20th century ship architecture in Sweden

The dissertation is divided into four separated parts. Part 1 is a summary of the three following parts, supplemented with components from a more general point of view. Part 2 deals with the shaping of sea-going vessels, delivered between 1935 and 1995. All of them with some form of connection to Sweden. Part 3 is an analysis of the architecture of the white wooden fishing boat from the west of the Swedish coast. Part 4 is a similar analysis of the steel fishing boat. The term "ship architecture" has been chosen in the dissertation, instead of "design" or "naval architecture". Naval architecture is a wide-ranging subject which however does not embrace that which normally is included in the concept "architecture" as it is employed by art historians and architects. Design is usually an industrial production in great quantity of identical objects. While ships, with few exceptions, are unique like buildings. Ship architecture is a subject which has barely been treated, either in Sweden or abroad. The source material used in this study are the "general arrangements", blueprints, published in periodicals and the fotographs of newly-built ships. The main source has been The Scandinavian Shipping Gazette, which has been published weekly on a more or less regular basis since its inception in 1905. A number of architectural motifs are each dealt with separately. The conclusion of the study is that two separate attitudes to ship architecture can be discerned during the period under investigation. During the first one the appearance of the ship has been significant for both builders and owners. The necessary skills have been readily available. During the latter one (a shift occuring in the mid-1960s), interest in the appearance of the ship has disappeared, instead only effiency and economy are demanded. There is still a desire for aesthetics in passenger liners, but by that time, much of the old skilled workmanship has been lost. However, there need remain any doubt about the willingness of the shipyards also today to agree to revisions for the sake of aesthetic appearance. If there was any interest in doing so and if it was delivered at an early stage of the newbuilding process