17 Feb 2018 | News
When the ss Rotterdam left the Holland America Line fleet in 1997 some engineers took builders’ plates from the engine room as a souvenir. We are glad they did it, because who knows what had happened to the plates during the stay at the Bahama’s and during renovation. Fortunately many plates have been handed over to our foundation, some of them on loan. Thanks to Ronald Stolk and Martin Smit. We made replica’s to replace them in the engine room. The funds were raised by Jaap Danhof and Leo Knape.
The generator room in 1993 with the original builders’ plate of the Rotterdam Drydock Company picture Klaas Krijnen
Our board member Koos Sanderse with the replica picture Klaas Krijnen
The replica has been mounted on the original spot. Mind the (new) clock which shows about the same time as in 1993 pictures Klaas Krijnen
The replica of the builders’ plate of boiler 4, delivered by De Schelde picture Klaas Krijnen
17 Feb 2018 | News
Our volunteers restored the lions in the arms of the city of Rotterdam on B-deck and polished the brass periscope on the bridge.
The arms of the city of Rotterdam by Nico Witteman on B-deck picture Klaas Krijnen
During restoration picture Jan-Willem Koene
The lions after restoration by our volunteer Jan Egberts pictures Klaas Krijnen
The brass periscope of the magnetic compass on the bridge, polished by our volunteer Aart Leemans picture Klaas Krijnen
17 Jan 2018 | News
The ss Rotterdam in the Maashaven. Picture Klaas Krijnen
30 Dec 2017 | News
© picture Jan-Willem Koene
19 Nov 2017 | News
On the bridge a Radio Direction Finder (RDF) is connected to an antenna on the wheelhouse top. The RDF was compulsory until the end of the nineties of the former century. It was introduced before Decca, Loran-C and GPS came into use. With the RDF one could find the position of the ship by hearing and combining several beacons. The RDF was not necessary anymore when the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) was introduced (courtesy of the PI4HAL transmitting society on board the ss Rotterdam). During the eighties the original circular antenna on the ss Rotterdam was replaced by a square one as shown on the following picture (Picture Koos Sanderse).
This summer Hilckmann Maritiem in Nijmegen offered a circular antenna, probably used on the ss Nieuw Amsterdam (scrapped in 1974). With funding of WestCord Hotels the antenna was bought and transported to Rotterdam. Thanks to Mammoet the antenna (100 kilo) was hoisted to the wheelhouse top (Picture Paul Kitsz).
Our volunteers mounted the antenna on its place (Picture Koos Sanderse)
Our volunteer Jan Tjassens Keiser made the following picture at the end of the day.
