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With Reuben Goossens
Maritime Historian,
Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer & Author
Europe Canada
Line
Managed by “Holland America
Line”
MS Seven Seas
ex Nelly,
Long Island, Mormacmail
The Maat
Family heads for the USA
Seven Seas about to depart or yet another Voyage for Canada via
Southampton & New York
George and Riet Maat (seated) with their daughter Toni
Mr.
& Mrs. Maat with their two children, George and Toni, immigrated to the USA from the Netherlands. They departed Rotterdam on MS Seven
Seas, January 4, 1957. During their Atlantic crossing they encountered
wild weather, which was reported as the worst in 35 years. Waves pounded the
ship seeing as she pitched and rolled violently. At times, when the seas were
at their worst, the ship pitched so much that her propellers came high out of
the water making a load spinning noise. Then suddenly as the waves calmed a
little, extreme cold weather saw decks covered with a thin layer of ice and
passengers were not permitted to go outdoors. Due to weather conditions, Seven
Seas took 12 days to reach her destination, New York.
In spite the weather experienced, the Maat family still have
some good memories of the ship itself. Obviously, the voyage would have been
very much better had there been a little sunshine on the way.
1957 Europe Canada
Line Schedule--
Above and below: Passenger List. Family Maat listing is
highlighted by the yellow making
Mr. Maat wrote
…
We found the ship quiet seaworthy,
because many times as we came down from an enormous wave into what seemed a big
hole, we thought the ship would brake in two, but we arrived in one
piece. Huge icicles where all over the deck hanging from
the lifeboats, railing etc. Most people were pretty seasick and
stuck to eating fruit or drinking at the bar to settle their stomachs. The food
was very good, a good choice from a menu. Service was excellent in the cabin as
well as in the dining room. Everything was very clean and kept that way
throughout the voyage. There was a nice lounge with dance floor, but alas,
because of the weather they had the walkways, dining room, lounge, dance
floor and stairways roped off in order for people to be able to hold onto
something when navigating their way around. We tried dancing and I guess,
because we were still young, we did not mind "sliding" from one side
of the dance floor to the other when hitting a wave. Often we would go through
our knees when the ship bottomed out. They covered the tables in the bar and
dining room with wet table cloth’s so the plates and glasses would stay
put. We thought that most passengers were in the dining room during the voyage,
but, we discovered when the ship docked in Halifax
that there were a lot more people leaving the ship than we had seen throughout
the voyage, as Canada
was their destination. They must have all been to sick to come out of
their cabins. We still think of her as a very nice ship. Of course in the 50s
there were not the luxury liners they have now. However, at the time ee considered ourselves lucky even to be able to
obtain tickets on her.
Above Left: 8 year old George Maat trying hard to keep his balance
as the ship rolls during stormy weather
Above Right: 3 year old Toni Maat out on deck during a
calmer day
Mrs. Maat and children, George and Tony
The Maat children in cabin 153
Cabin Keys
We thank George and Riet
Maat for sharing their experience and photographs
with us.
Seven
Seas Index
Page One – Ships
History Page
Page Two – Photo
Album
Page Three - The Maat Families Atlantic crossing
Page
Four - Frans
Mast sails in 1957 to New York
***************************************************
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Commenced in the passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960
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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 only), in order that due credit may
be given. I know what it is like, I have seen a multitude of my own photographs
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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!
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