TSS Rotterdam (1959) "The Dutch Beauty"

[@annteve]

I worked as a Shore Excursions Officer on the SS Rotterdam on the Alaska Inside Passages Cruise (1981 Vancouver, British Columbia to Juneau, Alaska, return; 1982 San Francisco, California to Juneau, Alaska, return). The ship was truly magnificent. The officers were all Dutch, crew was Indonesian, ship’s musicians were Filipinos, entertainment was American and Canadian, ship’s boutique staff and photographers were British, and the excursion staff (Westours) were American and Canadian. It was magical. The Shore Excursion Office was on the Bridge Deck (the upper most deck of the ship) facing aft overlooking the tennis court. All day as we cruised I was able to look up and see the magnificence of Alaska pass by my window. Off duty, I could enjoy a beer in the Officers’ Lounge, or even go on the bridge. My time on the ship predated the construction of the Pan Pacific Cruise Terminal in Vancouver.

[@bomaganteart2648]

Ann Teve my brother also worked that ship.its the same year that you are there.He worked as GP in kitchen.

[@leonardodigrazia9758]

I think she's got one of the most distinctive and beautiful profiles for a liner. Especially for the well-distributed superstructure and the balance between the radar and the so original funnels.

[@tylerfrederick246]

Rotterdam was a very beautiful Dutch Lady.

[@seansparks2803]

The ROTTERDAM WAS a very beautiful Dutch lady! The Rotterdam is STILL very much a beautiful Dutch lady, she's still a beautiful Dutch lady and still very much alive for all to see as a hotel and museum ship in the Port of Rotterdam. The Holland America Line Rotterdam wasn't called the "Grande Dame of the Seas" for nothing 😉

[@stuntmanstu1]

I sailed on her with my mother and sister back in July 1975 from New York to the Bahamas and Bermuda on a week cruise. She was huge at the time. Now she’s dwarfed by so many massive cruise liners. I still recall some fond memories of sounds and smells emanating from the working part of the ship. A true classic liner with beautiful lines. Not like the floating box shaped cities we have now.

[@edwardbetschart8020]

as a 10 year old boy 1965..I enjoy''d a transatlantic cruise from New Jersey to Rotterdam. mostly by the kitchencrew. my parent's and brother Wendel stood upstairs. we travelled 2nd class. as a gift by leaving the Ship, we kids received a Sailordolly with porcellan head. ( i still have them ).!! now in a age of 62 i still like to see and even visit the Royal SS Rotterdam in Holland.

[@sealover5861]

It' nice to know that she's saved. There are only eight real ocean liners left in the World, two are still in service, four are hotels/museums (including this) and two with an unsafe future, the SS United States and the MS Queen Elizabeth 2.

[@hardcasekara6409]

We could have had 9 had American Star not run aground and brake in half...and then sunk... she shall be missed.

[@sealover5861]

Yes, she was a beautiful ship, almost the same size as SS Rotterdam. The most unlikely surviver is the MS Stockholm (1946). She still sails as MV Astoria as the oldest ocean going ship in the World still in service. She became famous for the sinking of the SS Andrea Doria in 1956.

[@hardcasekara6409]

sealover Yeah... also don't forget the Twins... S.S. Constitution and S.S. Independence poor girls... atleast Constitution sank her self to avoid the scrappers...

[@hardcasekara6409]

Secret 66 They care mostly about there big girls.... well expect Olympia... and Texas poor old girl is sinking in her own port...

[@lv5272]

+Secret 66 The SS Rotterdam was not buyed by the city of Rotterdam. They gave free space to the ship in Europoort but the ship is saved by money from the government. Not the city. That is why those ships are saved, the SS United States does not have that unfortunatly.

[@RGS3]

My father worked on board this wonderful ship. 😃

[@MrArcher7]

My father once sailed aboard this wonderful ship.

[@1940limited]

It's so nice the pride nation's took in their accomplishments at one time with huge crows turning out for such an event as the launching of a new ship. You don't see that today.

[@paullewis2413]

Why would you when the vast majority are hideous floating shopping malls.

[@joemancini327]

@@paullewis2413 exactly

[@andrewbrendan1579]

Wonderful presentation! What a pleasure to see so much movie footage. I first became aware of the Rotterdam in the mid-1970's when she already had the midnight blue hull. I'm so glad this outstanding liner had so many years of service and is now in a dignified "retirement" as an hotel ship. She has such beauty and dignity. Many years ago in Cruise Travel magazine someone wrote an editorial letter talking about how they had sailed to Alaska on the Rotterdam and the sense of pride they felt when ashore someone who saw the ship said, "It's the Rotterdam".

[@annteve]

Andrew Brendan Because of it’s draft, the SS Rotterdam anchored in the Gastineau Channel at Juneau. There were a few occasions each summer when the sailing was delayed into twilight (being so far north the sun didn’t set until 11:00 pm). I have magnificent photographs of the ship out in the channel, fully illuminated against the orange twilight sky-it was truly breathtaking to behold. No other ship compared.

[@bluerazor7049]

Damn she is a beautuful old girl in silver and blue color. I wish she was in service but age, cost and other things meant she had to be put as a museum.

[@seansparks2803]

Well at least she is a museum and saved for generations to come other than being scrapped like so many of her contemporaries including the magnificent former SS FRANCE which should have been saved by the French as they had the opportunity to do so before NCL decided to send her to scrap in 2005. The Rotterdam would never pass the current Solas requirements so it was inevitable that she wouldn't have continued in commercial service. Thankfully the people and the city of Rotterdam came to her rescue before the scrap merchants got hold of her which would have been terrible. Museum ship's such as the Rotterdam are very difficult to maintain but she has been a resounding success since she's been back at her home port of Rotterdam. The Queen Elizabeth 2 in Dubai has been fantastically restored and is also functioning well as a hotel and museum ship. It takes a lot of money and a lot of guts to preserve ship's of this stature that's why so many aren't saved. The Queen Mary at Long Beach California has had her ups and downs during her time as a hotel and museum ship but she seems to have settled down now after new ownership and investment. All we need now is for someone to make the United States into a hotel and museum ship as she's been decaying for the last 51 years, although nothing is left of her interiors which makes it a near impossible task.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

A very clean and nordic looking ship, great design and still modern

[@seansparks2803]

The ROTTERDAM was built in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and owned by the Holland America Line, in what way is she "Nordic" looking?

[@Miyukizxz]

It would be cool if the SS Rotterdam becomes a ocean liner.

[@jeniabaron6773]

Wonderful ! Many thanks

[@airaero5473]

The SS Rotterdam is the only surviving ship from Premier Cruise Lines

[@PsPuNkS]

Nice Man

[@jstarhd8760]

How is the name of the music in the end

[@samuelschut3297]

dit schip bestaat nog steeds.

[@corvanha1]

Asbestos queen

[@matthewlee620]

cOO丨

[@1940limited]

All the lifeboats these ships carried post-Titanic and they were never needed.

[@johnclayden1670]

And Titanic was one of the only ships where all available lifeboats were able to be launched. In other disasters, eg RMS Lusitania and SS Andrea Doria, the stricken vessel either listed so much that one side or the other could not be launched or went down so fast that there was insufficient time to launch all boats (eg HMHS Britannic).

[@joemancini327]

@@johnclayden1670 the Costa Concordia Suffered the same fate

[@daviddaniells7213]

o

[@corvanha1]

Could have built a lot of houses from the restoration money! A shame! Should have been scrapped!

[@vierstrat]

beautiful, but food not as good an on Italian liners

[@HvdPligt]

Titus Vierstra machienekamer ss Rotterdam

[@WDub99]

Ss rotterdam is zoveel mooier dan Italiaanse liners