SS Veendam (1922)

Date: 1922 to 1953
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: ships

Profile manager: Sven Elbert

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SS Veendam (1922)

The SS Veendam, a Dutch transatlantic liner, has been named Veendam, after the town of Veendam in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. The SS Veendam was launched in Scotland in 1922 and served until its scrapping in the United States in 1953. As a part of the Holland America Line fleet, it was among the first generation of turbine-powered steamships. The ship primarily operated between Rotterdam and Hoboken, New Jersey, and also offered seasonal Caribbean cruises. During World War II, Veendam evacuated European refugees until its capture by German forces in 1940, after which it served as an accommodation ship for the Kriegsmarine. Damaged in air raids, Veendam sank at her moorings between 1943-1945, was raised in 1945, refitted in 1946, and resumed service until 1953.

Veendam's specifications included a length of 575 feet, a beam of 67.3 feet, and a depth of 32.6 feet, with a tonnage of 15,450 GRT. It could accommodate 1,898 passengers across three classes and had a cargo capacity suitable for grain or baled cargo. The ship's propulsion system consisted of two screws and four Brown–Curtis turbines, enabling a speed of 15 knots.

Throughout its service, Veendam encountered several notable events. This included the mysterious disappearances of passengers overboard in 1924 and 1925, a collision in dense fog in 1927, and another collision in New York harbor in 1928. In 1928, it carried the Royal Netherlands Army team to the National Horse Show in New York, and in 1930, the ship was chartered for the New York-Bermuda service.

The ship's accommodation was refitted multiple times to adapt to changing passenger needs, and it played a significant role during the upheavals of the 1930s, including the seamen's strike in 1932 and transporting Jewish refugees from Europe in the late 1930s. During World War II, Veendam was marked for neutrality but was ultimately requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine. The ship's rich history reflects the broader context of maritime travel and conflict in the early to mid-20th century.