Holland America Announce Name of Next Signature Class Ship

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Holland America Line will name its latest Signature Class ship and the 15th in its fleet, ms Nieuw Amsterdam. To be delivered in 2010, the 86,000-ton Nieuw Amsterdam will be built at Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard and its interior design and art collection will reflect the glamour and history of New York City, formerly called Nieuw Amsterdam.

The first Nieuw Amsterdam was launched in 1906 and used both a full set of sails and steam engines. She was 17,149 tons and carried 2,886 passengers, 2,200 of them in third class. She sailed in regular service through World War I and then through to 1932.

The famed Nieuw Amsterdam II joined the fleet in 1938 as the company’s flagship. The silhouette of this ship can still be seen today behind Henry Hudson’s Half Moon in the company’s logo. At 36,287 tons, “the Darling of the Dutch,” as she was known, was decorated in great style and was launched by Her Majesty Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands. Nieuw Amsterdam II served proudly in World War II completing 44 war time voyages carrying nearly 400,000 passengers (mostly troops). Following the war, she was rebuilt and, as the queen of Holland America Line’s “spotless fleet,” hosted countless well-known figures among her guests, including Katherine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Spencer Tracey and Albert Schweitzer.

Nieuw Amsterdam III was launched in 1983 as one of the most elegant ships of her time. At 33,900 tons, Nieuw Amsterdam III sailed in Alaska in the summers and in the Caribbean in the winters.

Previous new-build series include the four-ship Statendam Class group, four-ship Rotterdam Class and four-ship Vista Class. The line also owns and operates the 793-passenger, ms Prinsendam. The first Signature Class vessel, ms Eurodam, joined the fleet this past July.

Eurodam, and now Nieuw Amsterdam, further define and expand the Holland America Line premium brand with new concepts such as the innovative pan-Asian Tamarind restaurant and Silk Den lounge surrounded by panoramic views overlooking the ocean expanse and the Lido pool. Other additions are an Explorer’s Lounge Bar, a premium wine-tasting lounge, an elegant luxury jewelry boutique, new atrium bar area, enhanced and reconfigured show lounge, and a new photographic and imaging center.