WELCOME TO
BREDALSHOLMEN SHIPYARD AND HISTORIC SHIP RESTORATION
Bredalsholmen Shipyard and Historic Ship Restoration was established as a foundation in 1990 and later designated in 1996 as a national preservation centre for historic steel vessels in Norway.
Our main purpose is to preserve the historic dry dock and its associated buildings and equipment as an important technical and industrial heritage site, and to operate the site as a working veteran shipyard for historic and culturally significant vessels.
We also serve as a centre for traditional shipbuilding crafts and maritime heritage, keeping old knowledge alive for future generations with authentic tools and techniques from the 1950s.
Here we restore and maintain listed iron and steel ships by using the traditional craft method riveting. This work aims to protect an important piece of the Norwegian maritime cultural heritage, while providing insights into historic shipbuilding and repairs for visitors and educational projects.
The Dry Dock
Bredalsholmen’s dry dock began its construction in 1873 by the Christiansand Dokcompagnie and the first ship entered the dock in 1876.
It was originally constructed as Norway’s largest private dry dock at the time, and was used for repairing and servicing vessels for more than a century. First under the dock company and from 1908 under Kristiansands Mekaniske Verksted. The facility was expanded several times to handle increasingly large ships, with major extensions completed between 1927–1930 and 1955–1962, giving the dock its present size and structure. Commercial operations continued until 1988, after which the dock ceased regular industrial use.
Three whalers in the dry dock, ca. 1950s.
Today the dry dock is preserved as a key part of the Bredalsholmen Shipyard and Preservation Center’s historic site, protected for its technical and industrial heritage value. It remains an important educational and working space where visitors can go down into the dock and see historic ships being maintained using traditional methods, and it illustrates 150 years of ship repair and dockyard history in Norway.
"Skagen" in dry dock
Current Projects
There are several vessels of historical or cultural significance currently staying in our shipyard. Here, they are undergoing active restorations using traditional techniques like riveting and steel plate work.
Guests doing a guided tour at our centre can go down into the dry dock and visit some of the vessels we are working on.
In the dock we have the former gunboat "Tyr", originally built in 1887 and who served on the offence as a minelayer against the German occupational forces in 1940. For many years after the war the ship's past as gunboat/minelayer lay hidden and largely forgotten under duties as a versatile cargo vessel and the name "Bjørn-West". Now we are peeling away layers of her disguising identity as cargo vessel, to restore her hull from the 1880s and with a goal of restoring her as she looked and functioned as minelayer in the 1940s.
Keeping "Tyr" company in the dry dock is "Folgefonn", once Norway's largest car ferry upon launch in 1938. She was able to carry about 20 cars and 300 passengers and over her long career she adapted to changing transport needs and larger vehicles, and she remained in active service until 1979. Upon retirement she was sold to buyers in England, where she functioned as a floating club house on the River Thames.
In our shipyard is also "Pelle", a 1882 passenger steamer. For almost 80 years she saw long servitude as a local passenger and cargo vessel between Arendal and the surrounding coastal areas. "Pelle" became a highly familiar and much loved vessel in the area, commonly refered to as "Arendal's beloved, or favorite" (Norwegian: yndling). After her retirement she passed through several hands, sank multiple times and spent decades detoriating on land before she was finally rescued by Stiftelsen D/S Pelle and is now undergoing restoration according to her prime years as passenger vessel.
"Wiel Gedde" was built in 1867 as a timber lighter and tow boat with a riveted iron hull. As a timber lighter working on inland rivers she has a unique design with a flat keel. This enabled her to operate in shallow waters. She gained protected status in 2021 as one of Norway's oldest surviving examples of this type of inland tow craft.
In addition, this summer Bredalsholmen will serve as a guest dock for the full-rigged ship "Christian Radich", which is scheduled to lie in the dry dock through summer for hull-plate replacements as part of her planned 2026 maintenance before a major sailing season.
Contact Us
Phone:
+47 38 60 10 50
Address:
Andøyveien 188,
Kristiansand
Norway
Opening hours:
Monday-Friday: 08:00-15:00
Kindly check in at the reception in the administrative building upon arrival.
Wearing a safety helmet is mandatory within the shipyard. We provide our visitors with helmets.