Regarded as one of the outstanding ships of her day the Svealand was, with her sister Amerikaland, the largest dry cargo ship afloat when completed by Deutsche Werft in 1925. Built for Tirfling Steamship Company, Gothenburg, senior company in the Brostrom Group, she and her sister were designed to carry iron ore from Chile via the Panama Canal to the Sparrows Point plant of Bethlehem Steel, near Baltimore. Gross tonnage was 15,357, deadweight about 20,600 but net just 3,316 due to her design with small ore holds high in the hull to give an easier motion when loaded. Twin screw motorships they were driven by a pair of 8 cylinder B&W engines developing 4,800 bhp to give a loaded speed of 11 knots. Loading the ore cargo took about two hours - the record was 48 minutes - and discharging about a day. Amerikaland was sunk by a U-boat in February 1942 but Svealand continued on her original service until 1949. Reconditioned and re-engined in 1951 she was then used on various ore routes until 1969 when she was renamed Svea for a voyage to Chinese breakers.
She is seen here arriving at Las Palmas.