SS Volendam

SS Volendam was a 15,434 GRT ton ocean liner operated by Holland America Line (Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij). She was built in 1922 by Harland & Wolff Ltd, in Govan, Glasgow. Her 15,450 GRT sister ship TSS Veendam was built by Harland & Wolff the following year. She operated on transatlantic routes between Europe and the USA, sailing the Rotterdam – New York and Rotterdam – Halifax (Nova Scotia) service.

Her overall length was 575 feet (175 m) and her beam was 67.3 feet (20.5 m). She had two funnels and two masts. Four steam turbines drove twin screws, giving her a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h). Passenger accommodation was divided into three classes and initially configured as: 263 in First class, 436 in Second class and 1,200 in Third class. She was purchased by Holland America Line while under construction, and launched on 6 July 1922. Her maiden voyage started on 4 November 1922 sailing from Rotterdam to New York.

In May 1926 she was refitted to carry First, Second, Tourist and Third class passengers, and by April 1930 changed yet again to carry First, Tourist and Third class. Her last Rotterdam - New York voyage commenced 5 April 1940 therefore she managed to escape before the Netherlands was overrun and surrendered to the Germans May 1940.

SS Brasil (1957)

SS Brasil (1957) was an ocean liner launched at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi in 1957. The ship was originally named Brasil for Moore-McCormack's South American service, but was renamed a number of times. During its history the ship served as a cruise ship and later served in the Semester at Sea program as Universe Explorer. The ship was scrapped in Alang, India, in 2004 sailing under the name Universe for the final voyage.

Design and construction

Brasil was a replacement for Moore-McCormack's SS Brazil (1928). Brasil and her sister ship, Argentina, used MARAD Design P2-S2-9a. Construction was subsidized by the United States Maritime Administration under title V, sections 501 and 504 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. At the time of her construction, Brasil was said to be the largest ship built in the "deep south".

Ingalls Shipbuilding had the lowest US bid at $24,444,181 ($200 million today) for each of the two ships. The Maritime administration subsidized the cost of construction by paying $19,528,362 ($160 million today) to support the US shipbuilding industry. Meaning that the ships would have cost nearly $20 million less if they had been built outside the United States. As of 2015, Brasil and Argentina were among the last luxury liners built in the United States.

Volendam

Volendam (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌvoːlənˈdɑm]) is a town in North Holland in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Edam-Volendam. The town has about 22,000 inhabitants (November 2007).

History

Originally, Volendam was the location of the harbor of the nearby Edam, which was situated at the mouth of the IJ bay. In 1357, the inhabitants of Edam dug a shorter canal to the Zuiderzee with its own separate harbor. This removed the need for the original harbor, which was then dammed and used for land reclamation. Farmers and local fishermen settled there, forming the new community of Vollendam, which literally meant something like 'Filled dam'. In the early part of the 20th century it became something of an artists' retreat, with both Picasso and Renoir spending time here. The majority of the population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church, which is deeply connected to the village culture. Historically, many missionaries and bishops grew up in Volendam. Today there is the chapel of Our Lady of the Water, which is located in a village park.

Volendam (disambiguation)

Volendam is a town in the Netherlands.

Volendam may also refer to: