1906 Nieuw Amsterdam (I)
Main Particulars:
TONN. BRT: 16,957 NRT: 10,714 DWT: 17,363
BUILT AT: Harland & Wolff Limited, Belfast, Ireland. YARD NO: 366
ENGINES: Two four cylinder quadruple expansion engines by yard.
ENGINE OUTPUT: 10,800 Ihp PROPS: Two (fixed)
SERVICE SPD: 16 Knots. MAX.SPD: 17.5 knots.
LENGTH Overall: 187.68 Meters BEAM OA: 20.88 Meters DRAFT: 10.68 Meters.
PAX.CAPACITY: 440 First, 246 Second, 1078 Third and 1284 in Tweendeck. CREW: 305
REMARKS: Bunker capacity 2591 tons of coal at a regular consumption of 190 tons a day.
An artist drawing of the Nieuw Amsterdam of 1906 by Mr. Fred Pansing.
The construction of the Nieuw Amsterdam was a direct result of the great success of the Noordam, Rijndam, Potsdam trio of 1900. These were the first dedicated passenger ships in the company and due to their large third class/steerage capacity, real money spinners. They generated so much money for the company that the thoughts went to constructing a passenger ship that would be on par with what was being built by the foreign competition. There was no intention to compete for the blue Riband or to have the biggest ship afloat, but the company felt that it now could compete in the luxury segment, in the same way as the White Star Line and the Hamburg Amerika Line were already successful. Although most money was made in the emigrant trade each company that wanted to mean something had to offer eye catching ships with luxurious first class accommodation. The Nieuw Amsterdam was the first ship where Holland America applied this philosophy extensively. However the ship had to make money thus it still had extensive cargo holds. These would be used westbound to the USA for carrying emigrants. (The so-called Tweendeck accommodation) To achieve this collapsible wooden bulkheads were erected in the holds and this created private cabins and dormitories. After the emigrants had been landed in New York, these bulkheads would be removed again and the holds used for cargo. This was a very successful system and was used by the company for a long, long time. (I have a report in my collection, written my an emigrant who fled Germany in 1939, that he crossed to the free world in such a cabin on board the Rotterdam IV) In total there were seven holds and 14,500 tons of cargo could be carried or 1284 emigrants in this space.
The Nieuw Amsterdam under construction on the slipway of Harland and Wolff
By 1900 the Dutch shipbuilding industry was not yet ready and capable to built such a big ship and to such exacting standard and thus Holland America placed an order with the Harland and Wolff shipyard at Belfast, Ireland, which had also built some of the previous passenger ships of the line. The Nieuw Amsterdam was a steamship pur sang but it still carried a full set of sails for the masts of the ship. As far as we know, these were never used and were found, as new, in their storage bags when the ship went for scrap in 1932.
When the ship came into service, it was the 10th largest ship in the world and the biggest ship under the Dutch flag, until the arrival of the Rotterdam (4) in 1908. The keel was laid on 21 January 1904 and the hull launched on 28 September 1905. The official trial trip took place on 22 February 1906 and there a maximum speed of 17.5 knots was reached. Such a speed was more then sufficient to compete on the North Atlantic successfully. Passengers could choose the fastest ships, to reach their destination as quickly as possible, but that often resulted in being shaken all over the place during a crossing due to the vibration of the engines going full out at the maximum achievable speed. With a slower crossing there would be no vibration and the passengers could enjoy the comfort of the ship more. From Belfast the Nieuw Amsterdam sailed to Rotterdam were it arrived on the 24th.of February. Here it entered on the 26th. the new City Dry dock for two days of under water cleaning. After some more testing and inspections, it was delivered by the yard on the 6th. of March 1906 to Holland America.
The Nieuw Amsterdam on a calm day in port
With Captain Frederick H Bonjer (The commodore of the company) in command the ship left on is maiden voyage on 7 April 1906 sailing from Rotterdam to New York. As this was such a large ship (about 40% larger then the previous flagship of the company) and had so many innovative idea’s, a large number of modifications were considered during its first year of operation and two years later she was sent back to her builders for numerous improvements. This took place between November and December 1908, a time of the year when North Atlantic trade was more quiet. As a result the passenger configuration was changed to 443 First, 379 Second and 2050 in Third Class. (17,149 brt.) Some space was taken away from the 3rd class and used for increasing the 2nd class accommodation. Also her forward Boat deck promenade was glazed in. This was a reaction to the great success that Rotterdam (IV) was having with a similar concept and made it possible that the First Class passengers could walk around the forward part of the ship protected from inclement weather and sea water. To offer more space in the First Class dining room, it was extended forward making it similar to the one of the Rotterdam (IV)
Here follow some interiors shots of the ship:
The First Class Social Hall.
Note the Piano. Although the company provided a piano as part of the luxury environment, no professional shipboard entertainment was made available. The passengers relied on a talented fellow traveller to play.
The Japanese Tearoom.
Another photo of a first class lounge, the Japanese Tearoom. This particular room attracted a lot of attention in the press as it was considered very innovative in this days.
The Bedroom of a First Class suite
The decoration of a first class cabin would not be that much different than found at the home of the passengers who would book such accommodation. This is the bedroom of a first class suite.
The 2nd class Dining room.
The 2nd class accommodation was understandably less luxurious but offered good value for money. Please note the swivel chairs. Once the passenger had “swivelled” him or herself into position, he or she would be nicely wedged between the chair and the table to enjoy dinner with the danger that a sudden movement of the ship would mover the diner all over the room. For the cutlery and crockery on the table, there would be a ledge around the table to prevent everything moving off the table.
The 2nd class Smoking Room.This was normally the domain of the male passengers only. Ladies would spend their time in the Social Hall or Drawing room.
The 3rd class dining room.
Holland America was one of the first company’s who realized that taken good care of their emigrants paid off in the future. Letters would go back to those left at home about the treatment on board with the fair chance that prospective emigrants would then choose HAL as well. For a poor emigrant it must have been heaven to be served at a table with table cloths and good quality cutlery and crockery.
When the summer season started for the North Atlantic in April 1910, the ship started to call at Plymouth in England, which was in conjunction with the fact that Holland America had obtained the Royal Dutch Mail contract the year before. Some of the express mail was now landed here on the Eastbound crossing and could be in Rotterdam (via British Rail and the Channel steamer) the next day, while the ship went on to call at France first before steaming to Rotterdam.
The photo shows the extra lifeboats positioned on the poop deck. This is also a rather unusual photo as the ship is docked starboard side alongside the passenger terminal at the Wilhelmina Kade. It was the norm that the ships would always dock portside alongside with the nose down river.
In April 1912 the Titanic sank, with great loss of life. This had great repercussions throughout the shipping world and resulted that a month later, in May 1912, six lifeboats were added to the poop deck (that is the uppermost deck near the stern) to increase the lifesaving capacity on board. The ship continued here North Atlantic sailings up and throughout the First World War. When the war was imminent many Americans were anxious to get home and the Holland America Line ships were sailing at top capacity. Such was the relieve, when they arrived home safely that at the end of such a crossing, the grateful passengers offered a plaque to the captain and the company out of appreciation.
The plaque presented to Captain Baron in 1914 by grateful passengers. This plaque is now in the collection of the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam
The Kingdom of the Netherlands was neutral during this conflict of the world’s greatest powers and it meant that as long as trading was neutral as well, e.g. not favouring any of the feuding countries, Dutch flag ships could continue to sail. What was exactly meant to be neutral was often confusing and in 1915 the ship was stopped by the French auxiliary cruiser La Savoye for inspection to enforce these neutrality rules. 650 Germans and Austrians are taken off. Holland America was convinced that carrying these people was not against the rules as they were civilians but the French thought different. The La Savoye was also a passenger ship and the 650 could at least be carried in a certain comfort to France for internment.
During those scary days of the First World War, boat drill were a regular occurrence and here we can see the crew in participating in one. It brought some diversion to the passengers as well.
The United States entered the war on the 21 March 1917 and as it needed transport to get the US troops to Europe it started requisitioning the foreign passenger ships that were laid up in the various American ports. The Nieuw Amsterdam was exempt from this as it carried vital quantities of grain during each Eastbound crossing. The Dutch had a great shortage of grain as it normally bought this commodity in Germany. Due to its neutrality the German border was now closed so this grain had to come from across the Ocean. While on such a crossing, the ship left New York on 28 March 1918 with about 2300 Dutch men on board, all crew of some of the 134 Dutch ships that were requisitioned when the USA entered the war. Again with the country being neutral, the crews could not stay with their ships and for the remainder of the conflict the HAL ships sailed under American flag with USA crews.
The Nieuw Amsterdam came unscathed through the war as far as avoiding the U boats but it was less successful in avoiding the Dutch mud. On the 11th of April 1918 it ran aground near Maasluis (West of Rotterdam) in thick fog. To get everybody home quickly the company sent out all its tenders and harbour craft and these landed all the passengers safely at the Passenger terminal at the Wilhelmina Kade. The war ended on the 11 November 1918 (Armistice) and the ship could now safely cross the ocean again without the treat of war danger. During its first post war crossing it also carried 1715 French fugitives on board who were leaving their home country behind. Apart from those the ship had on this 21 December departure as regulars 149 First, 62 Second, and 35 Third class passengers on board.
Here we see the Nieuw Amsterdam during one’s of its regular dry docks. Lifted out of the water by means of a floating dry dock, the underwater ship would be cleaned, inspected and repainted. At the same time all sorts of repairs, that can not be done while there are passengers on board, are taken care off during this period. Note the big flag at the stern with the anchor in the middle. This indicates that the captain in command was a Royal Navy Reserve Officer. This was quite common in those days, as the ship carried the Royal Dutch Mail and the ship could be turned into a troopship while the companies captain could remain in command.
With the reduction of the emigrant trade, caused by the American quota acts, the company had to change the occupancy configurations several times. This resulted by May 1926 in a configuration of 300 Cabin and 860 Tourist Class. The large emigrant capacity was now completely gone. In February 1928 Cabin is renamed in Tourist and Tourist in Third class to offer the most favourable passage fares under the existing Atlantic Pool rules. These rules had come in existence a long time ago to ensure that all the company’s would trade fairly on the North Atlantic and also that the class name covering a certain accommodation was in reasonable in relation to the quality of that accommodation.
The ship also called on occasion at Halifax Canada and here we see a photo of a presentation to the commander of the ship Captain de Jong, for landing the first emigrants at the new emigration Pier 21 8 march 1928. He received a walking cane as a present. (Picture taken from a newspaper produced by the Pier 21 Museum in Halifax)
During the winter season of 1928 the ship made a series of cruises from Boston to Havana and only sails the north Atlantic during the high season in the summer. However the ship is getting older and with the new flagship, the Statendam (III) in the offing, it is getting harder for the company to market the ship. There is a final try in 1930, as a result of the depression which lowers the prices, to try a ships lay-out of 442 First, 202 Second, 636 Third and 1284 in temporary bunks. Basically back to the old days but now marginal accommodation makes it possible to travel very very cheaply if needed but it is all to no avail.
The Nieuw Amsterdam arrives on 2 Oct. 1931 for the last time in Rotterdam and is then laid up. The ship is sold for scrap on 27 Jan. 1931 for a price of 137,600 Dutch Guilders to Japan. On 26 February 1931, it departs from Rotterdam for Japan to be scrapped at the Torazo Hashimoto, scrap yard in Osaka. On the last voyage, going around the Cape to Japan, it carries a full cargo of coal in her holds to help pay for the trip.
Updated: 29 Dec. 2020
November 30, 2013 at 5:41 am
My grandmother Carolina Maria Geertruida Ziekman, was apparently on of the first stewardesses on this line about 1905. On the ship she met her husband Casper Johannes Ziekman who was the ships barber.
I was wondering if you perhaps have any more details for me, such as on which ship/s they worked?
Help much appreciated
December 2, 2013 at 10:42 am
Hi Peter, at the blog we don’t have access to any of that kind of information. You might want to check the City Archives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, that has the largest collection of HAL history in the world. They might be able to assist. Best, Julie, HAB editor
October 16, 2014 at 12:49 pm
My entire family on my mother’s side, te Groen, came over on the ship and landed in New York on Aug 4, 1907.
They got out of Transvaal, South Africa when the wars were going on. Made their new life in Long Beach, CA
November 8, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Is there more information about the commander Captain de Jong? Is there a way to find out his full name and/or initials plus background?
November 9, 2014 at 10:45 pm
Good morning,
Thank you for your interest in the HAL history. Yes there is much more. His name was Sieverts Jans de Jong. Born on 23 nov 1873 in Den Helder. I am finalizing at the moment all the voyages of the NA of 1906 and of the other earlier ships that he sailed on. As soon as that has been completed, I will upload his whole career onto the blog. Hopefully by New year. After that the challenge will start to find out more about the man himself. So I will have to try to trace the family.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
January 16, 2024 at 5:52 am
My Grandmother sailed the New Amsterdam and arrived in New York on March 27,1912 from Boulogna-sur-Mer, France . Could you possibly see if you can find any information on her?
Anna Smieska possibly last name spelled Szmecska. Thank you in advance
January 18, 2024 at 10:58 am
Good morning,
thank you for visitng my website . I found some information and I will send it to you from my Captalbert1@aol.com hobby email. It will go out today (20 jan). Please keep an eye on your spam or junk mail. The name of your grand mother is in the header.
best regards
Capt. Albert
January 29, 2024 at 7:52 pm
Good morning,
about 2 weeks ago, I sent you an elaborate answer. I did not get a confimration or any othrr feedback?
please advise if you received my last response.
best regards
Capt. Albert
January 3, 2015 at 11:05 pm
is it possible to search passenger rolls from 1906/ Iam trying to determine if my family arrived on this ship.
January 4, 2015 at 4:14 pm
Good morning,
yes it is. I need to know what the correct family name is under which they entered the country at Ellis Island. Sometimes the names were
misspelt when being processed and sometimes the family decided to make it more English themselves. Muller became Miller, Dijk became Dyke etc. But if you know the correct names, then I will be most willing to try and check if the passenger lists are there. Some of this information
can also be found on the Ellis Island website. Have a google there and let me know if you still require my help. I will be visiting the Dutch HAL archives on 16 jan. 2015.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
February 22, 2019 at 6:39 pm
Family name Zaengle
February 22, 2019 at 8:35 pm
thank you
I will see what I can do. The speling might be a challenge. Zaengle or Zangle (with two dots on the a) or zeengle but normally there are not so many Z names around.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
February 21, 2020 at 12:00 am
Yes, go to Ellis Island dot org
I found my grandfather there he arrived April 17th 1907
September 13, 2022 at 2:47 am
Omg same
January 17, 2015 at 7:12 pm
My Great, Great Grandfather came to Ellis Island on the Nieuw Amsterdam 1906. His name was Moses Tubiansky. He was 42 years old. There is no mention of any other family with him. Is it possible to find out if he traveled alone or with family?
January 20, 2015 at 5:28 pm
Good morning,
thank you for reading my blog. To try and find your GGG I will need to know the month that he arrived in the States as the HAL archives go by voyage. If you can pin point that a bit better, I will try to find the manifest in the HAL archives later this year. In the mean time you could visit the Ellis Island archives. Everything is on line, it is free and it has all the landing manifests. You might have to go through all the manifests for 1906 to find him.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
April 6, 2022 at 1:44 pm
Moshe (Moses) Tubiansky was my great grandfather. I am also interested in any information about him.
April 7, 2022 at 7:33 pm
Good Morning, Thank you for your interest. There is only one Moses Tubiansky in the hole HAL archive so I think that I have found him.
Nieuw Amsterdam voyage 04, Captain Freek Bonjer. Departed Rotterdam on 28 July and sailed via Boulogne Sur Mer in France to New York. Arrived there on 5 August after a good weather crossing. He paid 40 Dutch guilders for his passage which was the 3rd class emigrant fare and was travelling alone. Although he was part of a group of at least 4 others (*) who came together from Vienna. He had bought his ticket there from the Holland America Agent directly. So most likely he would have disembarked in New York on August 6, when the ferry would come and pick him up to bring him to Ellis Island for processing.
(*) Selde Polinsky, Leie Bornstein, Sobel Lesier. I think Leie was a lady as it is mentioned that there were 2 attachments sailing for half price.
That is all the archives tell about him. Hopefully he found a better life in the new world.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
January 19, 2015 at 9:16 pm
My grandma Agnes Ondrasik was on the voyage with arrival date Nov. 20, 1906. Since she was 3 year old toddler, could not travel alone. Is there other passenger with her last name?
Thank you.
January 20, 2015 at 5:13 pm
Good morning,
thank you for reading my blog. I will put your name on my list and I will check on the manifests when I get back to the archives.
In the mean time what you could do is look at the Ellis Island files. They are all on line and can be searched free of charge.
The manifest of the NA will be there and you know your grandma’s maiden name and the arrival date in New York.
Other information that I can give you: This was voyage nbr 7 of the ship and in command was Captain F.H Bonjer. (see his biography under the captains section)
The ship left Rotterdam on 10 November and sailed via Boulogne Sur Mer (France) to New York where it arrived on the 19th. of November. Disembarkation took place on the 2oth. The NA departed from New York on the 28th of Nov. for Rotterdam
Best regards
Capt. Albert
February 4, 2016 at 12:37 pm
Good Morning,
This is a very much delayed answer to your query and gave me a lot of challenges.
The bad news is that I could not find any Agnes Ondrasik on the pax. list.
In the archives we do not have the passenger list but only the booking manifests.
Which list the name of the family who made the booking. So the big question is
who made the booking. I also checked for any independants, as this happened as well, and
the ships then assigned a chaperone or guardian, but that was in vain as well.
My suggestion is, can you check Ellis Island for her records? Then the companion might
show up or a cabin number. Then I can try again.
Apologies for the long wait, but this was difficult.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
February 19, 2015 at 12:13 pm
My great-grandmother and her family came to America on this ship–their’s was an adventure.
From The Evening World (NY) Feb 19, 1914 Final Edition 2
HURRICANES HIT BIG SHIPS; ONE JUST MISSES ICEBERG Seven Persons, Three injured on New Amsterdam Voyage’s Reported Roughest Ever Known.
The Holland American liner New Amsterdam docked in Hobeken today, three days late from Rotterdam, which she left on Feb 7, and bearing the marks of what Capt. J. Baron and Chief Officer Van Den Ent declared was the roughest voyage they had ever experience. Other ships which have arrived in the last few days reported stormy passages, but none have had tales of excitement and danger to compare with those told by the officers and passengers of the New Amsterdam.
For two days the ship steamed through a hurricane, in the course of which four passengers and three members of the crew were injured. Albert Bakker, a second cabin passenger, had his left leg broken by being thrown down a passageway. Fourteen-year-old Lena Levy was sent tumbling down a companionway and had her scalp cut, while Miss Mildred Chase and Miss J. Ingram-Smith were thrown out of their berths, badly knocked about and bruised, and Miss Chase had a wrist sprained.
TWO LIFEBOATS HAULED INTO THE SEA
It was on Thursday night that the worst damage was done. Then a mountain high wave came aboard over the port bow, sent two lifeboats flying from their davits into the sea, and smashed five more as though they had been made of pasteboard. Three sailors who had lashed themselves to the deck while they tried to make the lifeboats fast were knocked unconscious and were saved only when other members of the crew risked death to scramble on deck and drag them to shelter.
This ship still hung—staggered and trembling from the shock of the first wave—when a second giant sea passed completely over it. The crest of this wave smashed down on the skylight of the smoking-room, burst through it and flooded the room beneath, sending a dozen or more drenched passengers flying for safety. It was when these waves struck that the injured were tossed about.
The hurricane started on Wednesday night and it was Thursday noon before it blew itself out. The wind
(Continued on Second Page.)
HURRICANES HIT BIG SHIP: ICEBERG NEARLY SMASHES ONE
(Continued from First Page.)
shrieked through the rigging and the seas which it sent aboard twisted iron railing into weird fantastic shapes though the rails would have withstood almost any normal strain.
GIANT WATER SPOUT ONLY TWO MILES AWAY.
Even when the hurricane died down a fearful wind still raged and this with the tremendous seas so held back the New Amsterdam that she made only a mile an hour, although her normal speed is eighteen or nineteen knots. On Friday a water spout passed two miles to the north.
“ It was a great funnel-shaped cloud like a water spout,” said Chief Officer Van Den Ent, who had the bridge. “It shrieked and wailed as it passed like some live thing. It was horrible. I don’t know what would have become of the ship if it had touched us. I am certain nothing that [unreadable] could have lived in it.”
An iceberg which appeared within less that two miles of the ship was another threatened danger which was passed, but every day of the trip demanded constant watchfulness on the part of the officers and they landed here almost exhausted.
“ It was the worst trip I ever had,” said Capt. Baron. “The ship is a big one and stanch and usually rolls very little, but she rocked like a cradle almost throughout the voyage and strained and shook frightfully. The storm started in the southwest, but veered into the northwest after a while. There was no let up, however, no matter from what point of the compass it came.”
The New Amsterdam carried fifty-five first cabin passengers and two hundred and forty-nine in the second cabin, and it is safe to say that there wasn’t one who was not glad to set foot on shore.
February 19, 2015 at 8:05 pm
Thank you for reading my blog.
I have heard about that storm as it also mentioned in the memoires of Capt. van de Heuvel who was on one of the other ships in the area.
Must have been some sort “storm of the century”. Not uncommon in the days, when there was no weather forecast, but only the nose and skills of the captain and the ships sometimes plunged straight into the biggest waves without knowing about it.
Thank you for sharing
Capt. Albert
March 21, 2015 at 9:44 pm
My grandmother came over to the USA on the Nieuw amsterdam From the port of Rottrdam on Feb 19, 1927 in new york . My question was the ships route through the english channel or did the ship take another route to the USA ? Is there any place that would have an it in art on this trip or other information on it. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you Diana S.
March 22, 2015 at 6:53 pm
Good morning,
Thank you for reading my blog, Your Grand mother came over on voyage 171. The ship left Rotterdam on 08 February. The ship sailed south through the English Channel for France as it called at the French port of Boulogne Sur Mer. This was only a service call for collecting passengers and mail. Then the ship continued to Halifax for a short stop to land emigrants. From there it sailed to New york where it arrived on the 19th. of February. Here it stayed for 7 days and commenced the return voyage on February 26. the captain during that voyage was Capt. Sievert Jans de Jong.
I do not understand your next sentence: Is there any place that would have an it in art on this trip or other information on it
But let me know if you have more questions and I will try to help.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
May 10, 2015 at 7:36 am
Hello Captain Albert,
I have found an image of a “List of United States Citizens” for the “Nieuw – Amsterdam” (the photocopy is fuzzy). My great-grandfather and great-grandmonther are on the list. I would just like to confirm that they did in fact travel on The Nieuw Amsterdam (I) of 1906. Their names were Cornelius and Suzanna De Block. The ship left Rotterdam on August 17, 1926, arriving at Port of New York, August 28, 1926. They were both born in Holland, but became US citizens on April 7, 1898(?)
Can you confirm that they did in fact travel back to the US on the The Nieuw Amsterdam (I) of 1906?
Also assuming they used an HAL ship to travel from the US to Holland, can you easily find out when they travel back to Holland?
Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
Joel DeBlock, Edmonton, Canada
May 13, 2015 at 4:38 am
Good morning,
thank you for reading my blog.
If this was their emigration voyage then the entry lists are available at Ellis Island (free to search on line). If this was a regular voyage, then I will need to check in the archives in Holland but I will not be able to do this until September when I am back in Holland again.
So let me know if this was their emigration voyage or not and I will be happy to follow up
(Please send email with all details to Captalbert1@aol.com)
Best regards
Capt. Albert
September 23, 2015 at 5:09 pm
Hi Capt. Albert,
Thanks for writing this blog! According to records, my great-grandmother sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam. The passenger list I got from libertyellisfoundation.org is stamped that the ship left Rotterdam on Jul 1, 1911 (I think, it’s a little blurry) and arrived in New York Jul 10, 1911. Does this sound correct? Is there anything else you can share about this specific voyage? Do you know if it stopped anywhere else?
Thanks!!!
September 26, 2015 at 11:52 am
Good morning,
thank you for reading my blog.
Yes you are correct, the ship left on 01 July 1911. The captain during that voyage was Adriaan Roggeveen, it was his final voyage before retiring. It was voyage nbr 42 and the ship called at Rotterdam – Boulogne Sur Mer (service stop at anchor for mail and passengers) arrived at New York on 10 July, left from New York on 18 July and called at Plymouth England and Boulogne Sur Mer, France on the way back, arriving in Rotterdam on 28 July.
There are no remarks in the voyage reports so it must have been a nice and quiet summer crossing.
I hope this helps
Best regards
Capt. Albert
October 24, 2015 at 4:28 pm
I am looking for C Dorfman. Departed Rotterdam on the Nieuw Amsterdam Nov. 9 1907
November 24, 2015 at 3:58 am
Hello and thank you for the tremendous article.
I just discovered that my great-great grandparents sailed from Rotterdam to Ellis Island on the maiden voyage of the Nieuw Amsterdam. I was actually at Ellis Island yesterday and found all of this out. I was wondering if you could give me any further information on them (maybe the voyage’s journey, whether they were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd class, anything at all). They were Johan and Anna Uderman and they had a child named Hans that was 6 months old. ANY information you can give me would be incredibly appreciated. Thank you!
Sean Vargo, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
November 24, 2015 at 3:30 pm
Thank you for reading my blog.
For finding out what class they travelled in, I have to check the archives in Holland. I will be there in January and I will have a look. I will put it on my to do list. For the rest: The Captain was Frederik Hendrik Bonjer, who was the Commodore of the line and thus sailing on the newest and largest ship in the fleet. The official travel days: the ship left on 07 April and sailed via Boulogne Sur Mer in France to New York. It arrived there on the 16th. and disembarked the first class and 2nd class passengers. The 3rd class emigrants were landed later. That could coincide with your date of the 18th. If the dates fit it means that your fore fathers came over in 3rd class, but I will try to verify. The Rotterdam left New York on the 25th again and sailed back via Boulogne Sur Mer to Rotterdam.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
February 3, 2016 at 1:13 pm
Good morning,
It took awhile but I checked the archives but I could not find the names on the lists of the maiden voyage listing of the NA. Could you please check their arrival date at Ellis Island and then we can see if it might have been another voyage than the maiden voyage.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
November 24, 2015 at 3:59 am
Sorry to exclude this, I forgot to mention. Ellis Island had them officially arriving on April 18, 1906. Hope this helps!
November 26, 2015 at 10:56 pm
My grandfather Pieter Postuma (24 years old), left Rotterdan, August 27, 1920, on this ship. Immigrating to the United States. He arrived at New York Ellis Island September 7, 1920. Later married, settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and had 8 children.
April 16, 2021 at 5:58 pm
Jack,
My name is Sharon Fallon. I have been doing some research, and by chance came across this site. My grandmother was on the same ship as your grandfather. Her name was Johanna Meerdink, she was 21 years old. Do you have a photo of your grandfather that you could email to me. I am trying to find information about a male passenger that my grandmother had a shipboard relationship with. A child was born 9 months later… that child was my father. This is a missing link in our family’s medical background. My father died from colon cancer in 1982. It is very doubtful that the man in question was your grandfather, but there is a possibility. I am going to try to get the passenger list from either ancestry.com or through Ellis Island to continue my inquiries. I know it’s a long shot trying to identify my missing grandfather as my grandmother kept her privacy about this man. She later married and had 3 more children. Her daughter (my aunt) has implied that she loved the man she became involved with on the ship. In many ways he was the love of her life. This must sound like a soap opera to you, to me too. Still it would be interesting and heartwarming for me to put a face to my biological grandfather.
Any information you have, either way, I would appreciate.
Thank you.
October 7, 2024 at 2:16 pm
Hi Sharon,
I wondered if you had found your biological grandfather. What a wild story. You have to wonder if he assaulted or promised to marry her. Have you tried a DNA service? Usually a lot more effective than records.
January 18, 2016 at 11:34 pm
Dear Captain Albert,
Greatly enjoyed reading your blog. My grandfather, Isaac Weinstein, from Kishinev, Bessarabia, Russia, came to New York on the Nieuw Amsterdam, arriving in April or May 1907 (we have this info from the Ellis Island records). Would there be any records, photos, passenger lists or other mementos of that voyage? Unlike today, the young man did not have a camera, or keep a diary.
Thank you again for your interesting site.
Sincerely,
Stephen Weinstein
January 31, 2016 at 11:55 am
Good morning,
Thank you for reading my blog. I can check the HAL archives as the sailing date is after 1900, so the manifest information (cost and cabin number, passenger list) might be there. However I will not be able to do this until July when I go back to the archives. Entry records would be held at Ellis Island and those records you can access directly on line by searching for Ellis Island.
I can help you with putting you in the right direction:
The captains name was Frederik Hendrik Bonjer and the voyage number was either 9 or 10.
Voyage dates:
9 06 apr – 04 may Rotterdam – Bouloge Sur Mer – New York (16 – 24 april) – Boulogne Sur Mer – Rotterdam
10 11 may – 08 jun Rotterdam – Boulogne Sur Mer – New York (21 – 29 may ) – Boulogne Sur Mer – Rotterdam
The company archives do not hold any mementos of this voyage and photos are few and far in between from those days.
The crossing was like a bus service over the ocean, so nobody thought it was anything special.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
Submitted on 2016/01/18 at 11:34 pm
Dear Captain Albert,
Greatly enjoyed reading your blog. My grandfather, Isaac Weinstein, from Kishinev, Bessarabia, Russia, came to New York on the Nieuw Amsterdam, arriving in April or May 1907 (we have this info from the Ellis Island records). Would there be any records, photos, passenger lists or other mementos of that voyage? Unlike today, the young man did not have a camera, or keep a diary.
Thank you again for your interesting site.
Sincerely,
Stephen Weinstein
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January 31, 2016 at 11:57 am
Good morning,
Thank you for reading my blog. I can check the HAL archives as the sailing date is after 1900, so the manifest information (cost and cabin number, passenger list) might be there. However I will not be able to do this until July when I go back to the archives. Entry records would be held at Ellis Island and those records you can access directly on line by searching for Ellis Island.
I can help you with putting you in the right direction:
The captains name was Frederik Hendrik Bonjer and the voyage number was either 9 or 10.
Voyage dates:
9 06 apr – 04 may Rotterdam – Bouloge Sur Mer – New York (16 – 24 april) – Boulogne Sur Mer – Rotterdam
10 11 may – 08 jun Rotterdam – Boulogne Sur Mer – New York (21 – 29 may ) – Boulogne Sur Mer – Rotterdam
The company archives do not hold any mementos of this voyage and photos are few and far in between from those days.
The crossing was like a bus service over the ocean, so nobody thought it was anything special so nobody kept any specific records
Best regards
Capt. Albert
February 16, 2016 at 1:09 pm
Love your very informative blog! My grandfather, Gerardus W. de Roth emigrated to the US aboard the Noordam which sailed from Rotterdam on May 15, 1917. I have the passenger list and have confirmed this through Ellis Island. I also have a passenger list which includes my grandfather’s name for the Niew Amsterdam which was to have sailed Jan. 31, 1917. I have his menus for dinner and supper Feb 1, 1917, but I cannot confirm that the ship completed it’s crossing to the U.S. I found a newspaper article dated 1/2/17 mentioning that the ship was to leave Falmouth on Tues, but was recalled to Rotterdam due to the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare. I noticed that a large number of the 2nd cabin passengers listed for the 1/31/17 sailing were also listed on the Noordam for the 5/15/17 sailing . Can you confirm that the Niew Amsterdam did not sail for the U.S. Jan. 31, 1917?
February 16, 2016 at 3:34 pm
Thank you for reading my blog.
Your records are absolutely correct.
The Nieuw Amsterdam commenced voyage 95 on 31 jan 1917 under the command of Captain Pieter van den Heuvel.
Due to unlimited u boat war all ships sailed North through the north sea (where there was protection from the Royal British Navy) and would then come down through the Irish Sea to call at Falmouth for more passengers and mail. Then the ship would start the crossing to New York.
For this voyage the ship just made it north of the Doggersbank (shallow area in the North sea just south of Edinburgh) and was then recalled to Rotterdam where it arrived on 02 Feb. 1917. The ship remained in lay up until 30 June 1917 when it made a succesfull crossing via Halifax to NY.
I hope this helps
Best regards
Capt. Albert
June 5, 2017 at 3:52 pm
Dear Captain Albert,
Thank you for your post on the Nieuw Amsterdam I, that sailed from Rotterdam to Halifax in 1929. I found the photos and the content very helpful.
I am writing a historical fiction based on my grandmother’s story of the time she left Ukraine (then Poland) in 1929, landed in Danzig, from which she took a Polish steamer to Rotterdam. She was a third class passenger. She boarded on August 13 and arrived on August 21 in Halifax. The Captain did very well getting across the ocean in 8 days as a storm blew them off course 150 miles.
I wonder if you can provide me with more information:
Where did the immigrants store their belongings? My grandmother and her three children (they shared a cabin with bunk beds). They carried a blue metal trunk stuffed with their clothes, handiwork, and comforters, two saws protected by boards, a sewing machine head, and a bag full of kitchen pots, utensils, and a basin. I can’t imagine all this fitting under the bunk beds.
My grandmother was also sick on the voyage. She probably used the sink in the room to clean up but I understand there was a ladies’ room down the hall with toilets (flush?) and a bathtub. Was there only one bathtub for all the third class passengers on that deck? How many third class passengers were there? I’m assuming towels were supplied in the room.
Would she have had any help cleaning up the vomit? I know there were medical personnel on board. Would they have been available to the third class passengers as well? And these days, anti-nausea meds are provided by ship personnel. Were there any back then?
As far as my research goes, my understanding is that there were only two classes on this voyage, third and tourist. Were the third class passengers allowed to see where the tourist ones hung out?
My mother, who was a teenager at the time, said she danced every night and there was a bank or orchestra on board. Did the two classes mix or were the dances separate for each class.
Also, ship announcements. Could third class passengers hear them on their deck or would they be communicated somehow by ship personnel or fellow passengers after they’d heard it on the main deck. Was there a loudspeaker?
And lastly, was there a safety drill when they left the port? I know after the Titanic disaster shipping lines became more conscientious.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing back.
Best,
Diana
June 5, 2017 at 5:00 pm
Thank you for reading my blog.
Those are a lot of questions, so I will answer them from my hobby email address, there will be Nieuw Amsterdam I in the header in case it goes into Spam.
Best regards
Capt. albert
October 29, 2017 at 8:05 am
Capt Sieverts Jans de Jong. Born on 23 nov 1873 in Den Helder refers.
My father Willem de Jong Snr was the son of the above Captain, my grandfather.
We emigrated to South Africa in 1952.
Willem de Jong Snr had 2 sons Willem 12/3/1947 and Adam 12/2/1949.
There are 4 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren all living in South Africa.
We have 2 water colour paintings done by Capt de Jong depicting scenes when he rescued all crew and passengers without loss of life of the steamer “Mecklenburg” torpedoed by a German submarine in 1916 near “Galloper Light Ship”. At that stage he was Captain of the “Westerdyk”
Hope this assists in your effort to produce the records of the history of Capt de Jong at HAL.
Kind regards,
Wim
November 1, 2017 at 6:37 am
Thank you for reading my blog,
and thank you for the information. I will add it to the page, with some other information I have received.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
November 17, 2017 at 2:50 pm
Dear Captain Albert,
I would just like to say that this blog is extremely impressive and a grand documentation for something that would probably not be as well-documented otherwise, so thank you.
Aside from that, I have a question. Do you know what the name is of the first ship to transport passengers from Rotterdam to New York after World War I? I suspect it might be the Nieuw Amsterdam I of 1906, but I am unsure.
Thank you,
Rose
November 18, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Thank you for reading my blog and the compliment.
You are correct it was the Nieuw Amsterdam as she really did never stopped her crossings during the war. The first postwar voyage, if we count 11 November the end of the war was the return voyage 99 East bound which left New York on 20 November. The first one from Rotterdam was then voyage 100 departing Rotterdam on 21 December.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
December 11, 2017 at 6:08 am
my great-grandparents emigrated in 1910. They took the NA on November 10, 1910, Rotterdam-New York. Two of their sons left earlier, one in 1900 and the other in 1902. I’m not sure what month, but very likely in the winter months since they were farmers and would have waited for after harvest. Which ships could they have taken in 1900 and 1902? the Potsdam? was that a steamship? My grandmother left the Netherlands in 1911. would she have taken the Ryndam?
December 16, 2017 at 6:16 am
Thank you for reading my blog.
Most likely the Potsdam, the noordam or the Ryndam, as they were just in service and assigned for carrying most of the emigrants.
These were all steamships, see my information on the blog. If you grand mother left in 1911, then in addition to these three ships
she might have been on the Nieuw Amsterdam of the Rottterdam of 1908. I you have a departure date from Rotterdam, then I can tell you
which ship it is.
Best regards
Capt. albert
December 12, 2017 at 4:07 pm
My father-in law George Donswijk came to USA with his mother & family November 6, 1923. We will be visiting Holland next year where would the archives be to find out more information.
December 16, 2017 at 6:12 am
Good morning,
thank you for reading my blog. The Holland America line archives are being held by the City council archives.
The address is:
Gemeente Archief Rotterdam
Hofkade 651
Rotterdam.
(it is right in the center of Rotterdam about 10 minutes walking east of central station)
The are open from Tuesday to friday from 08.30 to 16.45.
When you arrive there, you have to sign in at the entry desk, then you will be directed to the 2nd floor.
Through the glass doors and there is a desk with a gentleman and a lady. They both speak very good English
and they will be happy to show you how to access to the manifest files on the computer.
For the NA in 1923 it should be no problem as all the records are there.
Good hunting
Capt. albert
December 17, 2017 at 5:17 am
Bonjour
Thank you for all the information about the Nieuw-Amsterdam. More about the capture and the internment of the German and Austrian passengers from the Nieuw-Amsterdam in the firstdays of September 1914 can be read on the Web site of our Association http://www.ilelongue14-18.eu/?-The-Dutch-passenger-ship-Nieuw-&lang=en.
With regards from Brest (France)
Monique Drévillon
February 18, 2018 at 6:36 pm
Do you have any information on a departure on September 19, 1919 from Plymouth England? My father was on board with my aunt and grandmother. Surname was Winton. I’ve been to Ellis island but they said they did not get off there. I’m not sure where else they would have disenbarked. Any help is appreciated.
February 18, 2018 at 8:45 pm
Thank you for reading my blog.
We have a real mystery here. Your father should have been on voyage 105 with captain Pieter van den Heuvel in command. The ship sailed on 12 September from Rotterdam, called at Boulogne sur Mer and then anchored overnight at Plymouth on 13/14 September. Then she sailed straight to New York where she arrived on 23 September. She left on 04 October again going home via Plymouth and Boulogne Sur Mer arriving in Rotterdam on 14 October.
If your parents are not there according to Ellis Island then we have several possibilities. So I checked if they might have been on another Dam ship that called on the 19th sept. in Plymouth, but there is not one. None of the HAL ships had a call at Plymouth on the 19th in any of the years between 1915 and 1925. Are you sure of the month ?? If so, there is the question, how did they travel. If they were regular passengers they will not be in the Ellis Island Records. If they emigrated in First or Second class, they might also not be in the records, as posh passengers where often processed while the ship was going to the regular berth. Also 3rd class and steerage was landed at Ellis Island without exception.
One last option: the name was spelled wrong in the Ellis island records. Winton is unusual for an American immigration officer, they might have written it down as Winston or Wiston something similar………….. Please review the options and the dates and let me know if you have any idea what might be different and I will look again.
Best regards
Captain Albert
April 20, 2018 at 1:05 pm
would like to find out more information regarding my great grandmother and grandmothers voyage in 1920 to Ellis island
April 20, 2018 at 2:15 pm
Thank you for reading my blog.
I can only help if you have a departure date, and if you are certain of the name of the ship. As the company’s information is arranged by ship, not by last name or year. If you have just a last name, then Ellis Island archives would work best: http://www.ellisisland.org/Story/tellstory.asp
I hope this helps
best regards
Capt. Albert
August 22, 2018 at 12:44 pm
My Grandfather was an Officer at 18 yrs. old on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 1918 J.R.Leijenaar in Holland. I’m his Granddaughter who immigrated to the U.S.A. via New York in 1962. This was the first time I got to see pictures of the liner from those days. It was a true Blessing to see them. Thank You.
February 11, 2019 at 12:42 am
Hello
very interesting site!I
I was trying to find out information on my great grandfather who came over on Nieuw Amsterdam on Aug 11, 1906…at least this is what his naturalization papers say. His name was Sam Kaplin. In records it was sometimes spelled Caplin. i wondered if he would be on a passenger list or if he came alone.
thank you!
February 11, 2019 at 11:27 pm
thank you for reading my blog.
As it is after 1900, there should be something in the archives. I am on the ship for the next three months ,but I will ask a colleague researcher to have a look. He might even answer you directly.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
May 24, 2019 at 12:51 pm
Hello, my grandmother Gerritdina Koebrugge made the trip to New York on October 26th. Along with her mother, 2 sisters and brother.
Did they arrive on Ellis Island? How long did the trip take? Are there journals I can read to find out more? Are there perhaps people who were also on board then that took pictures and care to share them with me?
Anything to help make this come alive more is welcome!
The info on the ship and pictures are great, thank you for that!
May 27, 2019 at 4:58 pm
Good morning Mandy
thank you for reading my blog. Can you please give me the year please ? There are several years where the ship left on or around the 26th. of October, so we have to pin point it.
Best regards
Capt. albert
August 30, 2020 at 6:40 pm
The year was 1926, sorry I forgot to mention this!
I was hoping to find out details about the journey, the ship, the daily stuff! What was it like? Are there more sources? Other journals?
April 20, 2020 at 3:00 pm
i enjoyed reading all about the new Amsterdam and it is interresting.
The brother of one of my great great great grandfathers arrived in ellis island on march 29th 1910 with his whole family. I have found the record in America that they have arrived. I havent found the passengers list from Rotterdam. how long would this voyage take? and when would they have left Rotterdam? his name is Eppo Bulten.
April 21, 2020 at 10:00 am
Thank you for reading my blog.
as you have an arrival date, I can help you with the voyage. This was Nieuw Amsterdam voyage nbr. 30 with in command Captain Adriaan Roggeveen. The ship left Rotterdam on 19 March and called at Boulogne Sur Mer (France) She arrived in New York on 28 March and docked at Hoboken to disembark the First and Second class passengers. The emigrants were taken on the 29th. by ferry to Ellis Island for processing.
In The Netherlands they are buys with digitizing all the passenger records of Holland America and that has now been completed until the year 1920. Have a look at this website and no doubt you can trace him. https://www.openarch.nl/indexen/27/passagierslijsten-holland-amerika-lijn
Although the link is in Dutch, the dashboard is in english.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
April 21, 2020 at 11:58 pm
Dear Captain Albert,
This is fascinating reading and thank you so much for your research and responses! My grandfather, his mother, and several siblings sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Rotterdam to New York in 1914. According to family lore, WW1 broke out as they were mid-crossing and the ship did not sail for several days as the captain was determining whether or not he could continue on. Have you come across any information that would verify this?
April 25, 2020 at 7:13 pm
Good morning,
Sorry about the delay for answering but I had to look this one up. If your grandfather & Company where on board on the crossing when the World war started, then their story is partly true. They were not at sea but stuck in Rotterdam. The ship was supposed to sail on 29th. of July and boarding was on the 28th. in Rotterdam. Because the war started on the 28th. it was not certain if Germany would recognise the agreed neutrality of the Netherlands. So the ships stayed in port until the Dutch Government had figured out what was going on. The green light came on August 8 and the ship subsequently sailed without any problems for New York. So the were stuck in port, not at sea.
I hope this helps.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
June 18, 2020 at 6:21 pm
Dear Captain Albert,
My grandma arrived in New York June 24, 1907 on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam. The strange thing is her name is listed as Hollak, Forida. Her maiden name was actually Abraham (not Hollak) and the first name we knew her as was Freda (not Forida). Is there a way to see the actual passenger manifest? I have a suspicion the immigration official could not understand the language and just quickly wrote down what he/she thought was said. Perhaps whoever accompanied this young child had the name “Hollak”–grandma’s mother and father stayed in the old country as they shipped off their three girls to the USA for “a better life”. Grandma’s parents were from the Lebanon/Syria border area–I have no idea how she would have made it to Holland from the Middle East for the ship departing from Rotterdam. I assume she departed from Rotterdam and I assume the ship went directly to New York. Thank you!
June 22, 2020 at 3:09 pm
good morning, thank you for reading my blog. This is a hard one. There are no passenger manifests in the archives in Rotterdam only the booking manifests. And that gives a problem. Most emigrants from middle Europe booked with local agencies and that became then a group booking. Which went to the Rotterdam office for processing.The groups information stayed on the booking date until departure and then the passenger list was compiled in the departure hall when boarding. I have been looking for the departure date of 14 june as that correspond with an arrival date of 24 june in new york. But if the name was slightly different and the voyage was booked much earlier, then it is going to be hard.
Below is the link for the archives,but when I try the name hollak, nothing comes up, and under Abraham for 1907 several names but all on Noordam and Rijndam
https://stadsarchief.rotterdam.nl/zoek-en-ontdek/passagierslijsten/zoeken-op-passagiers/?mizig=231
If she was on the Nieuw Amsterdam , then this was voyage 11 of the ship under command of Commodore Bonjer. The ship left Rotterdam on 14 June, called at Boulogne sur Mer and then arrived in New York on the 24th. The ship left NY on 31 june and returned via BSM back to Rotterdam arriving on 13 july
If you can find any additional information, then we can try again but at the moment it is very difficult. In 1907 Holland America carried 44500 emigrants from Rotterdam.
Best regards
Capt. albert
July 31, 2020 at 7:00 pm
Hi Captain Albert,
My husband’s great grandparents arrived at Ellis Island on December 4, 1911 aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam (1). They departed from Rotterdam, Holland. His name is Schmiel Wilder. The passenger ID is 101239120023 and the line number is 23. His wife’s name was Dvios. Do you have any information as to the date they left Holland and in what class they travelled? Is there a book written about this ship during this time period? I would appreciate any information.
August 1, 2020 at 7:51 pm
Thank you for reading my blog,
The grand parents sailed to New York on voyage 46 of the Nieuw Amsterdam under the command of Captain Jan Baron. I have his biography with a picture on my website here. https://www.captainalbert.com/captains-from-the-past/baron-j/
They left Rotterdam on 25 November and sailed via Boulogne Sur Mer in France to New York. Arriving on 04 December. The ship left again on 12 December and sailed back to Rotterdam via Plymouth and Boulogne Sur Mer.
The sailing records for the company are being digitised at the moment and are on line up and until 1920.
I found you Grand father listed as Schmil Wilder. this is the link. https://www.openarch.nl/search.php?top&archive=srt&name=wilder&number_show=10&sourcetype=Passagiersregisters&sort=4&start=20
The website is in English so I assume you will be able to find all the information that you need with a bit of playing around.
There is no direct book about the ship during this time period. What you have found here on my website is the best there is at the moment. (Until have the time to greatly expand it)
I hope the links will help
Best regards
Capt. Albert
August 3, 2020 at 4:44 am
Thank you for sharing this information!
September 1, 2020 at 1:43 pm
Hello Captain Albert,
Thank you for all this info!
My grandmother Gerritdina Maria Koebrugge (born in Hengelo, the Netherlands, April 19, 1912) sailed to America on the SS New Amsterdam on October 26th, 1926. With her mother and some siblings.
Could you please tell me more about the trip?
*How did they handle luggage? Were the big trunks sent in advance?
*Did most people go to the harbour by train?
*How long was the journey?
*What was dinner like for their class?
*Was there entertainment every evening?
*My grandmother was seasick and said she puked overboard. There were washingrooms though I presume?
*What was the weather like?
*How were the cabins for their class?
*Is there a Captain’s log?
All in all, what was it like aboard?
September 19, 2020 at 3:25 am
My grandfather, grandmother and mother (James Wilberforce Sibree, Lucy Phoebe Sibree and Margaret Phoebe Sibree) all travelled from Plymouth to New York, arriving on 23/09/1919 at Ellis Island. This trip on the Nieuw Amsterdam is not digitalised. Could you provide details of their journey and their accommodation details? Is there a captains log available?
September 20, 2020 at 9:09 am
Good morning,
thank you for visiting my website. This was voyage 105 of the Nieuw Amsterdam. The Maser was Captain Pieter van den Heuvel. The ship left Rotterdam on 12 September and called at Boulogne sur Mer early in the morning of the 13th. Then sailed to Plymouth where arrived late in the evening . here it waited at anchor for the boat train arrive in the morning of the 14th. with passengers and mail from London. Then it sailed for New York, where it arrived 23 September. The passengers would then have been moved by the Ellis Island ferry from Hoboken docks to Ellis Island for processing. The Nieuw Amsterdam left on 04 October and sailed back to Rotterdam via Plymouth and Boulogne Sur Mer. This was a regular 11 day crossing so the weather did not delay them. That is all I have on this voyage. You do not mention in what class they travelled, which could have been First Class, 2nd class (these two classes were normally processed on board and only went to Ellis Island if there were issues) 3rd class and tween decks. The last one was a dormitory class, only in use if there were many emigrants and consisted of temporary cabins and dormitories rigged in the cargo holds. I hope this helps.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
September 29, 2020 at 1:50 pm
Good Morning Captain,
I am researching my family history and my great-great-great grandfather Raymond Bedet was on the Niew Amsterdam on March 16, 1914 and arrived in New York on March 27, 1914. Do you have any record of this voyage? I would like to know which class he was booked under. We can’t seem to find his parents name back in the Netherlands. Thank you.
September 29, 2020 at 3:18 pm
Good morning, thank you for reading my blog.
If 16 march is the date he joined the ship, then it make sense you can not find him in the Rotterdam records (I checked, I can not find him either, neither as Bedet, Bidet or Bedit) as he must have boarded in Boulogne Sur Mer. France. So either he lived in France, Raymond Bedet sounds like a French name, or the lived in the south of Holland / Belgium and took the train via Paris to Boulogne Sur Mer.
As far as the voyage goes, this was voyage 69 of the Nieuw Amsterdam under command of Captain Jan. Baron. His biography is on my website: https://www.captainalbert.com/captains-from-the-past/baron-j/ The ship departed Rotterdam on the 14th. Arrived at BSM on the 15th. left on the 16th. and arrived in New York on 21 march. and departed again on the 31st of March to go back to Holland via Falmouth. It was back in Rotterdam on 10 April. Now normally First class and second class would be processed at the company dock and thus the date of entry should read 24 march or 25 march. if he was processed on the 27th. = entry date, indicates that he was taken by the Ellis Island ferry to Ellis Island.
I looked at the US census of 1940 and it says that he was born in 1895 in the Netherlands, but the question is did he also continue to live there?
Also there have been instances were emigrants travelled under a new name (these were the days before passports and international treaties) so he could have assumed another name? If he was born in 1895 and sailed in 1914, then he would have been 19 years old. He would not have been able to travel without parents permission and would have had some sort of letter to proof that to the border police, unless he looked much older. As again there were no passports in those days. Another option that could be possible is that he was a crewmember and jumped ship ? When I go into the records of Ellis Island, I only find one Raymond Bedet who entered in 1934 and came from Paris. And that brings the question, is your entry information of 27 March from Ellis Island or from another source. ? because if he jumped ship, he would not be in the records but would have had himself naturalised after a few years. If you have any other information, then I will continue try to help.
Best regards
Capt. albert
December 15, 2020 at 3:33 am
My father arrived in New York June 10, 1916 on the ship Amsterdam. I was not able to find Amsterdam ship, but did find Nieua Amsterdam. Would you have confirmation and info of this ship? Thsnks so much.
December 15, 2020 at 9:57 pm
Thank you for your inquiry.
Holland America did have a ship named Amsterdam but she was not in service anymore in 1916. In case your father just called the ship by its 2nd part of its name, I checked the voyages of the Nieuw Amsterdam, but she did NOT arrive in New York on 10 June. During voyage 89 she was in New York between 24 and 28 may and then sailed to Rotterdam again.
I did a search if another company would have a ship called the Amsterdam, but I could not find anything. I checked ellis island where your father would have arrived in 1916 if he ws an emigrant https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger (this is the web page for the search but I can not find a westra who arrived there in 1916.
If you have some more information such as a first name or a closer date, we can try again.
Best regards
Capt. albert
January 18, 2021 at 3:56 am
Hello. I am having trouble finding records for 1903. My Great-Grandfather Emigrated to U.S from Rotterdam on the 4th of September 1903 to the Port of New York, NY. on the ship Rijndam. (according to U.S. Naturalization papers). I have found 1902 and then records skip to 1904.
His name is: Samuel Braun born April 10, 1879 (age 27). He was a Tailor from Magyzrollis Hungary.
January 19, 2021 at 10:32 am
Good morning,
I have found the booking details of a Sanin Braun, single male, who sailed on the Rijndam in 1903. If this is the same person, then I cans end you the booking page. and some details about the voyage.
Please advise
Bet regards
Capt. Abert
January 30, 2021 at 9:05 pm
Hi:
I’ve read (twice) “The Lost, a search for six of six million” by Daniel Mendelsohn. In this extraordinary non-fiction book, he tells that his grandpa and his great aunt (Jäeger, by last name) came to America on board the SS Nieuw Amsterdam, as commanded by P. van den Heuvel, in Nov 1920. My curiosity took me to your blog.
My own grandparents and their children (my mom included) came to Argentina from Italy, but later on, in 1948, also by boat, leaving behind the horrors of WW II.
Congrats on your blog!
February 25, 2021 at 3:06 pm
How do I get a manifest from this ship? I believe my grandfather sailed to America on this ship but don’t seem to be able to locate this manifest at Ellis Island site. I would greatly appreciate any help.
Thank you.
Diane Vernesoni
Grandfather Santo Vernesoni of Castilletto, Italy
February 25, 2021 at 4:03 pm
Thank you for reading my blog.
I have found your father, he sailed on the Amsterdam, not the Nieuw Amsterdam as that ship came into service in 1906. He left Rotterdam on 17 January 1903. I am sending you his company registration card via my captains email Captalbert1.@aol.com. Please keep a look out, as it might go into spam. I will also included some voyage information and a picture of the ship. with the arrival date in New York you should be able to find them then at Ellis Island
I hope this helps
Best regards
Capt. Albert
March 19, 2021 at 2:44 am
My great grandfather and grandfather DeJongs and families immigrated on this ship March 10th, 1911. Now known as the Deyonges of southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa. Thanks for your efforts, super helpful to our families.
May 4, 2021 at 5:44 pm
I have the manifest from a Holland American ship that landed at Ellis Island May 22, 1906. My grandfather was on that ship. Can you tell me if it was the Neiuw Amsterdam and where it sailed from. A lot of info is unable to be read. His last name was Braverman and he was listed by his Hebrew first name..
Thank you for whatever gaps you can fill in. He was 18.
May 4, 2021 at 6:03 pm
thank you for your comment,
please see my answer via my email
best regards
Capt. Albert
October 6, 2021 at 4:32 am
My great grandfather was also on the May 22, 1906 arrival of the Nieuw Amsterdam to Ellis Island. Last name Safran. Looking for any information, photos, manifests, etc. Already looked at Ellis Island and got great results there, but wondering if there is more to learn. Thank you! Brent
October 17, 2021 at 11:02 am
Good morning,
I had a look at the HAL archives, and there are quite a few Safrans mentioned who departred from Rotterdam.
https://www.openarch.nl/search.php?top&name=safran&number_show=10&sort=4&start=0
this is the link there are 8 pages.
However nobody from 22 may 1906. However it could be possible that the family boarded in Boulogne Sur Mer (12/13 may) and then they would not be in the Dutch Archives.
I hope this helps
Best regards
Capt. Albert
October 7, 2021 at 6:56 pm
Hello. My family came to America landing in New York on February 19, 1927. They sailed on the New Amsterdam from Rotterdam. My father always said he arrived in Hoboken, NJ as they were brought over by my grandfather who was already in America. Our last name today is spelled Hudes. Spelling may have changed from Gudis, Hudys, or even Hudis. 4 passengers in total, Nathan Age 25, Harry (Hershel)Age 8 or 9, Murray (Moishe) Age 10, Jenny (Genedal) age 39. Thank you advance for your efforts.
October 17, 2021 at 10:46 am
Good morning,
I found three names that fir the description.
this is the link:
https://www.openarch.nl/search.php?name=hudis
So you can copy all the details
I hope this helps
Best regards
Capt. Albert
December 19, 2021 at 8:59 pm
Dear Captain Albert,
It is with great interest that I read your blog. My grandfather was on this boat and arrived at Ellis Island June 29 1920. We have boat ticket copies and some other information proving this. My grandfather had an older sister who had died on the boat and for years our family has been trying to find out the name of this girl. My grandfather died at 102 years of age and was never comfortable to discuss the death with anyone. We would do anything to know her name so we can memorialize and place honor to her life. I am wondering if you had any ideas for us.
December 22, 2021 at 10:55 am
Thank you for your comment.
I did a quick check in the HAL passenger lists/ booking records but the name Merenstein or Meerenstein did not show. If you can tell me the correct spelling of the family name under which your grand father travelled, then I will do some digging. With the flooding of Rotterdam in 1953, part of the archive was lost, including the logbooks of the Nieuw Amsterdam (only one log book survived) so I will not be able to find the dead notice. The sister will also not be on the Ellis Island records as those only lists who arrived, not the departure manifests. But I can try the booking records for the departures from Rotterdam but I need the correct spelling. MerenSTEIN could be a jewish name so then I also helps to have the original first name of your grandfather as names were often changed or simplified at Ellis Island and then there is a discrepancy with the booking records in Rotterdam. So let me know the first and last name of your grand father and I will try.
Best regards
Capt. albert
January 16, 2022 at 12:20 am
My grandfather and six brothers came to the US in 1911 from the Netherlands on this ship and landed at Ellis Island. So amazing to strike out for new land, a new adventure, and new hope.
January 18, 2022 at 2:05 am
My grandmother, an aunt, and an uncle also crossed on this ship in 1911. It may have been the same trip!
January 17, 2022 at 6:17 pm
I believe this is the ship my grandmother, Maryanna Kulesza, and her children, Helen and Boleslaw, sailed on in 1911. The NA’s namesake is one of the HAL ships I have sailed on!
January 18, 2022 at 8:49 am
Good morning,
she is indeed in the company registers:
https://www.openarch.nl/search.php?name=Marya+Kulesza
Best regards
Capt. Albert
January 21, 2022 at 9:43 pm
Thank you! One more question – what currency is being used in the passage column? It says 194.70 for one full passage and two half passages. Thank you.
January 22, 2022 at 3:06 pm
Dutch Florins.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
January 23, 2022 at 2:18 am
Thank you.
January 17, 2022 at 10:43 pm
My grandmother, Maryanna (or Maria) Kulesza, sailed to New York from Rotterdam in 1911 on the Nieuw Amsterdam. She was accompanied by her daughter, Helena, and son, Boleslaw. Additionally, there may have been a young female companion from her village in Poland (Russia). The namesake of the NA is one of the HAL ships my wife and I have sailed on.
March 4, 2022 at 4:22 am
Hello, my grandfather told me that the ship e was on traveled through the same iceberg field that sank the Titanic Can you confirm this? He also told me he didn’t go through Ellis Island Any additional information would be greatly appreciated..
Thank you so much!
Michall Zacharyasz, arrived on April 30, 1913, New York Ss Nieu Amsterdam
March 5, 2022 at 9:12 pm
Good morning,
Thank you for your comment.
Your grand father crossed in 1913 but the Titanic sank in 1912. So was not sailing through the SAME ice field as the Titanic. But was I think what he meant was that he was sailing through the SAME area where the titanic hit an ice berg. All the ships followed the same steamer route (a bit like a rail road) across the North Atlantic so the Nieuw Amsterdam would have been on virtually the same track as the Titanic. So different ice, same area.
I hope this helps
Best regards
Capt. Albert
March 6, 2022 at 2:47 am
What a lot of wonderful information you provide!
Family members Estera Twerska and her two daughters sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam, leaving Rotterdam on August 5, 1916 and arriving in New York on August 21. What can you tell me about this specific voyage, especially its route and why it took what seems like longer than the time for a normal crossing?
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
March 6, 2022 at 8:09 pm
Good morning, thank you for your comment and query.
This was voyage 99 of the ss Nieuw Amsterdam. In command Capt. Pieter van den Heuvel. They left on 05 August 1916 from Rotterdam and because of the U-boat danger in the English channel went north around Scotland. The ship stopped on 07 and 08 August at Kirkwall for inspection by the British. Then sailed down the Irish Sea to Falmouth to pick up mail and passengers (11 and 12 August) and then sailed to New York where it arrived on the 21st. because there were no emigrants on board, disembarkation was the same day in Hoboken. The ship departed again on the 25th of August and then sailed back via Falmouth and Kirkwall to Rotterdam where it arrived on 12 September. The voyage was un-eventful. The name of your family member on the booking form was Estera Twerski sailing with 2 others and she paid a total of $ 60,– for the crossing. She had booked directly with the company in Rotterdam. That is all I know.
I hope this helps
Best regards
Capt. Albert
That is all I know. I hope it helps.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
March 7, 2022 at 4:31 pm
Thank you so much for the wonderful information!
Another relative, “Samuel Twerski,” also came to America on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam. He sailed from Rotterdam on May 12, 1920 and arrived in New York on May 23, 1920. What can you tell me about this crossing and this passenger?
March 11, 2022 at 10:03 am
Good morning,
as you have more relatives it might be handy to search form them by pasting this link in your search engine and then click the names.: https://www.openarch.nl/search.php?lang=en&name=twerski&sourcetype=Passagiersregisters&archive=srt
as far as the voyage goes this was voyage 109 still with captain Pieter van den Heuvel in command. The ship left Rotterdam on 12 May called at Boulogne sur Mer in France on the same day. then sailed to Plymouth where it loaded passengers and mail and then sailed to NY where it arrived on the 23rd. The ship left again on the first of June to sail back to Rotterdam. Nice summer crossing nothing special.
I hope this helps
Best regards
Capt. Albert
March 26, 2022 at 6:37 pm
Many, many thanks!
May 1, 2022 at 12:14 am
Read your blog on this ship with interest, as found a brass ship’s bell engraved:
Holland – America Line
S. S. NIEUW AMSTERDAM
1906
Bell has the attached mounting bracket along with the striker and knotted rope handle Bell and bracket are bright and shiny, but does not have foundry information or a date anywhere on it. We have searched for a copy of this bell and cannot find a reference to it. Is this a commemorative bell? made for an important event or person? Found this bell in a thrift shop in Arizona. I would appreciate any information you could provide on this bell.
May 4, 2022 at 6:49 pm
thank you
can you send me a picture of the bell to my hobby address: Captalbert1@aol.com
and I will have a look
Best regards
Capt. Albert
May 14, 2022 at 8:57 pm
Hello captain Albert
Looking for Betty VanEs
Can you help?
Jack and pieter
We have an oil lamp from the ship
May 15, 2022 at 3:09 pm
Good morning,
I assume that you are looking for an emigrant. If so I need the approx. year of emigration to the USA and if possible the approx. age when travelling or year of birth.
Please let me know and I will try
Best regards
Capt. Albert
June 11, 2024 at 2:31 pm
Wie kan informatie geven over mijn oud-oom Harm van der Pal. Hij vertrok op 10 februari 1912 op het schip Nieuw Amsterdam naar New York. Aan boord ontmoette hij een andere Nederlander met wie hij na aankomst onderdak zocht in het New Yorkse stadsdeel The Bronx. Hij kan wel in het Guinness Book of Records staan voor het kortste verblijf in New York, want na een dag werd de toen 32-jarige oom van mijn vader
door zijn medepassagier beroofd en doodgestoken. De dader werd snel gepakt, maar ik heb nergens informatie kunnen vinden over de rechtzaak. Wie kan mij helpen?
June 13, 2024 at 9:22 am
Mijn dank voor uw commentaar. Mischien moeten we het van de andere kant benaderen. Weet uw de naam van de mordernaar? Hij werd opgepakt en dus was er een rechtzaak. En waarschijndelijk ter dood veroordeeld of terug gestuurd naar Nederland. als we die naam hebben dan kunnen ook het slachtoffer trasceren. en mischien de begraaf plaats etc.
mvg
Capt. Albert
June 14, 2024 at 9:52 am
Dank voor uw antwoord. Jammer genoeg weet ik niet wie de moord heeft gepleegd. Wel weet ik via mijn grootvader dat het een Nederlander was en die wel is teruggestuurd naar Nederland. Verder is na de moord op Harm van der Pal in The Bronx in 1912 ook het beschadigde gouden horloge (motief voor de moord) terug naar zijn ouders in Friesland gestuurd. Dat horloge heb ik als naamgenoot in mijn bezit gekregen. Waar de rechtzaak heeft plaatsgevonden is voor mij een vraagteken. Misschien is er iets in New York te vinden? Nogmaals dank voor uw medewerking.
June 14, 2024 at 10:08 am
Dank voor uw inzet. Ik heb helaas geen naam van de moordenaar. Wel weet ik via informatie van mijn grootvader dat zijn broer in 1912 om een gouden zakhorloge is vermoord. Ik weet ook dat de Nederlandse moordenaar is uitgeleverd aan Nederland. Het gouden zakhorloge is destijds naar de ouders van Harm van der Pal gestuurd en dat zakhorloge heb ik nu in mijn bezit. Verder weet ik dat Harmen van der Pol (de o moet een a zijn) op de passagierslijst van het schip Nieuw Amsterdam staat. Hij vertrok op 10-2-1912 vanuit Rotterdam. Ik hoop dat u nog iets kunt vinden over de moord in New York. Nogmaals dank voor uw inzet.
July 10, 2024 at 7:48 am
Ik heb naam van moordenaar gevonden. Ik wil de onthulling graag per mail versturen. Op wat voor mailadres kan ik dat doen? Groet, Harm
July 10, 2024 at 3:07 pm
Mijn dank voor uw email. Dat is heel interresant. Want ik heb nog niets gevonden.
Als uw dit met mij wilt delen, bijzonder graag.
email adres: Captalbert1@aol.com
mvg
Capt. albert
October 8, 2024 at 3:27 pm
Hi,
Looking over the help you have given people over the last many years, I have to say that you are a very special person. It is really wonderful of you to help people like this.
I just learned from Liberty Ellis Island and another website that my ancestors came over on this ship in 1913. I used the form you left in the comments (of a register from Rotterdam) to try to find them and it seems like February 8, 1913 is the match. My great grandfather’s name was Wolf Selmanowitz. They traveled in a group of 8, the parents in their 40s, 5 adult children including Wolf, 24, and one baby, from Minkowce. The patriarch’s first name may have been spelled Oreschis or Orvschia (I believe it’s the same person).
All this is already more than I ever thought I would have. But if you have any more information, or confirmation that Feb 8 was the correct date, I would love to know. Once again– thank you so much for what you are doing here. It’s really generous of you. It has been really moving to see all these commenters get real information about their ancestors.