Swedish American Line Passenger Lists 1932-1953
The Swedish American Line / Svenska Amerika Linien began transatlantic service in 1915 and offered passenger, freight, and mail service direct between New York and Gothenburg, Sweden. They provided excellent passenger accommodations carrying first, second, and third-class passengers with exceptional cuisine. In New York, the express ocean liners dock at Pier 97, North River, foot of West 57th street.
1932-10-01 SS Kungsholm Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: First and Tourist Class Passengers
- Date of Departure: 1 October 1932
- Route: Gothenburg to New York
- Commander: Captain Helge A. F. Ellsén
1936-09-19 SS Gripsholm Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: First and Tourist Class Passengers
- Date of Departure: 19 September 1936
- Route: Gothenburg to New York
- Commander: Captain J. M. Renström
1946-06-18 SS Gripsholm Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: First and Tourist Class Passengers
- Date of Departure: 18 June 1946
- Route: Gothenburg to New York via Liverpool
- Commander: Captain S. Ericsson
1946-07-09 SS Drottningholm Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin
- Date of Departure: 9 July 1946
- Route: Gothenburg to Saint Johns NF and New York via Liverpool
- Commander: Captain J. Nordlander
1950-06-21 SS Gripsholm Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: First Class
- Date of Departure: 21 June 1950
- Route: Gothenburg to New York
- Commander: Captain S. Ericsson
1953-07-17 SS Gripsholm Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Tourist
- Date of Departure: 17 July 1953
- Route: Gotheburg to New York
- Commander: Captain S. Ericson
1953-10-22 SS Gripsholm Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: First Class
- Date of Departure: 22 October 1953
- Route: Gothenburg To New York
- Commander: Captain S. ERICSON
⚠️ About Accuracy in Historical Records Research Tip
Context. The GG Archives presents passenger lists as faithfully as possible to the original documents. While OCR is generally accurate, portions of these collections—especially image captions and some transcriptions—are typed by hand and may include typographical or spelling variations. The original manifests themselves also contained clerical inconsistencies (names recorded phonetically, mid-voyage corrections, etc.).
What this means for your research:
- Search variant spellings of names (e.g., “Schmidt/Schmitt/Smith,” “Giuseppe/Joseph”).
- Cross-reference with immigration cards, passport applications, naturalization files, city directories, and newspapers.
- Treat manifests as primary sources with historical quirks—use them alongside corroborating records.
- For place names, consider historical borders and language variants (e.g., Danzig/Gdańsk, Trieste/Trst).
How to cite. When quoting a name from a manifest, consider adding [sic] for obvious misspellings and include a note such as “spelling as printed in original passenger list.”
Need help? If you spot a likely transcription error in captions, feel free to contact us with the page URL and a brief note—we love community input. 🙏
Curator’s Note
For over 25 years, I've been dedicated to a unique mission: tracking down, curating, preserving, scanning, and transcribing historical materials. These materials, carefully researched, organized, and enriched with context, live on here at the GG Archives. Each passenger list isn't just posted — it's a testament to our commitment to helping you see the people and stories behind the names.
It hasn't always been easy. In the early years, I wasn't sure the site would survive, and I often paid the hosting bills out of my own pocket. But I never built this site for the money — I built it because I love history and believe it's worth preserving. It's a labor of love that I've dedicated myself to, and I'm committed to keeping it going.
If you've found something here that helped your research, sparked a family story, or just made you smile, I'd love to hear about it. Your experiences and stories are the real reward for me. And if you'd like to help keep this labor of love going, there's a "Contribute to the Website" link tucked away on our About page.
📜 History is worth keeping. Thanks for visiting and keeping it alive with me.
