Holland America Line (HAL): libros - historia y buques

Holland America Liners 1950-2015

Founded in 1873, the Holland America Line provided services carrying passengers and freight between the Netherlands and North America. When the Second World War ended, only nine of Holland America Line's twenty-five ships had survived and the company set about rebuilding.

The pride of HAL's post-war fleet was SS Rotterdam, completed in 1959, which was one of the first ships on the North Atlantic equipped to offer two-class transatlantic crossings and single-class luxury cruising.
However, competition from the airlines meant that in the early 1970s Holland America ended their transatlantic passenger services; in 1973 the company sold its cargo-shipping division.
Now owned by the American cruise line Carnival, Holland America offers round-the-world voyages and cruises in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Asia.

In this book, renowned ocean liner historian and author William H. Miller takes a look at the Holland America Line and its post-war fleet up to 2015.

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SS Nieuw Amsterdam (Classic Liners)

This book traces the distinguished career of the Holland America Line flagship Nieuw Amsterdam. One of the most popular liners on the Atlantic, she regularly visited Southampton, Hoboken-New York, Rotterdam and latterly Fort Lauderdale and the Caribbean.

The Dutch art deco flagship was named for the settlement of New Amsterdam, modern-day New York. Her pre-war life was short and with the fall of Holland in the Second World War she was requisitioned by the British Ministry of Transport under Cunard. After conversion she served as a British troopship, carrying thousands of Allied troops to all corners of the world.

She remained in Holland America Line service after the war until 1974, the last ship to retain the company's green, yellow and white funnels. Despite boiler problems in 1967, she was refitted with US Navy-surplus boilers and sailed on, cruising, until withdrawn from service in 1974.

Enhanced with original artefacts and spectacular colour images, this comprehensive narrative provides a full account of the ship's wartime exploits - when she was fitted out with guns and depth charges - to her resurrection as a successful cruiser after the war and her eventual demise in a scrap yard.

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SS Nieuw Amsterdam - The Darling of the Dutch

Entering service in 1938, the Nieuw Amsterdam was the Holland America Line flagship until the construction of the Rotterdam in the late 1950s. Her prewar life was short and she was used as a troopship during the Second World War, carrying many thousands of Allied troops to all corners of the world. Of 36,000 tons, she was the largest vessel built in Rotterdam and was launched by Queen Wilhelmina in April 1937.

A perennial favourite of the Dutch and their finest Ship of State, Nieuw Amsterdam remained in Holland America Line service until 1974, the last ship to retain the Holland America Line's familiar green, yellow and white funnels.
Despite boiler problems in 1967, she was refitted with US Navy-surplus boilers and sailed on, cruising, until withdrawn from service in 1974. Sailing to the breakers, the art deco 'Darling of the Dutch', as she was affectionately known, was broken up.
Today, she still has a following, from those who sailed on her but also from those who have grown to appreciate the importance of the Nieuw Amsterdam in terms of ocean liner design.

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Holland-Amerika Lijn - geschiedenis van een rederij

De geschiedenis van de Holland-Amerika Lijn kent vele ups en downs en leest als een spannende roman. Rotterdam was meer dan honderd jaar trots de thuishaven van deze rederij, met imposante schepen aan de Wilhelminakade die het beeld van de stad bepaalden.

Vanaf de oprichting in 1873 tot ver in de twintigste eeuw vervoerde de HAL miljoenen passagiers en veel lading. De legendarische rederij groeide uit tot een wereldwijd bekend cruisebedrijf en spreekt nog steeds tot de verbeelding.

Beroemde schepen zoals de Statendam en de Rotterdam zijn bekend bij iedereen. De Nieuw Amsterdam was legendarisch vanwege haar snelle troepentransport tijdens de oorlog. Veel emigranten staken met de HAL de Atlantische Oceaan over op zoek naar een nieuw leven. Het vrachtvervoer tussen Europa en Amerika droeg bij aan de groei van de rederij en welvaart van Nederland.

De geschiedenis van de HAL, inclusief hoogte- en dieptepunten, wordt uitgebreid behandeld in dit rijk geïllustreerde boek. Met vele niet eerder gepubliceerde afbeeldingen en een schepenlijst is het een compleet naslagwerk voor liefhebbers van de Nederlandse koopvaardijgeschiedenis.

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ss Rotterdam - Een beknopte scheepsbiografie

As early as 1938, designers from the Holland America Line were commissioned to design a 'running mate' for the famous Nieuw Amsterdam, but due to the outbreak of World War II, the final construction order did not follow until 1955.
The luxury turbine steamship had to be suitable for both the Transatlantic passage (in two classes) and for cruises. The final design of the ship aroused both amazement and admiration throughout the nautical world.

The Rotterdam - the fifth HAL ship to bear this name - became the flagship of the Dutch merchant navy. After its launch in 1958, a life of Atlantic crossings followed, alternating with exotic cruises in the winter months. The HAL tourism division was sold to Carnival Cruises in 1989 and the Rotterdam went to Miami as a desirable 'asset'.
In 1997, the ship came into the hands of Premier Cruises under the name Rembrandt. However, the shipping company went bankrupt and the ship was detained in Freeport (Bahamas) in 2000.

After many complications, it was decided to bring this piece of Dutch maritime heritage back to her home port. Via Gibraltar, Gdansk and Wilhelmshaven, the ship - again called Rotterdam - returned to the Maasstad. There she is currently experiencing a quiet 'old age' in maritime terms, not concerned about the financial and political problems that came with her mooring at the 3rd Katendrechtsehoofd.
However, she is very much alive and in full use as a hotel, special event location, attraction, wedding location and more. For everyone who has a soft spot for the ss Rotterdam, there is now this richly illustrated ship's biography.

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