The Rotterdam , built for the Holland-Amerika-Lijn , was used in the liner service between Rotterdam and New York with a stopover in Le Havre . She left Rotterdam on September 3, 1959 on her maiden voyage with the destination New York. Crown Princess Beatrix was among the passengers . When transatlantic air traffic became more and more important, the route was discontinued in 1971 after more than ten years. From 1971 the Rotterdam , still sailing under the Dutch flag, was used for the Holland-Amerika-Lijn on cruises around the globe. The most common destinations were the Caribbean and Alaska .
SS Rotterdam 1997 in Juneau (Alaska)
After a last gala trip under Captain Peter Bos, the Rotterdam was sold on September 30, 1997 and replaced by the new Rotterdam . The buyer was the US shipping company Premier Cruises . The ship was given the new name Rembrandt . In 2000 the American shipping company got into financial difficulties, so that the Rembrandt was taken out of service and anchored in Freeport in the Bahamas . The future of the old Rotterdam was completely uncertain at this point.
After three years, in 2003 the Dutch steamship company Rotterdam BV bought the cruise ship and thus came under the Dutch flag again. The Rembrandt got its old name back, Rotterdam . In 2004 the ship was subjected to an asbestos clean-up and maintenance work at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Gibraltar . In the same year the Rotterdam steamship company passed into the hands of the Port of Rotterdam Authority. Between December 2004 and 2009 negotiations took place with the Hotel Cruiseship Operations 2 (HCO2) to use the ship in the Maashaven as a hotel, restaurant and casino. A complete renovation of asbestos planned in 2005 had to be omitted due to the high costs. So the ship got new owners again: Woonbron and Eurobalance BV . It was integrated into the newly founded company De Rotterdam BV and the asbestos removal was awarded to a special shipyard in Cádiz , Spain . Thereafter, the Rotterdam was in Wilhelmshaven , Germany , and was renovated. The transfer of the ship to Rotterdam, originally planned for 2006, was delayed due to the extensive renovation work, in particular the further removal of asbestos and the multiple changes to the usage plan. So all work was not completed until summer 2008 and the ship reached Rotterdam, where it was given its final resting place in front of Katendrecht . In 2009 it was opened to the public. In 2013 WestCord Hotels bought the ship and operate it at the same location in Rotterdam as a museum, hotel and event ship.
SS Rotterdam in 2008
Use since 2009
The ship has been used multifunctionally since 2009. During the day, as a museum ship, it is one of the focal points for visitors in the Rotterdam tourism sector. Several hundred people visit it every day and take numerous tours around it. Former crew members give tours on board. In the evenings the focus is on catering, at night it is used as a hotel ship with 254 cabins. In addition, several rooms can be rented.
literature
Siemen van Berkum: Op reis met de Rotterdam. Schiedam: Scriptum, 2019, ISBN 978-94-6319203-3
Arnout Guns, Nico Guns: SS Rotterdam. A scheep biography. Zutphen: Walburg Pers, 2015, ISBN 978-94-6249-031-4
Simon B. Kool, Ruud Visschedijk: De Rotterdam. Boegbeeld van de vooruitgang. (Exhibition catalog Nederlands Fotomuseum), Rotterdam 2006, ISBN 90-5662-491-1
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