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1960 and is now semi-retired, but continues to write articles on classic liners
and cruise ships in order to better to inform cruise and ship enthusiasts for
their pleasure!
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Note:
Photographs,
postcards and images on this page are from the author’s collection
SS Rotterdam Brochures - Page Two
Please Note:
If you arrived at this
page via a search engine: Please read Part One first!
Best wishes,
Reuben Goossens.
Maritime Historian & Founder of the “Save The Classic Liners
Campaign.
And the “Save The SS Rotterdam Campaign.”
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Please note that brochures on this
page are owned and copyright © Reuben Goossens - ssmaritime.com and
they must not be copied for any purpose whatsoever, be it for personal reasons
or to be placed online, etc, unless written permission has been sought!
Introduction to the Brochure:
The brochure featured below is the first edition of a brand new
production and one of the most beautiful and certainly a costly publication to
date. It was printed in January 1965 in the
As we think of the title, “The Big Three” today it may seem
like a joke, for we are really speaking about three ships that are from just
24,366 GRT (Gross Registered Tons), with the largest being the HAL fleet
flagship, the SS Rotterdam at 38,675 GRT.
Back in those days these ships were considered as being large ships! However
today cruise ships are so very different for now they no longer have their hull
laid down and are fully built up piece by piece, but instead they are built on
an assembly line of sorts and everything is prebuilt in sectors and then
hoisted in place and bolted together. Today they build those massive Apartment
(Condo) style cruise ships that can be anything up to 120,000 GRT and there are
some even much bigger with up to 6,000 passengers, which is simply mad!
To be completely honest these new style of
vessels are hideous to say the least, for most are more like huge theme parks
and no longer resemble the days of the great ocean liners, not even those great
liners that became fulltime cruise ships, for today they have lost the original
ideal of what a vacation at sea is supposed to be like. Tragically these days
it is more of a grubby money making concern for the ship owners, like Carnival
Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, etc, as onboard their ships there
are countless optional restaurants and so many packages for their Spa’s,
Gym, Photoshop, Wine, and other packages, birthday, anniversary, and the list
will go on and they will hound you until you go mad! In the day of the SS
Rotterdam and still with today’s modern Holland America Line, although
they may have several optional Restaurants, such as the famed “Hatted Chef” luxurious Pinnacle Grill and the Italian
Canaletto’s, but you will never be approached to book, for the Pinnacle
Grill is usually booked out early in the cruise due to its amazing popularity
as it only costs US$29.00, for a stunning meal served on “BVLGARI” plates and with the
finest Riedel crystal glasses and high quality cutlery. This same dining event on land would cost at least over 180.00 and
then you would hope that the service would be as spectacular as it is on
Holland America Line! But all dining on HAL is simply an event regardless the
Restaurant!
SS Rotterdam’s magnificent Tourist Class
Dining Room in all its grandeur
HAL-Old-Ships-Rotterdam-V-Aft-Rest-Oosterdam
A view of a modern HAL Dining Room on the ms Oosterdam,
but it continues tradition!
Besides the front and back cover this publication has an amazing 22
interior pages and considering that this booklet is printed on a high quality
smooth thick firm paper, much like a quality business card, it certainly would
have been a costly production!
As you open the front cover there is an introduction Page 1 then
opposite on Page 2 is the historic sailing vessel of the 1600s the Halve Maen
with a blueprint of the SS Rotterdam from the builders behind it in the middle.
Then behind Page 1 there is a three-page fold away that has four sides with
various views, these have as pages numbered 3 to 6, with three of these pages
featuring large images of “The Big Three Ships!”
There is no doubt that this brochure is one of the most desirable ship
lover’s collector’s items, especially the first edition which is
very rare indeed! I was very fortunate as I have been dealing what I believe
the very best maritime memorabilia dealers in the world and I have been buying
pieces from them for many years now and I recommend this wonderful concern!
Nautiques is owned and operated by
Please Note: The above is not a paid advertisement but a personal recommendation of Nautiques.net having given me such superb service and so many excellent items over many years and best still at excellent prices! Go and check the site and see the great value of the huge range of wonderful classic brochures, deck plans, or if you are seeking, there is also fine porcelain or dishes and silverware etc., available!
1st.Release
Brochure - January1965
The envelope in which the brochure was posted in to
Mr. William H. at the University at
(Surname on the envelope and part of the address was removed for privacy
reasons)
Front Cover - Featuring “The Big Three”
Ships, sadly the colour on the cover of this edition was not great
Page One - The opening page, being an introduction
to HAL featuring leisure
Page Two - Facing the Introduction page is this view
of the famed Halve Maen and a blue Print of the SS Rotterdam
Page Three - The first of the inside attached three
fold pages
Page Four - SS Rotterdam the HAL flagship
Page Five - The most beautiful Trans-Atlantic Liner
ever constructed, the great SS Nieuw Amsterdam
Page Six - the delightful SS Statendam
Pages Seven & Eight: Featuring technology and
navigation
Pages Nine & Ten: The traditional funnel of the
SS Statendam
Above & below: Pages 11
Above & below: Pages 13 & 14 features a
Suite and the superb Dining Room on the SS Rotterdam
Pages 15 & 16: Revealing further onboard
activities, including for the young ones! Note those stately funnels of the SS
Nieuw Amsterdam!
Pages 17
Pages 19
Pages 21
The Back Cover: Featuring a photo of HAL’s
SS Statendam and two of their passenger-cargo ships
Souvenir Farewell
Diner Menu Platter
Above & below:
A beautiful Delft Blue Farewell Dinner Menu
Plate from the SS Rotterdam World Voyage Jan to Apr 1964
This is the cover of a 1960 One Class cruise
plan
The interior plan is too large to scan I am
afraid, but I do have a SS Rotterdam Deck Plan feature online
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SS Rotterdam INDEX
Part Seven:
SS Rotterdam
1959 Specifications & Engine Room photos by Klaas Krijnen.
Part Eight: Saving
the