MS Zuiderdam

Zuiderdam in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands - Nov 2007
Career
Name:	MS Zuiderdam
Namesake:	Named for the southern compass point
Operator:	Holland America Line
Port of registry:	Rotterdam,  the Netherlands
Builder:	Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, Italy
Yard number:	6075[1]
Launched:	14 December 2001[1]
Acquired:	15 November 2002[1]
Maiden voyage:	14 December 2002[1]
In service:	14 December 2002[1]
Identification:	IMO number: 9221279,[2] MMSI number 245304000,[2] Callsign PBIG[2]
Status:	In service
General characteristics [1]
Class and type:	Vista class cruise ship
Tonnage:	81,769 gross register tons (GRT)
Displacement:	10965 DWT (metric)[2]
Length:	291 m (954.7 ft)[2]
Beam:	32 m (105.0 ft)[2]
Height:	57.83 m (189.73 ft) keel to funnel top[citation needed]
Draught:	7.80 m (25.59 ft) max
Decks:	11 passenger decks, 15 total
Installed power:	1 × GE LM 2500 gas turbine,[3] Sulzer (now Wärtsilä) ZAV40S 3 × 16-cylinder diesels, 2 × 12-cylinder diesels combined 51840 kW[4][5]
Propulsion:	Azipod
Speed:	24-knot (44 km/h) maximum, (service at 22 knots)
Capacity:	1,916 passengers[6] 2,272 passengers (maximum)[7]
Crew:	842 crew[7]

MS Zuiderdam ( /ˈzaɪdərdæm/)^[8] is a Vista class cruise ship owned and operated by Holland America Line. It is the first of the Vista class ships, so named for the extensive use of glass in their superstructure. It is sister to the Oosterdam, Westerdam, and the Noordam. The names of the four ships translate to the four directions of the compass in Dutch.

The ship shares similar exterior dimensions with Carnival Cruise Lines' and Costa Cruises' Spirit Class. Cunard Line's Queen Victoria is an enlarged version of the same design, as is HAL's Signature Class.

As with all Vista-class ships, Zuiderdam is equipped with a diesel-electric power plant and an Azipod propulsion system, and eighty-five percent of her staterooms have ocean views and sixty-seven percent have verandahs. Her art collection carries a Venetian theme throughout the ship; the most dazzling features figures in the time of Carnival in Venice, created by Daniel Ogier.^[6]

Technical information

The machinery spaces of Zuiderdam are vast and stretch along two of its lowest decks for the most part of the vessel.

MS Zuiderdam is powered by a CODAG propulsion system encompassing five (three 16-cylinder and two 12-cylinder) Sulzer ZAV40S diesel engines (built under license by Grandi Motori Trieste, now owned by Wärtsilä, in Trieste, Italy)^{[4][5][9][10]} and a GE LM2500 Gas Turbine. Zuiderdam was the first Holland America Line ship to use a CODAG propulsion arrangement, a GE LM2500 turbine or ABB Azipod propulsors.^[3][11] It is propelled by two 17.62MW, 160rpm synchronous freshwater-cooled ABB Azipod propulsors.

Past Zuiderdams

The first vessel with the "Zuider" prefix launched in 1912 as the 5,211 ton cargo ship Zuiderdijk; at the time, "dijk" or "dyk" was the suffix used for cargo vessels, "dam" was used for passenger ships. She sailed between Rotterdam and Savannah, Georgia, for Holland America through 1922 as well as during World War I as a transport.

The second NASM ship to have the name prefix "Zuider", and the first to be wholly "Zuiderdam", was launched from a shipyard in Rotterdam for outfitting in 1941. However, on 28 August 1941 she was damaged by a British air raid. The ensuing blaze was fought for at least two days with sergeant W. Ollesch from the German Fire Regiment "Sachsen" killed while fighting the fire aboard the ship on 30 August 1941. The Germans raised her hull and re-floated her by 25 July 1942 only to be scuttled in order to block the port of Rotterdam to Allied forces by 22 September 1944. She was raised a final time after World War II, but the ship was never completed.^[12][13]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Micke Asklander. "M/S Zuiderdam (2002)". Fakta om Fartyg. http://www.faktaomfartyg.nu/zuiderdam_2002.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-22.  (Swedish)
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Vessel details ZUIDERDAM". 2010-04-09. http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=245304000&language=_EN. Retrieved 2010-04-09. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Holland America's Zuiderdam Cruises Using GE Gas Turbine". General Electric - Aviation. 2003-03-04. http://www.geae.com/aboutgeae/presscenter/marine/marine_200334a.html. Retrieved 2010-04-08. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Ms. Zuiderdam". http://123seashores.com/cruises/ms-zuiderdam. Retrieved 2010-04-08. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "M/S Zuiderdam: Modern With Elegant Taste". 2003-02-12. http://www.marinelink.com/News/Article/M-S-Zuiderdam-Modern-With-Elegant-Taste/305663.aspx. Retrieved 2010-04-08. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "ms Zuiderdam". Holland America Lines. http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruiseships/Zuiderdam. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Ward, Douglas (2006). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. ISBN 981-246-739-4. 
8. ^ Ward, Douglas (2007). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. p. 674. ISBN 981-246-984-2. 
9. ^ "Wärtsilä In Italy". 2010-03-18. http://www.wartsila.com/it,en,aboutus,0,generalcontent,FBEAF908-E1A4-425F-9625-A980A713A555,C55852AE-50A7-40A4-AB68-BDB5B35DCC5B,,.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-18. 
10. ^ "Propulsion Engines for Cruise Ships". 1991-MAY. http://www.lme.ntua.gr/repos/lessons/resiliently.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-18. 
11. ^ "90580P001 Marine Brochure". 2004-APR. http://www.maritime-suppliers.com/imidocs/90580P001%20Marine%20Brochure.pdf. Retrieved 2010-04-08. ^{[dead link]}
12. ^ "Names Of Holland America's Vista Series Ships Reflect Deep Roots In Shipping Tradition". News release. Holland America Lines. 2002-12-06. http://www.hollandamerica.com/news/NewsRelease.action?newsReleaseId=109. Retrieved 2008-08-17. 
13. ^ "Sheepvaartnieuws" (in Dutch/Vlaams). 2008-08-28. http://scheepvaartnieuws.punt.nl/?a=2008-08. Retrieved 2010-04-08. 

External links

• Official Zuiderdam page