It has been reported that the COPA CASINO sank, on March 16, 2003, off the coast of the Dominican Republic while under tow to the ship breakers. The turbine steamer, built in The Netherlands in 1951, started life as RYNDAM, a post World War II innovative liner with almost all her accomodation devoted to Tourist Class. Only 39 passengers were carried in an upper-deck area of the ship. The remainder of the liner's accomodation was set aside for 854 Tourist Class passengers. For 20 years the 15,015 gross ton RYNDAM was a regular caller at the Port of New York, arriving for the first time on July 25, 1951. She and her sister-ship MAASDAM, completed in 1952, criss-crossed the Atlantic between Rotterdam and New York.
S.S. RYNDAM, an early Holland-America Line postcard.
(John McFarlane Collection)
Although popular with tourists while in regular service, in 1966, RYNDAM was transferred to Europe-Canada Line under the West German flag.
She continued to call at New York as well as at Canadian ports while sailing from Bremen and Bremerhaven.
The above two photographs show RYNDAM, in Europe-Canada Line livery
sailing from New York on July 22, 1967.
(Theodore W. Scull Collection)
During the 1960's RYNDAM occasionally took on some longer voyages,
including some that were "campus afloat" sailings.
A few of these voyages were around-the-World sailings.
In May 1968 she was briefly renamed WATERMAN but in October 1968 the name RYNDAM was retained
and she sailed in North Atlantic service as well as being used on cruises.
RYNDAM berthing at Sydney, Australia in an undated photo.
(Theodore W. Scull Collection)
In the early 1970's RYNDAM was sold out of the fleet and purchased for the Epirotiki Line of Greece.
She was rebuilt as a cruiseship and renamed ATLAS. The ship cruised in the Aegean,
Baltic, Caribbean and South American waters.
ATLAS seen at Kusadasi, August 13, 1987.
(Theodore W. Scull Photo)
Cruise business decreased in the late 1980's due to terrorist threats in the Mediterranean area and ATLAS was laid up. She was then sold to an American consortium for use as a floating casino. Renamed first PRIDE OF MISSISSIPPI and then PRIDE OF GALVESTON, she occasionally sailed on "cruises to nowhere". Finally in 1993 she was given a reconditioning and a permanent mooring at Gulfport, Mississippi and renamed COPA CASINO. The ship eventually found her way to a lay up berth in Mobile, Alabama and it was from there, on March 3, 2003, that the tug FAIRPLAY XIV began to tow the former RYNDAM to the ship breakers. The tug and her tow were destined for Alang, India. Similar to several recent classic liners headed for the ship breakers at Alang, RYNDAM did not make it. She sank at a depth of 2,500 meters off the coast of the Dominican Republic on March 16, 2003.
(Sources:Maritime Matters [www.maritimematters.com], "Great Passenger Ships of the World", Volume 5 - Arnold Kludas,
and "Going Dutch - The Holland America Line Story" - William H. Miller)
