One hundred and thirty years ago, in 1873, a new North Atlantic shipping company was founded in Holland as Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij. Holland-America Line has remained as one of the longest serving ship owners in the world. Two small iron steamers, ROTTERDAM and MAAS (later MAASDAM) sailed between Rotterdam and New York in that first year. Today the company, now owned by Carnival Corp., operates a fleet of twelve cruise ships calling at over two hundred ports world-wide. This photo-essay will include images of many of the best known ocean liners and cruise ships that were operated by the company over these many years.

The S.S. STATENDAM Flagship from 1929 until 1938.

Between the wars Holland-America operated a trans-Atlantic service between Rotterdam and New York also calling at Southampton, Le Havre and occasionally Plymouth and Boulogne. In addition to STATENDAM (1929) the fleet consisted of ROTTERDAM (1908) as well as VOLENDAM (1922) and VEENDAM (1923). Since the start of the services in the 19th Century the line used the piers on the Hoboken, New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

The beautiful S.S. NIEUW AMSTERDAM
at the 5th Street Hoboken terminal of the line in 1952.

In 1938 one of the most popular and finest ocean liners ever built entered service as the new flagship. NIEUW AMSTERDAM (1938), a ship of 36,287 gross tons, remained with the company until she was retired in 1973 and eventually scrapped.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

The four images above show S.S. NIEUW AMSTERDAM (1938)
sailing from Holland-America's Pier 40 North River in the 1960's.

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Holland-America poster from the late 1930's.

The European headquarters of Holland-America Line were located in Rotterdam at the Wilhelminakade where their passenger ships docked. The actual offices were situated in an ornate building that is now a hotel.

S.S. ROTTERDAM (1959) and S.S. RYNDAM (1951)
docked at the Wilhelminakade in Rotterdam.

Now the Hotel New York this building formerly housed the Holland-America head office.

In 1938 the new NOORDAM was built for the North Atlantic cargo and passenger services. She could carry 148 First Class passengers and had a very extensive cargo capacity in six cargo holds. After the Second World War ended another similar "Combo-Liner" joined this service. WESTERDAM (1946) was a 12,100 gross ton ship with a passenger capacity of 134 First Class passengers. She made the first post war passenger crossing from Rotterdam in June 1946.

WESTERDAM (1946) was the first post World War II ship to enter service for the line.

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Link to Photo Essay Part Two

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Photo credits: Photographs are, unless otherwise noted, from the collections of the authors.
Sources: "North Atlantic Seaway" - N.R.P. Bonsor, "Going Dutch - The Holland America Line Story" - William H. Miller,
and Holland America Line - http://www.hollandamerica.com

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