Amphion (ship)

The Amphion was the personal pleasure craft of king Gustav III of Sweden. It was designed by Fredrik Henrik af Chapman, a famous 18th-century Swedish ship engineer, built at Djurgårdsvarvet in Stockholm in the summer of 1778, and launched the same year. Amphion, named after Zeus' son and culture patron in Greek mythology, served as a royal yacht and headquarters ship. The ship was essentially a modified turuma, a type of shallow-draught frigate that served in the Swedish archipelago fleet. It was equipped with oars to allow it maneuverability of a galley while retaining a broadside of heavy guns and a full rig. It was equivalent to similar "archipelago frigates" of the archipelago fleet, but at Gustav III's request it was built without heavy cannons and therefore differed significantly from the other ships of the same type.

Amphion turned out to be one of Chapman's few failures as a ship designer. The ship suffered from poor seakeeping ability and was also too heavy to row. On its maiden voyage from Karlskrona to Stockholm, poor weather conditions left Amphion shipwrecked in the archipelago of Stockholm, and Gustav III was required to come ashore at Dalaro. Thereafter it was used mostly for trips out on Lake Mälaren, though also it was used as the king's personal command ship during The Russo-Swedish war of 1788-1790. She later served as a barracks ship into the 19th Century.

In 1884 Amphion was cut up for firewood. Amphion's figurehead and stern castle with the royal command room were spared, and can be seen at the Maritime Museum in Stockholm. The preserved parts underwent preservation and restoration between 2003-2006, and was performed by conservation studio Ateljé Catellani.

The current stern was added in 1791 after the ship was damaged at the end of the Russian War. The former stern lacked the royal cypher, and its four windows gates were of a simpler design.

Images from the Maritime Museum
 File:Sjöhistoriska museet 2008a.jpg|The stern. File:Sjöhistoriska museet 2008m.jpg|Gustav III's cabin. 