A Postcard from fellow ship watcher, Dave.
Built for Holland America Line (HAL) in Rotterdam in the 1950’s, she was the biggest passenger ship ever built in the Netherlands.
At almost 40,000 GRT, 228 metres long, she could carry almost 1,500 passengers on Trans-Atlantic crossings, but also with single-class cruises in mind. The staircase and dividing walls were able to be altered to allow passengers to enjoy the entire ship during cruises.
She was the first ship to be built without traditional funnels. an idea which was taken up by P&O when they build Canberra in 1960.
She served for 38 years with HAL until 1997 when she was sold to Premier Cruise Line (PCL), operating out of the Carribean.
PCL went bankrupt in 2000, and the ship suffered an uncertain fate until she was purchased by a consortium of two Dutch companies, Eurobalance and Woonbron.
She’s currently berthed in her home port of Rotterdam, awaiting refurbishment as a Museum.