Two historic ships with a combined age of 150 years will meet for the first time in the Solent on Sunday 13 September 2026.

PS Waverley, 80 years old on 02 October, will be undertaking her regular South Coast season, sailing from Southampton to Weymouth on that day. MS Nordstjernen (North Star) built in 1956 for the Norwegian express mailboat service between Bergen and Kirkenes, will be ending her first voyage to England with a call at Cowes. The plan is for the two ships to meet off Calshot and sail together towards Cowes at around 0945.

Like Waverley MS Nordstjernen was built to meet an urgent need for a new ship to replace a sunken predecessor. As is well known the earlier Waverley succumbed to air attack off Dunkirk: the previous Nordstjernen sank after striking a rock in difficult conditions. Possibly because of the need for speed the design of both ships harkened back to the pre-war age. Although diesel engined, Nordstjernen has the features of a traditional steam packet ship. She was in regular service on the Hurtigruten route until 2012, undertaking the demanding 13-day round voyage to the Russian border, winter and summer. She was also used on a service to Svalbard, summer cruises in the archipelago and even trips to Shetland. 

Withdrawn in 2012 she faced oblivion but, like Waverley had developed a strong group of supporters led by a determined travel agent who managed to persuade a Norwegian ship and shipyard owner to buy her unseen. Refurbished she was chartered back to Hurtigruten for summer Svalbard sailings until 2024 and has since operated a programme of “nostalgic voyages”, mainly from German ports, incorporating itineraries around northern Europe.

A truly classic ship with a design reminiscent of the days of steam and the aura of a mini-Atlantic liner, MS Nordstjernen enjoys the highest level of protection by Norwegian Maritime Heritage which means that, whilst eligible for limited state grants she cannot be altered: some might think a mixed blessing. (Norway has a ship listing system akin to that for buildings in the UK.) Like PS Waverley, she is a shining example of a bygone era of sea-travel.