MS Westerdam
Encyclopedia
MS
Westerdam is a Vista Class
cruise ship owned by Holland America Line
's Vista Class
. She is the third ship of the class to be operated by the line, as well as being the third ship to bear the moniker Westerdam. It is sister to the MS Oosterdam
, MS Zuiderdam
, and the MS Noordam
. The names of the four ships translate to the four directions of the compass in Dutch. The ship was christened on April 25, 2004 in Venice, Italy by Dutch actress Renée Soutendijk
.
In 2010 the ship visits Europe. There she visits the Mediterranean in spring and fall; the Norwegian Fjords and the British Isles in summer, and in late August the ship cruises up to the North Cape
before returning to Southern Europe. In the winter season she operates in the Caribbean
.
In 2011 Westerdam will visit the Panama Canal
in spring and fall, and during the summer period Alaska
. In winter she will cruise the Caribbean.
As with all Vista-class ships, Westerdam is equipped with a diesel-electric
power plant and an Azipod
propulsion system, and eighty-five percent of her staterooms have ocean views and sixty-seven percent have verandah
s. The theme of her art collection is Dutch heritage in the New World
. Paintings of historic Dutch ships, such as Henry Hudson
's Halve Maen
(Half Moon), and various sculptures and statues are displayed throughout the ship. Contemporary pieces include an original Andy Warhol
portrait and sculptures by Sedona artist Susanna Holt. In April 2007, as part of Holland America Line's "Signature of Excellence" program, modifications to the ship were done to add 34 staterooms, as well as modifications to several public areas of the ship.
, south of Kluane National Park, Alaska
, Westerdam struck ice and incurred hull damage 15 feet (4.57 m) below the waterline.
. The Germans
raised the ship in September 1944, but it was quickly sunk by the Dutch
underground forces. After being raised a second time, the resistance
again sank it on January 17, 1945. The ship was finally completed and went on to be a regular on the transatlantic run making two eight-day crossings each month between Rotterdam and New York. She ended her career on February 4, 1965 when she was sold to Spain as scrap.
The second Westerdam began service as the Homeric for Home Lines
in 1986. Holland America Line acquired the ship in 1988 where the ship was lengthened in 1989 by 130 feet. After 643 cruises spanning over 13 years with Holland America, she was transferred to sister company, Costa Crociere in 2002, and renamed the Costa Europa
. Since then she has been placed on a ten year lease to Thomson Cruises, active as of April 2010, and renamed once more as MS Thomson Dream.
Motor ship
A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The name of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V.- See also :...
Westerdam is a Vista Class
Vista class
The Vista class is a class of Panamax-type cruise ships, built by Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, in Italy. Vista class cruise ships are operated by Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, Cunard Line and Costa Cruises. The ships are equipped with a diesel-electric power plant and an Azipod propulsion...
cruise ship owned by Holland America Line
Holland America Line
The Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company , a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line...
's Vista Class
Vista class
The Vista class is a class of Panamax-type cruise ships, built by Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, in Italy. Vista class cruise ships are operated by Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, Cunard Line and Costa Cruises. The ships are equipped with a diesel-electric power plant and an Azipod propulsion...
. She is the third ship of the class to be operated by the line, as well as being the third ship to bear the moniker Westerdam. It is sister to the MS Oosterdam
MS Oosterdam
MS Oosterdam is a cruise ship of Holland America Line, a division of Carnival Corporation. As the second addition to Holland America's Vista-class of ships, Oosterdam is sister to the , , and...
, MS Zuiderdam
MS Zuiderdam
MS Zuiderdam is a Vista class cruise ship owned and operated by Holland America Line. It is the first of the Vista class ships, so named for the extensive use of glass in their superstructure. It is sister to the Oosterdam, Westerdam, and the Noordam...
, and the MS Noordam
MS Noordam
MS Noordam is a member of Holland America Line's Vista class. The ship was christened on February 22, 2006, in New York City by the actress Marlee Matlin. Noordam is a sister ship of MS Oosterdam, MS Westerdam, MS Zuiderdam and P&O Cruises' MS Arcadia...
. The names of the four ships translate to the four directions of the compass in Dutch. The ship was christened on April 25, 2004 in Venice, Italy by Dutch actress Renée Soutendijk
Renée Soutendijk
Renette Pauline Soutendijk, known as Renée Soutendijk, is a Dutch actress. She was a favorite star of director Paul Verhoeven's films and is perhaps best known for her work in his 1980 release Spetters. Her good looks and striking blond hair secured her status as a Dutch sex symbol in the 1980s...
.
In 2010 the ship visits Europe. There she visits the Mediterranean in spring and fall; the Norwegian Fjords and the British Isles in summer, and in late August the ship cruises up to the North Cape
North Cape
North Cape may refer to:*North Cape, Prince Edward Island*North Cape, New Zealand*North Cape, Norway, also known as Nordkapp*North Cape, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community...
before returning to Southern Europe. In the winter season she operates in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
In 2011 Westerdam will visit the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
in spring and fall, and during the summer period Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. In winter she will cruise the Caribbean.
As with all Vista-class ships, Westerdam is equipped with a diesel-electric
Diesel-electric
Diesel-electric transmission or diesel-electric powertrain is used by a number of vehicle and ship types for providing locomotion.A diesel-electric transmission system includes a diesel engine connected to an electrical generator, creating electricity that powers electric traction motors...
power plant and an Azipod
Azipod
Azipod is the registered brand name of the ABB Group for their azimuth thruster. Originally developed in Finland jointly by Kvaerner Masa-Yards dockyards and ABB, these are marine propulsion units consisting of electrically driven propellers mounted on a steerable pod.The pod's propeller usually...
propulsion system, and eighty-five percent of her staterooms have ocean views and sixty-seven percent have verandah
Verandah
A veranda or verandah is a roofed opened gallery or porch. It is also described as an open pillared gallery, generally roofed, built around a central structure...
s. The theme of her art collection is Dutch heritage in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. Paintings of historic Dutch ships, such as Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator in the early 17th century. Hudson made two attempts on behalf of English merchants to find a prospective Northeast Passage to Cathay via a route above the Arctic Circle...
's Halve Maen
Halve Maen
The Halve Maen was a Dutch East India Company vlieboot which sailed into what is now New York harbor in September 1609. It was commissioned by the Dutch Republic to covertly find an eastern passage to China...
(Half Moon), and various sculptures and statues are displayed throughout the ship. Contemporary pieces include an original Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
portrait and sculptures by Sedona artist Susanna Holt. In April 2007, as part of Holland America Line's "Signature of Excellence" program, modifications to the ship were done to add 34 staterooms, as well as modifications to several public areas of the ship.
Incident and accidents
On May 10, 2011 while maneuvering through Yakutat BayYakutat Bay
Yakutat Bay is a 29-km-wide bay in the U.S. state of Alaska, extending southwest from Disenchantment Bay to the Gulf of Alaska. "Yakutat" is a Tlingit name reported as "Jacootat" and "Yacootat" by Yuri Lisianski in 1805....
, south of Kluane National Park, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Westerdam struck ice and incurred hull damage 15 feet (4.57 m) below the waterline.
Past Westerdam ships
The first Westerdam sailed for Holland America Line from 1946 to 1965. It was a combined cargo/passenger ship with accommodations for 143 first-class passengers. While being constructed during World War II, this ship was sunk three times before making its maiden voyage. It was bombed and sunk by Allied forces on August 27, 1942 in the shipyard in RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. The Germans
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
raised the ship in September 1944, but it was quickly sunk by the Dutch
Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized by its prominent non-violence, summitting in over 300,000 people in hiding in the autumn of 1944, tended to by some 60,000 to 200,000 illegal landlords and caretakers and tolerated knowingly...
underground forces. After being raised a second time, the resistance
Resistance during World War II
Resistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns...
again sank it on January 17, 1945. The ship was finally completed and went on to be a regular on the transatlantic run making two eight-day crossings each month between Rotterdam and New York. She ended her career on February 4, 1965 when she was sold to Spain as scrap.
The second Westerdam began service as the Homeric for Home Lines
Home Lines
Home Lines was an Italian passenger shipping company that operated both ocean liners and cruise ships. The company was founded in 1946, and it ceased operations in 1988 when merged into Holland America Line. Although based in Genoa, Homes Lines was an international company with ships registered in...
in 1986. Holland America Line acquired the ship in 1988 where the ship was lengthened in 1989 by 130 feet. After 643 cruises spanning over 13 years with Holland America, she was transferred to sister company, Costa Crociere in 2002, and renamed the Costa Europa
Costa Europa
MS Thomson Dream is a cruise ship currently owned by Costa Cruises and operated under charter by Thomson Cruises. She was built in 1986 at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, West Germany as MS Homeric for Home Lines. In 1988 she was sold to Holland America Line and renamed MS Westerdam. In 1990...
. Since then she has been placed on a ten year lease to Thomson Cruises, active as of April 2010, and renamed once more as MS Thomson Dream.