Vanadis (1924–1926)
- Warrior (1926–1937)
- Vanadis (1937–1939)
- Warrior (1939–1940)
- Troubadour (1940–1948)
- King (1948–1950)
- Cort Adeler (1950–1954)
- Brand VI (1954–1960)
- Marina (1960)
- Gann (1960–1978)
- Vikingfjord (1978–1981)