{{Short description|1973 Ship operating as a floating book fair and mission ship}} {{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image | image = Logos Hope Kiel2008.jpg | image_caption = ''Logos Hope'' in Kiel (2008) }}
|section2={{Infobox ship/career | hide_header = | name =*1973–1983: ''Gustav Vasa'' *1983–2003: ''Norröna'' *2003–2004: ''Norröna I'' *2004 onwards: ''Logos Hope'' | owner = | operator =*1973–1976: Lion Ferry AB / Öresundsbolaget *1976–1980: Saga Line *1980–1983: TT Saga Line *1983–2004: Smyril Line *2004 onwards: GBA Ships e.V. | registry =*1973–1983: Halmstad {{flag|Sweden}} *1983–2011: Tórshavn, {{flag|Faroe Islands}} *2011 onwards: Valletta, {{flag|Malta}} | route = | ordered = 1972 | builder = Nobiskrug, Rendsburg, Germany | original_cost = | yard_number = 678 | way_number = | laid_down = 1973 (est) | launched =10 February 1973 | completed =12 May 1973 | christened = | acquired = | maiden_voyage = | in_service = | out_of_service = | identification = {{IMO Number|7302914}} | fate = | status = In service | notes = }}
|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics | hide_header = | header_caption = | class = Ropax | tonnage = {{GT|12,519}} | displacement = | length = {{convert|132.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | beam = {{convert|21.06|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | draught = {{convert|5.22|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | depth = | decks = 9 | deck_clearance = | ramps = 1 | ice_class = PC6 | power = 4 X SWD 6TM 410 RR 6-cylinder diesel engines | propulsion =*2 × controllable pitch propellers *1 × bow thruster | speed = 13.5 kn | capacity = 442 passengers | crew = 300 | notes = }} }}
'''MV ''Logos Hope''''' is a ship operated by the German faith-based organisation GBA Ships in partnership with Operation Mobilisation (OM), functioning as the world's largest floating book fair.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.epm.org/blog/2017/Jun/5/logos-hope-bookshop|title=Meet the Logos Hope, a Floating Bookshop and an Incredible International Ministry|last=Alcorn|first=Randy|access-date=2018-06-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gbaships.org/en/logoshope|title=Logos Hope|work=GBA Ships|accessdate=7 October 2016}}</ref> She was built in 1973 as the ferry '''MV ''Gustav Vasa''''' for service between Malmö (Sweden) and Travemünde (Germany) and later operated as the '''MV ''Norröna''''' providing a ferry service to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. Following extensive renovations, she entered service as ''Logos Hope'' in February 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-05 |title=MV Logos Hope (Ex Norrona) – Past and Present |url=https://www.doverferryphotosforums.co.uk/new-mv-norrona-past-and-present/ |access-date=2026-04-30 |website=Dover Ferry Photos |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==History==
===''Gustav Vasa'' (1973–1983)=== thumb|left|upright|The same ship as MV Norröna in the harbour of Torshavn in 1997 The vessel was launched on 10 February 1973 and delivered to Lion Ferry AB of Halmstad on 12 May 1973 as the car ferry ''Gustav Vasa'', built by Nobiskrug of Rendsburg, Germany (yard number 678).<ref name="doverferry">{{cite web|url=https://www.doverferryphotosforums.co.uk/new-mv-norrona-past-and-present/|title=MV Logos Hope (Ex Norrona) – Past and Present|work=Dover Ferry Photos|accessdate=7 October 2016}}</ref> She was immediately chartered to Svenska Rederi AB Öresund for Öresundsbolaget routes between Malmö and Travemünde, Germany, a route she maintained for ten years. Her route was later extended to include Rønne (Denmark) and Trelleborg (Sweden).<ref name="GBAhistory">{{cite web|url=https://www.gbaships.org/en/LHhistory|title=Logos Hope History|work=GBA Ships|accessdate=7 October 2016}}</ref> In October 1976 Öresundsbolaget and Traveline joined forces, marketing services under the name Saga Linjen between Helsingborg/Malmö and Travemünde. In 1980 Saga Linjen and TT-Line joined forces under the new name TT Saga Line.<ref name="doverferry"/>
===''Norröna'' (1983–2003)=== In April 1983, she was sold to the Faroese ferry company Smyril Line and renamed ''Norröna'', subsequently being rebuilt at Flensburger Schiffbaugesellschaft in Flensburg to add more cabins and fit stabilisers.<ref name="doverferry"/> Sailing from Tórshavn, the Faroese capital, to Lerwick (Shetland Islands), Bergen (Norway), Hanstholm (Denmark) and Seyðisfjörður (Iceland) each summer, she was often chartered in the winter to cover other operators' overhaul schedules.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Gustav Vasa - Norröna - Ferry Photographs - Ferry Postcards |url=https://simplonpc.co.uk/LionFerry-GustavVasa1973.html |access-date=2026-04-30 |website=simplonpc.co.uk}}</ref>
====1990 fire==== On 8 April 1990, while on charter to B&I Line for services between Pembroke Dock and Rosslare, the vessel suffered a fire in the passenger accommodation. The ferry had left Pembroke Dock at around 10 pm with approximately 200 passengers and 78 crew aboard. Around midnight, a seaman spotted smoke coming from unoccupied cabins on C-deck, but the vessel was already filling with smoke by the time the alarm was raised. The captain turned the ship around and returned to Pembroke Dock; one crew member died as a result of the fire.<ref name="heraldfiredetail">{{cite web|url=https://herald.wales/national-news/crime/ms-norrona-the-deadly-ferry-fire-in-the-irish-sea/|title=MS Norröna: The deadly ferry fire in the Irish Sea|work=Herald Wales|accessdate=7 October 2016}}</ref> The vessel returned to service on 12 April 1990 following repairs.<ref name="doverferry"/> The fire occurred one day after the fatal fire aboard the ''MS Scandinavian Star'' in the North Sea, which killed 159 people.<ref name="heraldfiredetail"/>
Casualties were evacuated by RAF rescue helicopters to Withybush General Hospital in Haverfordwest.
===''Norröna I'' (2003–2004)=== When Smyril Line took delivery of a new ''Norröna'' in 2003, the old vessel was renamed ''Norröna I'' and put up for sale.<ref name=":0" /> GBA Ships purchased the vessel in March 2004.
===''Logos Hope'' (2004–present)=== After a period of planning and fundraising, extensive renovations began in June 2005 at the Brodotrogir Shipyard in Trogir, Croatia.<ref name="GBAhistory"/> The renovation transformed the vessel from a commercial car ferry into a multifunctional mission ship. A new deck was inserted into the former vehicle deck to create a public Visitor Experience area, and an additional deck was added at the stern to accommodate an onboard school for families serving aboard. A new galley was installed, the bridge completely refurbished, machinery in the engine room overhauled, and air-conditioning, sprinkler and electrical systems were renewed.<ref name="GBAhistory"/>
In November 2007, the ship left Croatia bound for Kiel, Germany, for a further period of outfitting, during which crew and equipment were transferred from her predecessor, ''Logos II''.<ref name="GBAhistory"/> In May 2008 the ship departed Kiel for dry dock in Landskrona, Sweden, where a larger generator was brought into the engine room through the side of the ship. She then berthed in Køge, Denmark, for final outfitting, including completion of accommodation areas, the Logos Lounge conference room and the Visitor Experience deck.<ref name="GBAhistory"/>
''Logos Hope'' launched into active service in February 2009. The ship carries over 5,000 book titles in multiple languages and typically remains in each port for approximately two weeks, opening to the public daily.<ref name="GBAships_meet">{{cite web|url=https://www.gbaships.org/en/MeetLH|title=Meet Logos Hope|work=GBA Ships|accessdate=7 October 2016}}</ref> The international volunteer crew, drawn from around 60 nationalities, are all non-salaried and serve for 3 months to 2 years or more on board.<ref name="GBAships_meet"/>
''Logos Hope'' replaced ''Logos II'', which concluded her service with OM in July 2008 after 20 years. She is the largest ship to have served with GBA Ships, with a gross tonnage roughly three times that of ''Logos II''.<ref name="OMships">{{cite web|url=https://www.om.org/eng/ships/the-ships|title=The Ships|work=Operation Mobilisation|accessdate=7 October 2016}}</ref>
==References== {{commons category|IMO 7302914}} {{reflist}}
== External links == *{{Commons category-inline}} *[https://www.gbaships.org/en/logoshope Logos Hope] at GBA Ships official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Logos Hope}} Category:Ferries of Sweden Category:Ferries of the Faroe Islands Category:Ships built in Rendsburg Category:1973 ships