Statendam, France & Empress Liners in Shadowed Endings

Lives of the Liners: STATENDAM

The great Holland-America Line opted to be rather traditionalist – they created a three-funnel Atlantic liner at the very end of the 1920s and, avoiding new, sleek Art Deco, used very traditional interior décor.

Built as the new Dutch flagship, the 29,511-ton Statendam’s creation was quite extended – It was laid down (at Belfast) in 1921, but the launching delayed until 1924; then the uncomplete ship towed to Holland in 1927 and it was finally finished in 1929. Used on the Rotterdam-New York run and for cruising, it was bombed and burned-out during the Nazi invasion of Rotterdam on May 11-14, 1940. The wreckage was scrapped later that same year.

The Statendam in drydock. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *Statendam* in drydock. From the William H. Miller Collection.

Dutch Style

“I went to Europe for three months back in 1959. I didn’t have much money and had to limit my budget to $10-15 a day,” remembered fellow passenger John Manners. “I shared in a cabin with 4 bunks and down on C or D Deck. It cost $135 for the voyage across to Rotterdam. It was aboard the Holland America Line, we sailed from Hoboken and the ship was the Maasdam.”

The Maasdam at Rotterdam. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *Maasdam* at Rotterdam. From the William H. Miller Collection.

Golden Memories

“My grandmother took me as her companion on a long summertime cruise to Norway. The year was 1962,” remembered a fellow guest from Cincinnati. “It took about six weeks and the ship was named Gripsholm. I seem to remember it was all very cozy & intimate. There were only 300 passengers onboard.”

The Gripsholm at Hamburg. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *Gripsholm* at Hamburg. From the William H. Miller Collection.

Trans-Atlantic Memories

Jane, a fellow guest, recalled sailing to and from Europe back in 1962. “We sailed over on the brand new France. The French Line, the food and just being on the newest Atlantic liner,” she noted.

The France with United States, America and Cristoforo Colombo behind. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *France* with *United States, America* and Cristoforo Colombo behind. From the William H. Miller Collection.

“It was very exciting, very special. After two months of traveling around Europe, we sailed home from Naples to New York on the Leonardo da Vinci. It too was wonderful! Italian charm and Italian food.”

On the Waterfront

Walter, a fellow guest, remembered being taken as a boy by his father to Pier 88 in Manhattan. The date: February 1942. The great and grand Normandie had just burned and capsized.

The Normandie capsized at Pier 88 in Manhattan after the 1942 fire. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *Normandie* capsized at Pier 88 in Manhattan after the 1942 fire. From the William H. Miller Collection.

“It was a frightening sight. The corpse of a sea goddess, I thought. The ship still hissed in the cold, winter Hudson River water. Otherwise, there was this great silence. Yes, the death of a legend!”

Overnight

A fellow passenger told me that he lived in the Philippines for two years. He remembered, “Once, while visiting Manila, I spent the night on an old ocean liner. It was named Philippines and was used as a hotel.”

The Philippines used as a floating hotel in Manila. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *Philippines* used as a floating hotel in Manila. From the William H. Miller Collection.

The ship was the former Italian liner Augustus, dating from 1952.

Montreal Bound

The Empress of England arriving in Montreal. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *Empress of England* arriving in Montreal. From the William H. Miller Collection.

When Geoff Hughes was a teenager his family decided to emigrate to Canada. “We sailed from Liverpool on the Empress of England, but I felt sad. I was saying farewell to the home I knew and to my friends I should have been excited – sailing on a big liner. And then I was seasick for most of the weeklong crossing. But all in all, I still think of the Empress of England as part of my family history. Like many ships, it was a transition!”

Canadian Pacific advert promoting “White Empress” sailings to Europe via the St. Lawrence River. From the William H. Miller Collection.

Sizzling

Rob Marlow was a boy in the early 1950s and remembered: “My father took me to Liverpool to see the ‘corpse’ of the liner Empress of Canada, which had burned and then capsized [Jan. 1953]. We stood on the pierhead. It was a sad sight. And I can still remember that days later it was still hissing, the still hot steel in the cold waters of the River Mersey.”