She was built as a cargo vessel under yard No. 411 by Lindholmens Mek. Verkstad, Göteborg for Stockholms Rederi A/B Svea, Stockholm.
18 March 1913 launched under the name VEGA.
Tonnage 1.073 gross, 623 net, 1.640 dwt., dim 69 x 10.9m, draught 14.4ft.
One triple expansion steam engine 550 ihp., manufactured by the yard, speed 9½ kn.
April 1913 delivered to owners.
After delivery used in the liner service of the Svea Line from Sweden to Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and sometimes to the United Kingdom.
03 March 1941 chartered by the International Red Cross to transport Red Cross supplies, mail and parcels for the prisoners of war (POW) from Lisbon to Marseille.
While the Allied forces were liberating occupied France, the British Channel Islands were still under German control, after they were occupied from 1940 by the German forces. German troops were stationed there, with foreign workers also amongst the civilian population.
When the Allied advanced in France all consignments were cut off to the Channel Islands, and slowly rations, medical supplies and fuel were exhausted. The German Army and the people of Guernsey were struggling to survive. Victor Garey, the Bailiff of Guernsey, made an appeal and in October, a ship was assigned to deliver aid to the islands. It came 4 months after the isolation from the mainland had begun in June 1944.
The first voyage of the VEGA who is pictured on a recent stamp of Guernsey arrived from Lisbon to great joy and excitement to all those assembled in St Peter Port on the 21st December 1944. Aboard were 42.000 Red Cross standard prisoner of war parcels of foodstuffs, soap and salt as well as medical and surgical supplies, and clothing for children, donated by the International Red Cross in Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain. The German light railway was used to unload the ship and carts and lorries individually took the parcels to depots across the island.
30 December 1944 she arrived for the first time in Jersey.
The S.S. VEGA made six (other sources give five) voyages to Guernsey and made also more calls at Jersey before the Liberation of the Islands on 9 May 1945, and enabled the Guernsey and German population to survive the final months of Hitler’s occupation of the Channel Islands.
03 May 1945 she made her last call at Guernsey and over the five months period it had brought in 4000 tons of food in Guernsey.
The VEGA after the war was modernized and refitted, and then again used in the liner service to West Europe.
In service till 1952, then laid up in Sweden.
1954 Sold for breaking up to Alnwich-Harmstorf Bergungsreederei, Germany.
20 May 1954 left Sölvesberg under tow for Travemünde, Germany, where she was broken up during the 4th quarter of 1954.
The VEGA is depict on several stamps of the Channel Islands. The 18p stamp of Jersey has a small design error, the S in the funnel logo must be black and not red as given on the stamp, on the 1/9p stamp it is correct depict.
The black and white stamp of Guernsey 41p depict her from astern; in the clouds are some humane faces, which most probably suggest the hungry people of Guernsey.
Guernsey 1995 41p sg 675 and 1998 25p sg 769. Also on a £1.50
Jersey 1970 1s9d sg 37, scott 29 and 1995 18p sg 701, scott 711.
Source: Navicula. Register of Merchant ships completed in 1913. Some copied of the Guernsey Post Office web-site.