The Holland-America Lines (HAL) Volendam has become a regular visitor from the time of its first visit to Port Chalmers on October 31, 2008. It was back for the 22nd time last Friday and the Port Otago cruise ship schedule lists the vessel to make a further 14 visits up to December, 2012. It will be replaced by the larger 81,769gt, 1968-berth Oosterdam.
Both ships were built by the Fincantieri Breda shipyard at Venice. Oosterdam was handed over in July, 2003, and the 60,906gt, Volendam during October, 1999.
The latter vessel is also the third passenger ship in the fleet to carry this name. The first was built at the Govan, Glasgow, shipyard of Harland & Wolff. Completed in October, 1922, Volendam was a 15,4343gt, 15-knot, twin-screw turbine steamer, having two funnels and two masts.
It is of interest to note that in comparison to the current 1824-berth, purpose-built cruise ship, the much smaller ship of 1922, carried 1899 passengers, many of them emigrants, in three classes.
The ship made its maiden voyage from Rotterdam to New York on November 4, 1922. When war broke out the ship was at sea and for a time continued sailing to New York from British ports. On August 30, 1940, while travelling in a westbound convoy, the ship was torpedoed by U-60 when about 200 miles northwest of Bloody Foreland. There was one loss of life from the complement of 879.
Volendam was taken in tow and beached on the Isle of Bute. It was later refloated and towed to the Cammell Laird yard at Birkenhead. Following repairs that occupied 10 months, the steamer re-entered service as a troop ship. Reconditioned after the war and with berths reduced to 585 in two classes, the ship made its last crossing of the North Atlantic in November, 1951. It was then sold to Dutch shipbreakers and in February, 1952, arrived at Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht for demolition.
The second ship of the name had a far more varied career, with an interesting list of owners and name changes. Built at Pascagoula by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, it was launched as Brasil on December 16, 1957, and delivered on September 4, 1958.
This 15,527gt was the first of two sister ships. Argentina followed three months later, built for Moore McCormack Lines' New York-South American service. With berths for 553 first-class passengers they were twin-screw, steam turbine vessels, having a speed of 22 knots.
By late 1969 both became unprofitable and were taken out of service and laid-up at Baltimore. In August, 1972, Brasil was bought by HAL and sent to the Lloyd Werft yard at Bremerhaven to be refurbished, mainly for cruising.
Renamed Volendam the ship emerged from this with berths for 739 passengers, and on April 16, 1973, made its first sailing from Rotterdam to New York. HAL sold the ship in 1975 to the Monarch Cruise Line, which renamed it Monarch Sun. But three years later HAL acquired this company and the ship reverted to the name Volendam.
Monarch retained the then 23,395gt vessel until 1984. Then came a succession of new owners and names. Starting off as Island Sun, it then became Liberte (1985), Canada Star (1987), Enchanted Seas (1990), and Universe Explorer (1996).
It was operated under this name by the Institute of Shipboard Education in conjunction with the University of Pittsburg, to run semester voyages. In November, 2002, it retained the name when sold to World Explorer Cruises.
The vessel made its last semester cruise from Nassau to Seattle in April, 2004, before being sent to Hong Kong for an extensive refit. However, this work was not undertaken and the ship was instead sold to Rican Shipping Inc, of Monrovia, on November 9, 2004.
Only 10 days later, and with the suffix deleted from its name, it left Hong Kong for Alang, in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat, where it was beached for demolition on December 7, 2004.
