History
As with many of our guests, af Chapman has journeyed all around the world. The ship was built in England in 1888 and named Dunboyne. During her first 25 years she carried trade under the British and Norwegian flags and rounded both Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1915 she was moved to Gothenburg and renamed G.D. Kennedy. From this point she was used as a private training ship until, in 1923, the Swedish Navy took ownership and renamed her af Chapman. She continued training ship's boys until she sailed for the last time in 1934.
In 1937 she was towed to Stockholm and permanently mooved to Skeppsholmen as navy accomodation. Following World War Two the navy, having no further use for the ship, sold her to the city of Stockholm for only 5000 SEK. The Swedish Touring Club quickly jumped at the opportunity to run af Chapman as a youth hostel and paid for her reconstruction and renovation. The grand opening was in 1949.
The beautiful building on land was originally built in 1785 to store firewood for the Royal Palace. It was completely rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century to provide lodging and quarters for navy craftsmen. The building was subsequently used as the post office and grocery store for Skeppsholmen before being opened as a youth hostel in 1983.
