Holland America Line pop quiz

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, AmazedByCruising said:

 

That's what they say, but the ones interviewed aren't high ranking officers. Not sure how it works now. Please say that waiters and casino personnel are allowed to be completely drunk once in a while and nobody bats an eye? 

 

Similar is shooting golf balls into the sea, which must have been listed in a daily program. Times have changed.

 

 

Yes, times were for sure different in the seventies from today, no doubt! Being intoxicated onboard as a crew member is not tolerated when I was working and, I'm sure, is still not tolerated onboard today. I have had to administer PAS (Preliminary Alcohol Screening) tests to crew in order to determine an individual's BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) and, as a consequence, have sat in Captain's disciplinary hearings where those same crew members were sent home. Every HAL crew member is aware of those risks as they are pointed out on a regular basis at crew welcome aboard meetings on the first day of their contract 

[Copper10-8]

Passengers who have sailed with HAL know that all their cruise ships, well with a few exceptions, end in the word "dam," which means exactly the same in Dutch as it does in English. Think large semiaquatic rodents in the genus Castor native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere who, similar to homo sapiens, like to build barriers that stop and/or restrict the flow of surface water and/or underground streams😉.

 

HAL however also operated a transport / cargo division from 1900 until 1974 and had many freighters during those years. The names of the HAL freighters / cargo ships ended in ???  

[Alphen]

Just now, Copper10-8 said:

Passengers who have sailed with HAL know that all their cruise ships, well with a few exceptions, end in the word "dam," which means exactly the same in Dutch as it does in English. Think large semiaquatic rodents in the genus Castor native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere who, similar to homo sapiens, like to build barriers that stop and/or restrict the flow of surface water and/or underground streams😉.

 

HAL however also operated a transport / cargo division from 1900 until 1974 and had many freighters during those years. The names of the HAL freighters / cargo ships ended in ???  

Dijk

[Alphen]

48 minutes ago, Alphen said:

Dijk

With the correct spelling used as Dyk.

[Copper10-8]

3 hours ago, Alphen said:

Dijk

 

2 hours ago, Alphen said:

With the correct spelling used as Dyk.

 

Winner! So Yes, the first three cargo-only ships joined HAL in 1900 were named Soestdijk I, followed by Amsteldijk I in 1901, and Sloterdijk I in 1902. From that date on (1900), ships with an emphasis on cargo would have names ending in "Dijk," Dutch for "Dike," and something the Dutch were/are famous for building with approx. one third of the Netherlands laying below the sea level of the Noordzee/North Sea ( the lowest point of the country being 22 feet below sea level). The name "Dijk" being chosen to differentiate them from the HAL ships with emphasis on passenger transport which, as we know, end in "Dam." 

 

On October 11, 1974 HAL announced that it would sell off their complete transport division which included all cargo ships, the river and stevedoring facilities and the network of agencies in the various ports. The new owner would be the Brostrom Group.

 

An interesting part of the Dutch language; "Dijk" was initially spelled with the Dutch "ij" which is pronounced as in the English "Hi". That spelling was later changed to "Dyk." This applies in reverse to the spelling of Ryndam I which, when she first arrived on scene in 1901 had the name on her bow spelled as "Ryndam" but in Dutch is still also spelled as Rijndam which actually appeared on that same Ryndam I on two separate occasions 🤔  

 

Pic is of the the Dinteldyk II which was operated by HAL from 1957 until 1970         

[Alphen]

7 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

Winner! So Yes, the first three cargo-only ships joined HAL in 1900 were named Soestdijk I, followed by Amsteldijk I in 1901, and Sloterdijk I in 1902. From that date on (1900), ships with an emphasis on cargo would have names ending in "Dijk," Dutch for "Dike," and something the Dutch were/are famous for building with approx. one third of the Netherlands laying below the sea level of the Noordzee/North Sea ( the lowest point of the country being 22 feet below sea level). The name "Dijk" being chosen to differentiate them from the HAL ships with emphasis on passenger transport which, as we know, end in "Dam." 

 

On October 11, 1974 HAL announced that it would sell off their complete transport division which included all cargo ships, the river and stevedoring facilities and the network of agencies in the various ports. The new owner would be the Brostrom Group.

 

An interesting part of the Dutch language; "Dijk" was initially spelled with the Dutch "ij" which is pronounced as in the English "Hi". That spelling was later changed to "Dyk." This applies in reverse to the spelling of Ryndam I which, when she first arrived on scene in 1901 had the name on her bow spelled as "Ryndam" but in Dutch is still also spelled as Rijndam which actually appeared on that same Ryndam I on two separate occasions 🤔  

 

Pic is of the the Dinteldyk II which was operated by HAL from 1957 until 1970         

Isn’t the use of y in stead of “ij” an international maritime agreement, because the “y” is easier to read from a distance?

[rotjeknor]

On 3/19/2022 at 11:15 PM, AmazedByCruising said:

 

 

 

Nor did the replacement of crew help HAL much, in 1989 HAL was sold to Carnival. 

 

Selling HAL to Carnival had different reasons. At the time of the sale to CCL HAL was actually doing very well. They had even just bought Home Lines. But the company was basically a family owned business , by the van der Vorm family. As there was no suitable successor, Nico van der Vorm sold it lock, stock and barrel. With the proceeds of the sale the family started an investment company, HAL Investments and is one of the best performing investment companies in the Netherlands. 

 

On the replacement of Dutch/European crew by Indonesians and Philippineans : a  friend of our family was at time was a high ranking union man who participated in the negotiations between HAL and the seafarers union. The union just wanted too much.... 

The Dutch officers in general were not unhappy with the crew change, as both hotel , deck and engine room Indonesian and Philippine sailors did a very good job. My dad was a Chief Engineer with HAL , he said a took a bit getting used too but those guys performed very well.

[rotjeknor]

18 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Passengers who have sailed with HAL know that all their cruise ships, well with a few exceptions, end in the word "dam," which means exactly the same in Dutch as it does in English. Think large semiaquatic rodents in the genus Castor native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere who, similar to homo sapiens, like to build barriers that stop and/or restrict the flow of surface water and/or underground streams😉.

 

HAL however also operated a transport / cargo division from 1900 until 1974 and had many freighters during those years. The names of the HAL freighters / cargo ships ended in ???  

With a few odd ones out : HAL also operated two containerships in the late 60's -early 70's . The Atlantic Crown and Atlantic Star were part of the Atlantic Container Line (ACL) but staffed by the HAL.

These ships were part roll on /roll off vessels and had a capacity of 850 TEU....

 

There was also a LASH vessel , the Bilderdyk . Two of the lighters are still in Rotterdam and form the basis of a floating hotel  , H2OTEL, in the Wijnhaven.

[rotjeknor]

5 hours ago, Alphen said:

Isn’t the use of y in stead of “ij” an international maritime agreement, because the “y” is easier to read from a distance?

No, I think it's because the "ij" is not internationally used or recognized. For the same reason the best football(soccer) club in the world , Feyenoord Rotterdam , officially changed her name from Feijenoord to Feyenoord in the mid 70's . The name of our stadium however is still Stadion Feijenoord.

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, rotjeknor said:

No, I think it's because the "ij" is not internationally used or recognized. For the same reason the best football(soccer) club in the world , Feyenoord Rotterdam , officially changed her name from Feijenoord to Feyenoord in the mid 70's . The name of our stadium however is still Stadion Feijenoord.

 

Aka "De Kuip" "the tub" 😉 

 

As far as Feyenoord being the best football / soccer club in the world which is a never ending discussion depending on if you were born in Rotterdam or Amsterdam, that team in 020 will have something to say about that since they beat Rotjeknor again just yesterday in the Johan Cruyff Arena and are ahead in the standings ..................😜 

 

But having said all that, there is also a HAL connection here. since Feijenoord was also a shipbuilding and machine factory in Rotterdam from 1823 to 1929. In 1929 it merged with Wilton to become Wilton-Fijenoord and there's that "ij" again. Leerdam (as Nederland), Zaandam, Edam and Didam were all built in Rotterdam for HAL, prior to the move to Schiedam. I believe it is now Damen Ship repair but you would know that better than I   

 

[Sir PMP]

So is it 'Elinkwijk or Elinkwyk with Humphrey Mijnals or Mynals and Reinier Kreyermaat or Kreijermaat?

[Copper10-8]

Today's quiz: When was HAL's very first around the world cruise and on which ship? As a bonus, which HAL ships have completed annual full world cruises?

[sagavista]

Statendam 1958 was the first world cruise.   HAL ships to complete a full World Cruise: Statendam, Rotterdam V, VI, Amsterdam, Veendam, Prinsendam.

[Sir PMP]

43 minutes ago, sagavista said:

Statendam 1958 was the first world cruise.   HAL ships to complete a full World Cruise: Statendam, Rotterdam V, VI, Amsterdam, Veendam, Prinsendam.

Veendam?

[sagavista]

Statendam 4 and 5 and Veendam 3.

[Copper10-8]

4 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Veendam?

Yes Sir! The old Veendam III taken over by HAL from Moore-McCormick completed a full world cruise, I believe in 1964. Will confirm when I get home

[Copper10-8]

50 minutes ago, sagavista said:

Statendam 1958 was the first world cruise.   HAL ships to complete a full World Cruise: Statendam, Rotterdam V, VI, Amsterdam, Veendam, Prinsendam.

Y

Winner! Outstanding! 😁

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, sagavista said:

Statendam 1958 was the first world cruise.   HAL ships to complete a full World Cruise: Statendam, Rotterdam V, VI, Amsterdam, Veendam, Prinsendam.

 

3 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

Veendam?

 

So, yes: Statendam IV (1956-1984) made HAL's very first world cruise departing New York City on January 7, 1958 for a total of 110 days, returning on April 26, 1958. 

 

Rotterdam V (1959-1997), HAL's new flagship, departed New York City on her first world cruise on January 28, 1961, returning to the Big Apple on April 14, 1961 upon the conclusion of that voyage. Rotterdam V, aka "the Grande Dame" would make a total of 29 full world cruises, her final one leaving Los Angeles on January 18, 1997 which would last 103 days. There were no annual world cruises starting in 1987 (Achille Lauro high-jacking which interrupted Rotterdam V's world cruise that year) until 1993.  

 

Although not officially designated as a world cruise, Ryndam II (1951-1972) commenced a voyage to Australia on May 6, 1964, travelling eastbound around the world via the Suez Canal to Australia before returning to her starting point via the Panama Canal, thereby completing a circumnavigation of the world. She sailed an experimental world cruise in November 1964, followed by her "Economy Twin" sister Maasdam IV (1952-1968) in October 1965. Ryndam II also sailed an around the world cruise for students, sponsored by Orange, California's Chapman College, in 1966.

 

Veendam III (1972-1984), the former Moore-McCormack's Argentina, replaced Rotterdam V on the 1974 grand world cruise.

 

In addition, the 1994 grand world voyage was not sailed by Rotterdam VI but by her older "S"-class stablemate Statendam V (1993-2015) 

  

Rotterdam VI (1997-2020), co-flagship with her younger sister Amsterdam III (2000-2020), would take over the full world cruises from her predecessor, starting in January 1998 and finishing up in 2001 with that same Amsterdam III taking over in 2002 and 2003.

 

Prinsendam II (2002-2019) sailed the 2004, 2005 and 2006 grand world voyages before Amsterdam III once again taking over in 2007. There were no world cruises in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

 

Amsterdam III (2000-2020) has completed the last several annual full world cruises beginning in 2011. Amsterdam III commenced the, until now, last grand world voyage from Ft. Lauderdale, FL on January 4, 2020. That one, as we all know, was interrupted by the world wide Covid-19 pandemic ending prematurely in Fremantle/Perth, Australia, on March 20, 2020

 

Since Rotterdam VI, Amsterdam III and Prinsendam II have all left the HAL fleet recently, Vista-class lead ship Zuiderdam is slated to take over and resume HAL's annual grand world voyage on January 3, 2023.     

 

 

[Copper10-8]

6 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Yes Sir! The old Veendam III taken over by HAL from Moore-McCormick completed a full world cruise, I believe in 1964. Will confirm when I get home

 

Completely off on the year by a mere 10 years! 😴 Veendam III sailed the 1974 world cruise for HAL

[Copper10-8]

What have been the locations of the HAL head offices?

[john2003]

4 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

What have been the locations of the HAL head offices?

Rotterdam and Seattle but I suspect I am wrong.

[1ANGELCAT]

4 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

What have been the locations of the HAL head offices?

Rotterdam, CT, NewYork city and Seattle .

[Copper10-8]

29 minutes ago, john2003 said:

Rotterdam and Seattle but I suspect I am wrong.

 

Nope; you've got two of them! Nice job 😉 

[St Pete Cruiser]

Rotterdam, of course was the original.

Stamford, CT was the new American HQ.

Seattle, WA to the present partly to be closer to the Alaska operations.

 

The older arrival pier was Hoboken before pier 40(?) in NYC.

[Copper10-8]

3 hours ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

Rotterdam, CT, NewYork city and Seattle .

 

Winner! Awesome job! 

 

HAL, initially as C.V. Plate, Reuchlin & Co, established by Rotterdam businessmen Anton Plate and Viscount Otto Reuchlin, started out in 1871 in, you guessed it,  Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Their first two steam ships were Rotterdam I, after the home city of course, and Maas (later renamed Maasdam I), after the big river that flows through the city (as Nieuwe Maas). The trip from Rotterdam to New York City took a mere 14 days on those two bad boys. Sails were used on good wind days in order to conserve fuel and/or for extra speed.

 

The second name of the future HAL, Nederlandsch Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij (NASM) / Netherlands American Steam Navigation Company was formed on April 18, 1873. Everyone and their brother called them Holland Amerika Lijn / Holland America Line but that name did not become official until June 15,1896 as NV Nederlandsch-Amerikaansch Stoomvaart Maatschappij 'Holland Amerika Lijn'.

 

During these early times, HAL did not have its own office building but instead, rented two rooms in the building of the Koninklijke Roei Vereniging / Royal Rowing Club in Rotterdam. in 1889, HAL rented and moved into "Het Poortgebouw" (The Gate Building) located at Stieltjesstraat 38 in Rotterdam. which became the head office - It is still standing today! (see pic #1)

 

In 1891 construction was started on HAL's very first owned office on south bank of the Nieuw Maas River, on the Wilhelminakade (Wilhelmina, the Dutch Crown Princess at the time, quay). That area was/still is known as the "Kop van Zuid" (Head of the South) neighborhood of Rotterdam, opposite the center of town. Completed in 1901, it would also act as hotel for the many immigrants who sailed to the New World on HAL ships. That building in 1993 became, and still is today, the Hotel New York (see pics #2 and #3) 

 

Although not the main office, HAL has has had an office in the greater New York City area for quite a while. Since 1882, HAL has had a presence in Hoboken, New Jersey, at the Fifth Street Pier (see pics #4 & #5). In 1963, HAL moved its cruise ship operations to a leased office at New York's Pier 40 in Lower Manhattan where Houston Street meets the River Hudson (see pic #6). In 1975, it was moved to No. 2 Penn Plaza above Pennsylvania Station in New York's Midtown Manhattan in the block bounded by Seventh and Eight Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets.

 

1978 saw the move of the head office from Rotterdam in the original home land to Stamford, Connecticut. Some staff in the old head office on the Wilhelminakade would remain there until 1983 when it was closed down and allowed to deteriorate. Luckily, the Rotterdam City Council made a decision in the early nineties to renovate the historic and classic building with its brass green turrets as the Hotel New York.   

 

In 1983 under CEO Kirk Lanterman's leadership, the head office was once again moved from Stamford, CT to Seattle, WA where if found a home at 300 Elliott Avenue West.(see pic #7) The remaining New York City cruise operations office was closed down also at that time.

 

In 2017, a move was made to the current 150,000 square foot head office at 450 3rd Avenue West on Seattle’s waterfront, one block behind the old one on Elliott Street (see pic #8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Edited March 22, 2022 by Copper10-8