Click the logo above to reach
the ssMaritime FrontPage for News Updates & “Ship of the Month”
With Reuben Goossens
Maritime
Historian,
Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer & Author
MS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt
The
night the JVO almost went down
Story provided by Tom Boelen
My father came up the
idea of migrating early in 1959. Even though he owned a cigar
shop in The Hague, he found that the future of a family with seven children in
the Netherlands
in those days were not encouraging. Thus, he contacted various migration
information organisations, and found that Australia would be the destination,
especially being able to travel there without having to pay for the voyage. The
city of choice was Brisbane.
The Boelen Family on the
Java Kade (wharf) just prior to boarding the JVO
Provided by Tom Boelen
As for me, I worked in the
merchant navy as from 1957, with my first voyage being on a Shell company
tanker. Thereafter I worked as a steward on VNS (Holland-Africa Line) ships
until my departure on the Johan
van Oldenbarnevelt. Although, I
was old enough to work, I had to go with my family, as I was still legally
underage. I certainly was not happy to go to Australia, as I wanted to continue
as a seaman, rather than go to Downunder.
Migrants going
through the formalities of boarding the JVO
bound for their new homes in Australia
and New Zealand
Provided by Tom Boelen
With ticket
and other documents in hand, we boarded the JVO on the 26th of June
1959. From Amsterdam we sailed via Southampton, Port Said, Aden
to Australia
- (see schedule).
For me the voyage was a wonderful holiday, however, when possible, I assisted
the crew with a few duties, one of these assisting in the Neptunus
Pool Bar on Upper Deck. Our first Australian port was Fremantle. After the
usual Immigration checks, we departed in the evening on Friday 24 July 1959,
steaming for Melbourne.
JVO seen
arriving in Fremantle
P photograph
by the Fremantle Port Authority
We departed Fremantle at
6 pm, the two hours later we ended up in a horrific
storm with 15 to 20 meter waves. Portholes were smashed in the aft restaurant
on B Deck resulting with almost 1.5 meter of water in the dinning room. Tables
and chairs were floating around.
Aft Dinning Room
Up on
Lounge deck a huge wave crashed into the Verandah/Cinema Lounge and most chairs
and tables were washed overboard. You can imagine the utter panic that set in
amongst the passengers. The JVO pitched and swerved so severely, it came to a
point, were she could have gone down. Fearing the worst most passengers wore
their life jackets, as we were afraid that it was to be our last voyage.
Tragically, the ships pianist, Mr.
J A
van Diepenbeek,
was attempting to tie down the piano, when the piano violently smashed into
him, killing him instantly. He was 55 years old. All over the ship there were
badly wounded passengers, and it amazes me to this
day, that none was actually washed overboard, as even
furniture, high up on the upper decks were swept overboard by the massive
waves that engulfed the ship.
Verandah/Cinema Lounge
The truth is, in all my
years at sea I have never experienced anything like it again. I am grateful to
the seamanship of Captain Peter
A. de Groote,
for it was though his experience JVO escaped a catastrophe.
We arrived in Melbourne
approximately 24 hours late. Over thirty wounded passengers were taken off the
ship and transported to local hospitals for attention. Sadly, later we heard
that one lady had been so badly hurt that she passed away whilst still in hospital.
JVO seen arriving in Sydney
Most passengers,
including my mother did not wish to go on to Sydney
on the JVO, and many disembarked. However, we did stay onboard and sailed to Sydney, were we caught
a train heading to Brisbane
being our destination. Upon arrival, we were taken to the immigrant camp, Wacol.
Once there, I did not
stay very long, as in October 1960, I decided to go to Sydney
and search for a position on a Dutch ship. I was very lucky, as the 2nd
steward of the Amstelmeer’s had jumped ship,
thus I was able to take his place. After enjoying my travels at sea, I returned
to the Netherlands,
where I continued sailing with a number of companies, including Holland America
Line, and VSN.
An article in a Melbourne Sun 28, or 30 July 1959
Provided by Tom Boelen
Tom’s
parents have sadly passed away, but he returns to Brisbane when
he can to visit his family. The author thanks Tom Boelen
for his story. It proves that an ocean voyage can provide a variey
of memories, joyful, adventurous, sad and even tragic ones as in the case of
the pianist
Family Passage
Ticket
Provided
by Tom Boelen
Schedule
Provided by Tom Boelen
JVO Index
Chapters
with an * were recently updated
Introduction Remembering the JVO
Chapter 1 The New Pride of the Netherlands
Chapter 2 JVO the Trooper
Chapter 3 A New Service
Chapter 4 New Lease of Life
*
Chapter 5 JVO the Cruise Ship *
Chapter 6 Goodbye JVO *
Chapter 7 Cruise Ship TSMS Lakonia
Chapter 8 Lakonia's Final Voyage *This Chapter
has 17 new photographs and stories – Dec 2009
Chapter 9 The End is Near
Chapter 10 Conclusion
*
Passenger
stories
Page One Boelen Family – The
night the JVO almost went down
Page Two - NEW Pieter
Goldhoorn –1947 – a
soldier’s voyage to the East Indies (Indonesia)
Page Three William Hamlyn
– 1945 Royal Signalman’s voyage home from wartime
duties
Page Four
- NEW Laszlo
Pal – A Voyage to Canada
Page Five – NEW Harold Heasman – His service on the JVO from March 1942 to August 1943
***********************************
Use the Back button on your browser or Close the
Page to return to the previous page
or go to our INDEX
Who is the Author of ssMaritime?
Commenced
in the passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960
ssMaritime.com & ssMaritime.net
Where
the ships of the past make history & the 1914 built MV Doulos Story
Also
visit my …
“Save The Classic Liners Campaign”
& “Classic Ocean Voyages” pages
Photographs
on ssmaritime and associate pages are by the author
or from the author’s private collection. In addition there are some
images that have been provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers
or collectors. Credit is given to all contributors. However, there are some
photographs provided to me without details regarding the photographer/owner
concerned. I hereby invite if owners of these images would be so kind to make
them-selves known to me (my email address may be found on www.ssmaritime.com only), in order that due credit may
be given. I know what it is like, I have seen a multitude of my own photographs
on other sites, yet these individuals either refuse to provide credit or remove
them when asked, knowing full well that there is no legal comeback when it
comes to the net. However, let us show these charlatans up and do the right
thing at all times and give credit where credit is due!
This notice covers all
pages, although, and I have done my 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!
ssMaritime
is owned and © Copyright by Reuben Goossens - All Rights Reserved