MV Schiedyk

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Wasn't the Red Star Line a subsidiary of HAL?  

 

Had to look that one up in Capt. Appie Schoonderbeek's book and you are correct, Sir!

 

"The financial results after 1935 were better and gave the company (HAL) room to reserve money for investments. One of those investments was the acquisition of the Red Star Line on 3 June 1939. This company ran a service from Antwerp (Belgium) to New York and had been a competitor for Holland America. It had a very varied history under a number of owners and possessed a fleet with a series of ships whose names ended with "land."

 

With the addition of its two main passengers ships to the (HAL) fleet, the Pennland and the Westernland, it (HAL) now controlled two main routes from Europe to New York 

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

This was in the paper this morning:

 

 

Headed for Portland, Ore! Thanks for the article, Ann!

[KirkNC]

At least with the P’dam she was in open waters.  While leakage is never good, it’s worse close to shore due to more and more diverse wildlife.  I also wonder how much of her fuel might have been burned off as it was burning fuel that caused the fire if memory serves me.

Edited December 13, 2020 by KirkNC

[Sir PMP]

10,000 gallons of oil are seeping into the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara everyday..

[canadianbear]

Gold River is the area where my husband fishes.  Area is known for great salmon and halibut fishing.  

[bcummin]

Gold River is indeed special.  In the late 1970's friends inspired us to drive with our daughters to Gold River.  We parked the VW bus and took the mail boat around Nootka Sound.  Spent the night in the town at the end of the route.  Good memories.

Barbara

[Copper10-8]

7 hours ago, KirkNC said:

At least with the P’dam she was in open waters.  While leakage is never good, it’s worse close to shore due to more and more diverse wildlife.  I also wonder how much of her fuel might have been burned off as it was burning fuel that caused the fire if memory serves me.

 

Your memory is good! Prinsendam I's fire in the Gulf of Alaska was set off by the rupturing of a high-pressure fuel line inside her engine room during the early morning hours of October 4, 1980. That rupture sprayed hot oil onto the main engine exhaust manifold which resulted in the engine room to become engulfed in flames. The subsequent rescue of all her pax and crew (without any loss of life) in a joint effort by the USAF, USCG, RCAF and civilian assets (the U.S.-flagged tanker Williamsburg) is known as "the greatest sea rescue of all time"

[Alphen]

11 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

Vancouver Island has some beautiful "inland ports." HAL no longer goes there often but I was working on Statendam when we sailed inland to Port Alberni, BC; awesome place/God's country!

We were lucky to visit Alberni on Maasdam in 2019, when she visited several not normally visited ports on 3 cruises out of San Francisco. The whole village seemed to be out on the streets to welcome us, such friendly people. Sad that Maasdam now left the fleet, we were planning to sail her again on one of her EXC voyages definitely!

[Alphen]

Found some more information on a history page on the web, regarding HAL (cargo) ships https://www.arendnet.com/hal46.htm , included Dutch newspaper clipping and also a written memory (also in Dutch) of an assistant marine engineer on board, about the sinking of the ship. Text is in a picture, so not able to quickly translate, in general it appeared to have hit rocks during the night, slowly sinking afterwards, enabling everybody to evacuate the ship safely and calmly.

 

[KirkNC]

47 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Your memory is good! Prinsendam I's fire in the Gulf of Alaska was set off by the rupturing of a high-pressure fuel line inside her engine room during the early morning hours of October 4, 1980. That rupture sprayed hot oil onto the main engine exhaust manifold which resulted in the engine room to become engulfed in flames. The subsequent rescue of all her pax and crew (without any loss of life) in a joint effort by the USAF, USCG, RCAF and civilian assets (the U.S.-flagged tanker Williamsburg) is known as "the greatest sea rescue of all time"

That’s what I recalled from the book Burning Cold, not the best written book but very interesting none the less.  We once met a couple on a cruise (on the Prinsendam II in fact) that were on that ill fated voyage.  They had some interesting stories,  the gentleman was not complimentary of the captain’s decisions during that event.

[chengkp75]

9 hours ago, KirkNC said:

At least with the P’dam she was in open waters.  While leakage is never good, it’s worse close to shore due to more and more diverse wildlife.  I also wonder how much of her fuel might have been burned off as it was burning fuel that caused the fire if memory serves me.

Assuming that she had at least 4000 metric tons of fuel onboard, the amount that would have burned before the engines stopped and the power went out, would have been way less than 50 tons.  Residual fuel needs to be at about 280*F and sprayed in a fine mist under pressure to ignite (typical oil delivery to an engine is around 100 psi).  Once the power goes out, there is no pressure to move the fuel to the fire, and no boiler to heat the fuel, so the fuel no longer acts as a source for the fire.  Also, there are air operated quick closing valves that can shut off the fuel to an engine that is on fire to stop the fuel flow.

 

As an example of how inert residual fuel is at atmospheric conditions, I have welded patches over cracks in a fuel tank, that was full of residual fuel, and as long as the level of the liquid fuel was above where we were welding, it was perfectly safe.   You can take a cutting torch and wave it over a bucket of residual fuel without igniting it.

[Damcruiser]

Thanks for the history posts..  Wonderful read.

[Vict0riann]

This was in the paper this morning:

 

[Himself]

22 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Holland Amerika Lijn's mv Schiedyk (1949-1968) was the last in a long line of HAL ships built by the Harland & Wolf yard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She had accommodations for twelve "cabin-class" passengers and, once in service, was placed on the Rotterdam-Java (then Nederlands Indie, now Indonesia) run. She was rebuilt in 1960 which included a re-engine similar to her sister ship Soestdyk, at the Wilton-Fijenoord yard in Schiedam in the Netherlands. She was then placed on the Antwerp (Belgium)-New York run for the Red Star Line, followed by a North Pacific run. On January 4, 1968, around 0730 hrs. and under the command of Captain Arie van Dijk, she ran aground in heavy fog in the Zuciarte Channel near Bligh Island, Nootka Sound, BC and was subsequently lost at sea. All forty crew abandoned their ship (Capt. van Dijk and five other crew initially stayed onboard) and were taken onboard the Canadian Coast Guard Icebreaker CCGS Camsell    

 

 

 

 

CCGS Camsell    

You are and expert on all things Holland America.

[Sir PMP]

24 minutes ago, Himself said:

You are and expert on all things Holland America.

He was the engineer on the Prinsendam I..

[Heartgrove]

21 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

Vancouver Island has some beautiful "inland ports." HAL no longer goes there often but I was working on Statendam when we sailed inland to Port Alberni, BC; awesome place/God's country!

Sailing RT from Port Alberni to Bamfield is available on the M.S. Frances Barkley on a regular basis. We sailed on her in 2010 and really enjoyed a "working" cruise. While laying over in Bamfield I swapped sea stories with the Canadian Coast Guard  crew at their station. Good times!

Edited December 13, 2020 by Heartgrove

[john2003]

1 hour ago, Heartgrove said:

Sailing RT from Port Alberni to Bamfield is available on the M.S. Frances Barkley on a regular basis. We sailed on her in 2010 and really enjoyed a "working" cruise. While laying over in Bamfield I swapped sea stories with the Canadian Coast Guard  crew at their station. Good times!

This is a fun day trip.  Bamfield was the terminus of the original transpacific cable.

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Himself said:

You are and expert on all things Holland America.

 

Thanks Father however, I took the info from a little book by the name of "The Holland America Line, a 120th anniversary celebration in postcards" by Peter C. Kohler and by reading and translating the Dutch newspaper article about Schiedam poster Alphen provided earlier. I do like/have always liked history (one of my fav topics in school in Holland, unlike math 😉 ) 

 

A Merry Christmas to you and yours, take care and stay safe!

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

Sailing RT from Port Alberni to Bamfield is available on the M.S. Frances Barkley on a regular basis. We sailed on her in 2010 and really enjoyed a "working" cruise. While laying over in Bamfield I swapped sea stories with the Canadian Coast Guard  crew at their station. Good times!

 

Thanks for that info! Looked up Bamfield, BC and the Frances Barkley. Looks like another beautiful place on big Vancouver Island and a great trip! We made it to Ucluelet on the island once with friends who reside in White Rock, BC 

 

Thanks for your service, PO2/E5! 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by Copper10-8

[Heartgrove]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Thanks for that info! Looked up Bamfield, BC and the Frances Barkley. Looks like another beautiful place on big Vancouver Island and a great trip! We made it to Ucluelet on the island once with friends who reside in White Rock, BC 

 

Thanks for your service, PO2/E5! 

 

 

 

It was my honor! Semper Paratus! U.S. Coast Guard 1969-75  including  COGARDRON TWO

 

[rkacruiser]

15 hours ago, KirkNC said:

That’s what I recalled from the book Burning Cold, not the best written book but very interesting none the less

 

It has been discussed earlier this year on CC that there are two more books that are available since Burning Cold was published that are more authoritative since they are first hand accounts of the tragedy.  They are interesting reads to be sure.   

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

He was the engineer on the Prinsendam I..

 

Am I reading this correctly that Copper 10-8 was an engineer on Prinsendam I?  

[RuthC]

35 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Am I reading this correctly that Copper 10-8 was an engineer on Prinsendam I?  

You are reading the words correctly. You just shouldn't believe them. 

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Am I reading this correctly that Copper 10-8 was an engineer on Prinsendam I?  

 

Little "s-Gravenhage" humor by Sir PMP 🙂 In 1980 I started my career with the police department  

[Copper10-8]

21 hours ago, KirkNC said:

That’s what I recalled from the book Burning Cold, not the best written book but very interesting none the less.  We once met a couple on a cruise (on the Prinsendam II in fact) that were on that ill fated voyage.  They had some interesting stories,  the gentleman was not complimentary of the captain’s decisions during that event.

 

Try this one! It's a good account by one of her deck officers, involved from the beginning and later going back onboard, with the captain and others, in an attempt to salvage her which was unsuccessful