Nieuw Amsterdam (1938)

Builder:
Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij NV
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Ordered:
N/A
Keel Laid:
January 5, 1936
Year Built:
1938
Launched:
April 10, 1937
Type:
Passenger
Completed:
April 15, 1938
Fate:
Scrapped in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1974.


Owner
N. V. Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche
Stoomvaart Maatschappij
(Holland America Line)
Rotterdam, The Netherlands


Dimensions, machinery and performance (as built)

Length:
758' 5"
Engines:
2 Single reduction geared steam turbines
Beam:
88' 2"
Boilers:
N/A
Draft:
N/A
Shafts:
2
Gross Tons:
36,287
HP:
N/A
DWT:
8,821
Speed:
20.5 knots
Crew:
700
Funnels:
2
Passengers:
1,220
Masts:
2


Timeline
Apr. 10, 1937:
Christened by Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands.
Apr. 23, 1938:
Sea trials.
May 10, 1938:
Maiden voyage Rotterdam - Boulogne - Southampton - New York.
Fall 1939:
Laid up at Hoboken, New Jersey.
1939-1940:
Used for cruising in the Caribbean.
May 1940:
Requisitioned by the Ministry of War Transport for use as a troopship.
1940-1945:
Trooping duty.
Apr. 10, 1946:
Returned to owners and arrived in Rotterdam for post war refit.
1946-1971:
Rotterdam - New York route.
1971-1974:
Used for cruising in the Caribbean.
1974:
Sold and scrapped.
Notes
Laid down as Prinsendam, but name changed before launched.
Flagship of the line from 1938 to 1959.


Builder's Data
Page published Jan. 26, 2009