Important transport history
Skogøy is a representative of an era in Norwegian transport history.
In the fifties, maritime transport was dominant.
Skogøy was a combined passenger and cargo boat.
The local boats also served as “feeder boats” for the Hurtigruten.
Skogøy even had a round Harstad – Kirkenes – Harstad as a Hurtigruten.
One of the ordinary Hurtigruten ships had engine trouble in the strait at Harstad. Skogøy then had to be put in as a reserve. Skogøy transported both goods and passengers from Narvik via several small towns in the Ofotfjord and out to Svolvær. In Svolvær, people and goods could be transported on either the southbound or northbound Hurtigruten.
But also from the surrounding land around Narvik, Skogøy was used for freight and passenger traffic. For villages such as Lødingen, Bogen, Kjeldebotn and Ballangen, Skogøy was the connection to the world outside the village.
Important maritime history
Skogøy represents some of the best in Norwegian boat construction and Norwegian boat building.
Designed by chief engineer Kåre Haug.
He is the man behind several great ships, including the “America boat” Oslofjord.
Skogøy and Oslofjord have identical chimneys!
Kåre Haug gave Skogøy seductive, beautiful lines.
The hull has curved, round, female shapes.
She was the queen of the Ofotfjord. Skogøy was built at Drammen slip and boat building in 1953. She is 499 GRT and has cabin space for 64 passengers. She was built at a time when local boats were the backbone of Norwegian transport. There were many hundreds of local boats that tied the country together. The local boats were built at one of the many shipyards along the Norwegian coast.
The shipyards were important social institutions. They built and maintained fishing boats, ferries and local boats. They employed many of the men of the coast. Skogøy was relatively large for a local boat. So big, in fact, that the then manager of the NPS, Valdemar Høy, was initially rejected by the Ministry of Transport and Communications. But in 1953 there was a staff drain and Skogøy could begin his working day in Ofoten, Lofoten and Vesterålen.
Important local history
Skogøy was added to the Narvik – Svolvær – Narvik route.
Once a week, Skogøy walked around Hinnøya.
Skogøy became an institution in Ofoten, Lofoten and Vesterålen.
The beautiful local boat tied village and town together.
Skogøy was a lifeblood in the region.
Everyone in the region had a relationship with Skogøy.
Both good and bad.
For 30 years, Skogøy faithfully walked on schedule. And the timetable, it kept to Skogøy. People said they could set the clock after the punctual local boat. On board, people met. It may have been a long time since they had last seen each other. In the lounge, they could have a cup of coffee or a glass of beer and get news about people and events.
The local boat transported goods and it transported people. But the local boat was also a meeting place, an arena for news dissemination and an arena for good stories that shortened the travel time and made the journey a joy. For many, it was the highlight of the day when the local boat arrived.
It came with a taste of the world outside the village. The local boat came with exciting goods, it came with newspapers, food and expatriate villagers that people had not seen for decades.
Text: Viggo Kristensen, Friends of Skogøy
