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The Holland America Line lost their
second Statendam during World War
One. That 32,234-ton liner was completed
as a troopship for the British Navy. Two
German submarines were involved in the
sinking of that ship after tracking her
down off the west coast of Scotland in
July 1918. Work on her replacement, the
third Statendam, began in 1921.
Construction of this ship took longer
than intended and became more expensive
due to changes in American emigration
laws. This forced the Holland America
Line to have her lower decks converted
from emigrant compartments into
comfortable cabins for the tourist trade
and cruising. After being launched in
1924, the Holland America Line had work
on her completion put on hold as they had
encountered financial difficulties.
Assistance from the Dutch Government in
1927 allowed the hull of Statendam
to be towed to Schiedam/Holland for
completion by Wilton Fijenoord.
Statendam was finally completed
eight years after her construction had
begun. She entered service on the
Rotterdam - New York run April 11th 1929.
The following ten years saw
Statendam operated between that
route in summer and cruises out of New
York - Caribbean in winter. In the first
few months of World War Two, Dutch
companies continued to operate their
ships as Holland hoped to remain neutral
in the conflict. After ships began
hitting mines and being targeted by
submarines, the Holland America Line was
forced to withdraw their liners from
service. This led to Statendam
being laid up at Rotterdam after
returning from New York in December 1939.
Germany invaded Holland May 10th 1940 and
by the 14th had forced the Dutch to sign
terms of surrender. These four days of
battles saw heavy fighting in and around
Rotterdam. The bombing of the port
succeeded in damaging Statendam
and two smaller liners beyond repair.
Statendam after being
launched at Harland & Wolff
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