Memories of the JVO intro

ssMaritime.com

With Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian

Memories of the JVO

MS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt

Introduction

JVO in her original appearance 1930 – by Mr. C.E.A. van Boeckel
Visit Mr. Van Boekel’s magnificent site at http://www.omnispective.nl/vbp/

Frequent visitors may go directly to the Index HERE

Ship enthusiast’s worldwide love to delve back to a time when "ships were really ships," fo0r it was the era when a passenger liner was a great ocean going ship with a Hotel fitted in them, offering a variety of accommodations. In those days, ships were built with a sheer, unlike the modern cruise liners, which look like huge box like five star hotels, which happen to float. However, in defence and logic, it must be noted that these modern cruise liners do feature accommodations and appointments, which are in fact far superior to the graceful liners of bygone days.

This book is going to deal with a passenger liner, which was a much-loved ship, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. Sadly, she departed Wellington New Zealand on 30 January and Sydney Australia on 3 February 1963 for her final voyage back to Europe. As we will discover, this gracious Dutch liner enjoyed six distinctive lives and several transformations during her long and distinguished career. To this day, she is remembered for her long and difficult name, a name most people had great difficulty in pronouncing. The ship in question is the ms Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. During her thirteen years of regular service to and from New Zealand and Australia (February 1950 to February 1963) this grand lady of the sea became so much loved, that Kiwis and Australians alike lovingly called her the JVO. At the end of her service with the "Netherlands Line" or "Royal Dutch Mails", at the grand age of thirty-three, she was sold to become the Greek cruise liner, TSMS Lakonia, which caught fire on 22 December 1963 and subsequently sank on December 29 with the tragic loss of 128 lives, and many others injured.

For the many who sailed on the JVO, and ship lovers around the world, her loss was a time of great sadness. Sadness for the lives lost, and sadness for the demise of what once was a much loved, a great ship. The tragic events relating to the burning and sinking of the Lakonia assured her a place in maritime history. However, it will be the memory of the JVO, which will remain in the hearts of those that have known and sailed on her, especially for the people of New Zealand and Australia.

This is her story, a story of a ship, which carried the Dutch flag with great pride around the world for 33 years.

Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian

A typical view of the JVO in the early 60’s

Go to Chapter 1

JVO Index

If you have enjoyed this article, and you feel you might have something of interest to add, be it a story photographs, I would appreciate hearing from you - info@ssmaritime.com

Use the Back button on your browser or Close the Page to return to the previous page
or go to our ssmaritime.com INDEX

Who is the Author of ssMaritime?

By Kosta Specis & Hun-Eng Tan

Mr Goossens started in Passenger Shipping in May 1960

Email Me …

info@ssmaritime.com

PLEASE NOTE: I receive hundreds of requests for Passenger/Crew Lists and Sailing Schedules. I hereby wish to advise that I am unable to assist due to time restrains and as most shipping companies have long gone these lists/schedules are no longer available. I regret to advise that any request for these will no longer be answered regardless of the circumstances presented!

ssMaritime

--Our Cruise Pages are located at--

Cruise-Australia.net

Discover Cruising at its Best

Please Note:

Photographs on ssMaritime and Cruise-Australia are: 1. By the author. 2. From the author’s private collection. 3. As provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers. Credit is given to all contributors. However, there are photographs provided to me without details provided regarding the photographer concerned. I hereby invite if owners of these images would be so kind to make them-selves known to me, that due credit may be given. I know what it is like, I have seem a multitude of my own photographs on other sites, yet they either refuse to give me credit and even refuse to remove them, knowing full well that there is no legal comeback when it comes to the net. However, let us show the charlatans up and do the right thing at all times and give credit where credit is due! Note: I do not credit those who send me photos as they are not the owners of the photographs concerned, unless the image is part of their private collection.

This notice covers all pages, although, we have done our best to ensure that all photographs are duly credited and that this notice is displaced on each page, that is, when a page is updated!

melbourne dry cleaners Counter