Holland America Line is an American-owned
cruise line
A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships that operate on ocean or rivers and which markets cruises to the public. Cruise lines are distinct from passenger lines which are primarily concerned with transportation of passengers. Though ...
, a subsidiary of
Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is a British-American cruise operator with a combined fleet of over 100 vessels across 10 cruise line brands. A dual-listed company, Carnival is composed of two companies – Panama-incorporated, US-headquartered Carniv ...
headquartered in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...
, United States.
Holland America Line was founded in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, Netherlands, and from 1873 to 1989, it operated as a Dutch shipping line, a passenger line, a cargo line and a cruise line operating primarily between the Netherlands and North America. As part of the company's legacy, it was directly involved in the transport of many hundreds of thousands of emigrants from the Netherlands to North America.
Holland America has been a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation since 1989.
History
Dutch shipping and passenger line (1873–1989)
Holland America Line was founded in 1873, as the Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij (Dutch-American Steamship Company), in short Holland-Amerika Lijn, a shipping and passenger line. It was headquartered in Rotterdam, in the building which is now the
Hotel New York
''Hotel New York'' is the fourth studio album recorded by the Dutch pop/ rock singer Anouk and released on December 3, 2004, in the Netherlands. The album is named for the location where Anouk wrote all its songs: Hotel New York in Rotterdam. De ...
. It provided service from its European base to the Americas over the North Atlantic. The company was formed as a result of the reorganization of an earlier company, Plate, Reuchlin & Co. The company's first ship was the original , which sailed its 15-day maiden voyage from the Netherlands to New York City on October 15, 1872. Other services were started to other new world ports, including
Hoboken
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...
,
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
and South America. Cargo service to New York started in 1909.
During the first 25 years, the company carried 400,000 people from Europe to the Americas. Other North American ports were added during the early 20th century.
Though transportation and shipping were the primary sources of revenue, in 1895, HAL offered its first
vacation cruise. Its second vacation cruise, from New York to
Palestine, was first offered in 1910.
One notable ship was the elegant 36,000-
gross register ton of 1937, it and being the only two liners built in the 1930s to make a profit.
At the start of the Second World War, HAL had 25 ships; nine remained at war's end. At the beginning of the war, the ''
Westernland'' acquired from the
Red Star Line
The Red Star Line was a shipping line founded in 1871 as a joint venture between the International Navigation Company of Philadelphia, which also ran the American Line, and the Société Anonyme de Navigation Belgo-Américaine of Antwerp, Belg ...
in 1939, berthed at Falmouth, England, became the seat of the Dutch government. The ''Nieuw Amsterdam'' sailed half a million miles transporting 400,000 military personnel. After the war, the shipping line was instrumental in transporting a massive wave of immigrants from the Netherlands to Canada and elsewhere.
Another notable ship during the post-war period was the of 1959, one of the first North Atlantic ships equipped for two-class transatlantic crossing and one-class luxury cruising.
By the late 1960s, the golden era of transatlantic passenger ships had been ended by the introduction of transatlantic jet air travel. HAL ended transatlantic service during the early 1970s, leaving the North Atlantic passenger trade for
Cunard
Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...
's ''
Queen Elizabeth 2''.
In 1973, it sold its
cargo
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...
shipping division, which continued to operate freight liner services with freighters, a
Lighter aboard ship
The lighter aboard ship (LASH) system refers to the practice of loading barges (lighters) aboard a bigger vessel for transport. It was developed in response to a need to transport lighters, a type of (usually but not always) unpowered barge, be ...
('LASH' ship, mv Bilderdijk) and then container ships under the trade name of
Incotrans, with headquarters in Rotterdam, with some of its North American services operated in partnership with the French shipping line
Compagnie Générale Maritime
CMA CGM S.A. is a French container transportation and shipping company. It is the world’s 3rd largest container shipping company, using 257 shipping routes between 420 ports in 160 countries. Its headquarters are in Marseille, France The name ...
.
It ceased operating as a Dutch line in 1989, when it was purchased by Carnival for 1.2 billion guilders (€530 million). The proceeds were put into an investment company (HAL Investments), the majority of which is owned by the van der Vorm family.
Former fleet (before 1989)
List of HAL ships retired before the takeover by Carnival.
![Hal hoofdkantoor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Hal_hoofdkantoor.jpg)
* , 1973–80 — Sank off of the coast of Alaska.
* (III), 1972–74, 1975–76, 1978–84 — Last in service for Commodore Cruise Line as ''Enchanted Isle''
* (I), 1922–52 — 1940–45 Escaped to Britain in WW2, served as troop transport, returned to Rotterdam in 1945
* (II), 1972–76, 1978–84 — Sister to SS ''Veendam'' (III); Last known as ''Universe Explorer'' of World Explorer Lines
* (I), 1898–1911 — Sold to the
Allan Line
The Allan Shipping Line was started in 1819, by Captain Alexander Allan of Saltcoats, Ayrshire, trading and transporting between Scotland and Montreal, a route which quickly became synonymous with the Allan Line. By the 1830s the company had off ...
* SS ''Statendam'' (II) — Taken over before completion as the
White Star Line
The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...
's
* (III), 1929–40 — Scrapped after being set on fire to avoid capture at Rotterdam
* (IV), 1956–82 — Last in service for Regent Star as ''Regency''. Inactive after Regent Star went bankrupt.
* (III) Torpedoed and sunk in convoy HX-133 on 27 Jun, 1941 by U-564 south of
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
* SS ''Maasdam'' (IV), 1952–68 — 1968–90 in service for Polish Ocean Lines as , scrapped Turkey 2000
* , 1951–73 — Sank 2003 on way to
breakers
* SS ''Waterman'', 1951–63 — Launched January 16, 1945 Decommissioned 1970.
* SS ''Zuiderkruis'', 1951–63 — Launched May 5, 1944 Decommissioned 1969.
* , 1951–63 — Launched June 17, 1944 Decommissioned 1971.
* SS ''Westerdam'', 1945–65 — Combination first class passenger/cargo vessel; scrapped Spain 1965
* MV ''Zaandam'', 1939–42 — With passengers and 9200 tons of cargo was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean north of
Cape Sao Roque
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
, Brazil, with the loss of 134 of the 299 people on board.
* , 1937 — In WW2 escaped to US neutral port, served as a British War Transport carrying over 350,000, returned to Holland in 1946. Breakers yard in 1974.
* — Scrapped 1940.
* , 1902 — Scrapped 1927, alerted ''
RMS Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
'' to ice early into its ill-fated maiden voyage.
* , 1900 — Scrapped 1947. It was the largest ship HAL owned at the time it was in service.
* , 1886 — scrapped 1895.
* , 1872 — Wrecked September 26, 1883.
* (II) — Sister ship of SS ''Volendam'' (I). In 1940, bombed in Rotterdam, repaired and requestioned by Hamburg-America Line. Used for German submarine crews stationed in Hamburg. Returned to service from Rotterdam 1947, scrapped Baltimore 1953.
* MV ''Sommelsdyk'' (III) 1939 — Pacific service, wartime service as U.S. troopship until Atlantic service in 1947, scrapped 1965.
* MV ''Sloterdyk'' (II) 1940 — Sister ship of MV ''Sommelsdyk'' (III). Atlantic service. Wartime service as U.S. troopship. Returned to the HAL in 1946, used as a troop transport to the
Dutch East Indies during the
Indonesian National Revolution and scrapped in 1966.
As a US-based cruise line (1989–present)
![MS Rotterdam and MS Eurodam docked in Tallinn Estonia DSCN0400](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/MS_Rotterdam_and_MS_Eurodam_docked_in_Tallinn_Estonia_DSCN0400.jpg)
In 1989, the Holland America Line was purchased by
Carnival Corp, thus becoming an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
owned
cruise line
A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships that operate on ocean or rivers and which markets cruises to the public. Cruise lines are distinct from passenger lines which are primarily concerned with transportation of passengers. Though ...
headquartered in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, United States.
In the summer of 2011, did two transatlantic crossings, the first traditional transatlantic runs made by the line in more than 40 years.
Beginning in September 2012, ''Rotterdam'' was based year-round out of
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, sailing to Europe, the Caribbean, as well as Asia, before returning to more varied itineraries and home ports by 2016.
makes annual "Grand Voyages" lasting more than 60 days, including a grand circle of the Pacific Ocean each fall and a World Voyage sailing around the world, usually ranging from January to April/May.
The line currently operates five different classes of ship: the smaller and older S-class vessels, the slightly newer and larger R class, the , the , and the newest and largest Pinnacle class.
All HAL ships have a dark blue hull with white superstructure, with the company's logo featured prominently on the functional smoke stacks.
Holland America also owns the following:
* the Westmark hotel chain operating in
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
and the
Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
*
Half Moon Cay, a private
Caribbean island (known officially as
Little San Salvador Island
Little San Salvador Island, also known as Half Moon Cay, is one of about 700 islands that make up the archipelago of The Bahamas. It is located roughly halfway between Eleuthera and Cat Island, administratively in the Cat Island, Bahamas, Cat Isla ...
) with most Caribbean cruises spending a day there.
On October 26, 2012, it was announced that a memorandum of agreement had been signed with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of a 2,660-passenger ship for Holland America Line scheduled for delivery in spring 2016. The MS ''Koningsdam'', which became a new class of vessel for the line (The Pinnacle Class), and the first new Holland America ship since the , delivered in 2010. Also noted was that the addition of new ships would maintain passenger capacity if some of the older Carnival Corporation ships are sold.
The Holland America Group of HAL and Princess Cruises have a letter of understanding to buy the Yukon White Pass Railways from Skagway to the US-Canadian border. The purchase closed July 31, 2018.
On July 15, 2020, it was announced by Holland America that the , , ''Rotterdam'', and ''Amsterdam'' were sold to two undisclosed buyers. The ships were sold in pairs, with the ''Maasdam'' and ''Veendam'' transferring to one company in August 2020, while the ''Amsterdam'' and ''Rotterdam'' moved to another company in fall 2020. One pair went to a new cruise brand and the other to an existing brand.
Most cruise lines suspended their sailings because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
in 2020. As of 6 January 2021, all Holland America sailings were cancelled to at least 30 April 2021, according to an industry news item. That report listed no specific sailings for Holland America prior to the first week of June 2021.
Fleet
Current fleet
Former fleet
Holland America's parent company,
Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is a British-American cruise operator with a combined fleet of over 100 vessels across 10 cruise line brands. A dual-listed company, Carnival is composed of two companies – Panama-incorporated, US-headquartered Carniv ...
, currently owns 2 ex-Holland America Line ships operated by
Marella Cruises
Marella Cruises (formerly Thomson Cruises) is a British cruise line operated by TUI UK, offering cruise holidays around Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia.
History
The company had initially entered the cruise market in 1973, but due to rising fu ...
. Both the and the sailed for Holland America as the ''Noordam'' (1984) and ''Nieuw Amsterdam'' (1983) before being transferred to the Marella fleet in 2005 and 2003, respectively. Marella Spirit was operated by
Louis Cruises
Celestyal Cruises (formed in 2014) is a succession to Louis Cruises and Louis Cruise Lines. The Cruise line was a subsidiary of Louis plc (Founded in 1935 as the first travel agency in Cyprus) until November 2021 when Searchlight Capital Partners ...
under sub-charter to Marella until 2018, when she was sold for scrap. Her sister ship, the Marella Celebration, still remains in operation. The was built as ''Homeric'' in 1986 before moving to Holland America as ''Westerdam'' in 1988.
When Carnival Corporation acquired
Costa Cruises in 2000, she was then transferred to the Costa fleet as ''Costa Europa'' in 2002. She has since been under charter to Marella since 2010.
It was announced on May 19, 2014 that both the ''Statendam'' and ''Ryndam'' would be transferred to
P&O Cruises Australia
P&O Cruises Australia is a British-American owned cruise line with operational headquarters as part of Carnival Australia, based in Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia.
Originally a sister company of P&O Cruises in the United Kingdom, it was ...
fleet.
See also
*
Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is a British-American cruise operator with a combined fleet of over 100 vessels across 10 cruise line brands. A dual-listed company, Carnival is composed of two companies – Panama-incorporated, US-headquartered Carniv ...
References
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
*
The Last Ocean Liners - Holland America Line- trade routes and ships of the Holland America Line during the 1950s and 60s.
Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij / Holland America LineThe Ships List
*
GG Archives
{{Authority control
Carnival Corporation & plc
Companies based in Seattle
Cruise lines
Dutch companies established in 1873
History of Rotterdam
Shipping companies of the Netherlands
Shipping companies of the United States
Transatlantic shipping companies
Transport companies established in 1873
1989 mergers and acquisitions