Veendam, February 21, 1947 thru March 4, 1947...

Veendam, 1823 - 1953

The Veendam that sailed from Rotterdam, The Netherlands on February 21, 1947 to New York and arriving on March 4, 1947 with my father was the second ship with the name of Veendam.

The Veendam was built from 1914 - 1923 by Harland & Wolff of Glasgow, Scotland. The size of the Veendam 572' x 67' x 32', 15,434 tons, powered by 4 steam turbines with a single reduction geared to 2 propellers with a top speed of 15 knots, with a passenger capacity of 1899 (263 1st class, 436 2nd Class and 1200 3rd Class).

The Veendam was initially a passenger ship for Holland America Line, and then served in World War II. It was instrumental in saving the survivors of the British carrier Courageous. It was bombed during the German attack on Rotterdam, then captured by the German on May 11, 1940, used as housing for U-boat crews at Gotenhafen in 1941 and Hamburg in 1942, and damaged by the 8th USAAF Bombers in April, 1945.

The Veendam was returned to Holland America Line after the war in 1946 and reconditioned in Rotterdam before again entering into service between Rotterdam and New York in January of 1947.

The Veendam most significant aspect was the number of Dutch immigrants the ship brought to the United States. With her last voyage in October of 1953, she was sold to Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Baltimore, Maryland and was scrapped.

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Line 1 is Gerrit de Boer, a farmer from Langweer, Friesland, NL

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