SS Nieuw Amsterdam 1964 - Ton van der Meer

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With Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian, Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer, Author & Lecturer

Please Note: All ssMaritime and my other related ssMaritime sites are 100% non-commercial and privately owned sites. Be assured that I am NOT associated with any cruise or shipping companies or travel/cruise agencies or any other organisations! The author has been in the passenger shipping industry since May 1960 and is now semi-retired, but continues to write article on classic liners and cruise ships in order to better to inform cruise and ship enthusiasts for their pleasure!

The “Spotless Fleet”

S.S. Nieuw Amsterdam

PLEASE NOTE:

This feature will be completely updated in the near future with brand new photographic

and & exciting artistic material never seen before, as well as additional historic information!

Family van der Meer depart Rotterdam in 1964

Photographs by Mart van der Meer

SS Nieuw Amsterdam one of the truly great Trans Atlantic Liners

ssMaritime: From the author’s private collection

In August (possibly September) 1964 Ton van der Meer was just 10 years old, however he remembers the day well when he, his Father, Mother, his little sister and Mothers Aunt Lena went to farewell Mothers Aunt Bertha who was returning home on the Nieuw Amsterdam to New York. In those days passengers were still allowed to bring guests on board to see them off. The experience and being able to view the ships interiors with its grand lounges and wide open deck spaces left quite an impression on Ton. Since then he has come to admire and love the grand liners of yesteryear.

Ton sent us five fine photographs taken on that day in 1964 by his father, Mr. Mart van der Meer. Sadly ten years later in 1974 this fine ship was broken up at Kaohsiung Taiwan. She was lovingly called “The Darling of The Netherlands” had suddenly she had gone! No other ship could, or would ever replace her.

However the new SS Rotterdam became a very popular ship as time went on and she became greatly loved around the globe first as a fine liner and later as a superb luxury cruise ship. After a great deal of hard work she survives today as a hotel in her homeport of Rotterdam having been fully restored to her original self after been saved from the breakers! The author was one of the very first to commence the “Save the SS Rotterdam Campaign.” See the link to this ship in the links section at the bottom of the page!

Reuben Goossens.

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From the left we see my seven-year-old sister Lily, Mothers Aunt Lena, my Mother Thea who is now 81 years old, my Mothers Aunt Bertha who was returning home to the USA and me just 10 on the right. My Father Mart took all the photographs. My Father past way in 1996 aged 74 years.

After our outing on the aft deck we walked along the long fully glassed enclosed Promenade Deck

Aunt Bertha is seen on the left up on Boat Deck

Late in the afternoon SS Nieuw Amsterdam sets off into the sunset sailing pst Rotterdam’s famed Euro Mast

Surrounded by tugs and River Barges, SS Nieuw Amsterdam slips gracefully down the Maas River heading for the North Sea

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A special thank you to Ton van der Meer for sharing these photographs of Aunt Bertha’s departure on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam.

SS Nieuw Amsterdam Index:

Page One … The ships history 1937 to 1974.

Photo Album … View her fine interiors as well as exterior shots.

Photo Album … Photographs provided by Ton van der Meer - This Page.

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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), in order that due credit may be given.

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!