|
HISTORY
The fifth SS
Rotterdam, known as "The Grande Dame", was launched by Queen Juliana
in a gala ceremony on 13 September 1958, and completed the following
summer. The Rotterdam was the last great Dutch "ship of state",
employing the finest artisans from Holland in her construction and
fitting out process. With a career spanning forty years, she was also
one of the most successful passenger ships of all time. She sailed
from 1959 until her final retirement in the fall of 2000.
Originally she was conceived as running mate to the popular Nieuw
Amsterdam launched in 1937, but work was put on hold at the outbreak
of World War II in Europe. When economic conditions once again became
favorable for completion of the new ship in early 1954, the beginning
of the end of ocean liners as basic transport was visible on the
horizon. The designers took this in mind and created a groundbreaking
vessel, a two-class, horizontally divided ship with movable partitions
and a unique double staircase allowing for easy conversion to
cruising. Rotterdam's machinery was shifted aft, to the
now-traditional two-thirds aft position, and in lieu of a funnel twin
uptake pipes were fitted. To provide balance, a large deckhouse was
built atop the superstructure in the mid ships position of a typical
funnel. While very controversial at the time, Rotterdam's appearance
became groundbreaking, and her unique design features can be found on
cruise ships today.
After retiring from transatlantic service in 1969, the ten year old
Rotterdam got a small refit for permanent cruising and began her new
life as a full-time cruise ship. By the 1980s the ship had settled
into a routine of winters in the Caribbean and summers in Alaska, with
the occasional (and very popular) world cruise.
Much to the dismay of the ship's loyal fans, Holland America Line
announced that changing safety regulations made it necessary to retire
the ship, and a replacement, the sixth Rotterdam, was ordered from
Fincantieri shipyards in Italy. A gala finale cruise ended her final
season on September 30, 1997.
Picked up by Premier Cruises and re-named SS Rembrandt, the ship
continued on in cruise service until the sudden financial collapse of
the company forced the ship's lay up in Freeport, Bahamas and then
Gibraltar. After years of laying idle, a new destination was found for
the former SS Rotterdam as a hotel and tourist attraction in her old
home port of Rotterdam. She was restored in Poland and Wilhelmshaven,
Germany and on August 4, 2008 returned to the city of Rotterdam. She
is scheduled to open to the public on July 27, 2009 as a combination
museum/hotel.
|
