SS Nieuw Amsterdam (1937)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands
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| Name: | Nieuw Amsterdam |
| Namesake: | New Amsterdam (New York) |
| Owner: | Holland American Lines |
| Operator: | Holland America Line |
| Port of registry: | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Route: | Rotterdam-New York |
| Ordered: | 1935 |
| Builder: | N.V. Rotterdam Drydock Company, Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Cost: | $950,000 |
| Laid down: | January 5, 1936 |
| Launched: | April 10, 1937 |
| Christened: | April 10, 1937 |
| Maiden voyage: | May 10, 1938 |
| In service: | May 1938 |
| Out of service: | 1973 |
| Nickname(s): | Darling of the Dutch |
| Fate: | Scrapped in 1974 |
| Notes: | Was one of the few successful ships after the jet airliner took over Transatlantic service |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Ocean liner/Cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 36,287 gross tons (36,667 tons after 1947 refit) |
| Length: | 758 feet (231.5 m) |
| Beam: | 88 feet (26.9 m) |
| Installed power: | Six Schelde-Yarrow water tube boilers. Double reduction geared on super high pressure turbine and single reduction geared on high, intermediate and low pressure turbines; 17,000 shp each screw, 34,000 shp total |
| Propulsion: | Twin screws |
| Speed: |
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| Capacity: |
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| Crew: | 700 Crew |
The Nieuw Amsterdam was a Dutch ocean liner built in Rotterdam for the Holland America Line. This Nieuw Amsterdam, the second of four Holland America ships with that name, is considered by many to have been Holland America's finest ship.
Originally she was to be named Prinsendam, however during construction, Holland America Line decided to name their new flagship Nieuw Amsterdam, in honor of the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, modern-day New York.
Construction on the new liner was carried out at the N.V. Rotterdam Drydock Company. Christened by Queen Wilhelmina in April 1937, Nieuw Amsterdam was, at 36,982 tonnes, the largest liner ever constructed in the Netherlands up to that time. Proudly she was dubbed the Dutch "Ship of peace" since there were no provisions for possible war use incorporated in her design.
At the time Nieuw Amsterdam was more completely protected against fire, had the largest air conditioning plant and the highest percentage of private baths of any ship afloat. The ship was also the only liner with a fully equipped and air conditioned theater.
The Nieuw Amsterdam was the Netherlands' "ship of state", just as the Normandie was France's, the Queen Mary was Britain's and United States was the United States', and numerous Dutch artists vied for the honor of creating some part of the ship.
Their creation emerged in the spring of 1938, a light-colored and very spacious ship throughout, and although she had spacious public rooms, the colour scheme used gave her an even larger feel. Modern in every way, her owners proclaimed her "the ship of tomorrow". She followed the Art Deco trend of the day in both interior decorations and exterior design. The interiors were distinguished by fluorescent lighting, aluminum motifs, and gentle pastels throughout the ship that created an understated elegance that would make the liner a favorite among seasoned transatlantic passengers.
One of the ship’s centerpieces was the first class restaurant, having a Moroccan leather ceiling which was adorned by numerous Murano glass light fixtures, and columns covered in gold leaf. Tinted mirrors, ivory walls and satinwood furniture all contributed to create the luxurious atmosphere. The restaurant had no portholes or windows facing the open sea, making it depend solely on artificial illumination, a feature it shared with the first class restaurant on board the Normandie of 1935. There also were two swimming pools on board, one outdoor and the other indoors on E-deck, featuring expensive Delft tiling.
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