SS Ryndam (1950)

Ryndam in 1951
History
Netherlands
Name	Ryndam
Owner	Holland America Line
Operator	Holland America Line
Builder	N.V. Dok- en Werfmaatschappij Wilton-Fijenoord, Schiedam[2]
Yard number	732[1]
Laid down	17 December 1949[1]
Launched	18 December 1950
Christened	19 December 1950[1]
Completed	1951
Acquired	10 July 1951[1]
Maiden voyage	16 July 1951;[1]
In service	1951–1966 with NASM[1]
Out of service	2003
Renamed	Atlas (1972) Pride of Mississippi (1988) Pride of Galveston (1991) Copa Casino (1993)
Identification	IMO number: 5302776
Fate	Sank en route to scrapping at Alang, India
Notes	Originally ordered as combination cargo passenger ship Dinteldijk
General characteristics
Type	cruise ship
Tonnage	15,015 GRT[2]
Length	503 ft (153.3 m)[1]
Beam	69 ft (21.0 m)[1]
Installed power	cross-compound General Electric steam turbines (built in 1945) 8,500 shp double-reduction geared[1]
Propulsion	Single screw[1]
Speed	16.5 knots (31 km/h)[1]
Capacity	39 first class, 854 tourist class[1]
Notes	Daily fuel consumption 53 tons, daily (considered low for that time)[1]

SS Ryndam was an ocean liner built for Holland America Line in 1951. She was built by N.V. Dok en Werfmaatschappij Wilton-Fijenoord, Schiedam. She was christened by Mrs. C. Tjarda van Stakenborgh Stachouwer-Marburg (wife of the prewar Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies).^[1] The original intent of her design was to be designated as the freighter Dinteldyk (which was also designed to carry a small complement of passengers). A decision was made to have her redesigned as a liner in 1950, but she still retained the stout hull lines and sturdy machinery of a freighter.^[2][1] The ship played a major role in post-war immigration from Europe making frequent voyages to New York City and the Pier 21 immigration facility in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. In March 1962 Edward & Alex Van Halen, and their parents Jan & Eugenia Van Halen, immigrated to the US aboard the SS Ryndam.

In 1973, she was sold to a Panamanian subsidiary of a Greek shipping interest and extensively refitted with her bow line changed, many internal changes, and alterations to her superstructure. This was done to give her a more modern (at the time) 1970s design appearance.^[1] In 1988 she was sold to gaming interests and performed short cruises in the Gulf of Mexico under the name Pride of Mississippi, and in 1991 was renamed Pride of Galveston.^[2] In 1993, with her engines inoperable, she was towed to Gulfport, Mississippi where she was docked permanently and became the Copa Casino. When Copa Casino adopted a more permanent structure, a decision was made that she should be scrapped. She foundered off the coast of the Dominican Republic on her way, under tow, to the ship breakers in Alang, India on 16 March 2003.

References