Ships of the KNSM

The KNSM has existed for 125 years. The Royal Netherlands Steamship Company in Amsterdam was founded on October 1, 1856, and was acquired by Nedlloyd in 1981. At the height of the KNSM's existence, more than 100 seagoing vessels sailed for this shipping company. Ships of the KNSM called at ports in North, Central, and South America, among others, but especially in the Caribbean. KNSM ships were primarily cargo vessels, but many of them had passenger accommodation. There were also a few ships that were primarily passenger ships. For the benefit of passengers and crew members, the ships had a mailroom on board. There, one could buy stationery, envelopes, and postcards (usually picture cards with images of KNSM ships), as well as stamps from the former Overseas Territories, Curaçao, and Suriname. Letters and cards could be handed in at the mailroom, after which the affixed stamps were stamped with a KNSM stamp showing the name of the ship and the date of postage. Sometimes only a mailbox was present, and shortly before arrival in port, the ship's captain had to empty the mailbox and stamp the letters and cards before they were brought ashore. A few examples. S.S. Stuyvesant The Stuyvesant was a passenger ship built in 1918 for the Royal Dutch West India Mail Service in Amsterdam. At the time, this steamship was named 'Prins Willem V'. The ship was acquired by the KNSM in 1927 and renamed Stuyvesant. In 1950, the ship was sold and its name was changed to 'Aeolos'. After more than 40 years of service, the ship was scrapped in Japan in 1959. SS Van Rensselaer The ship 'Prins Willem III', built two years later for the Royal West India Mail Service in Amsterdam, was likewise acquired by the KNSM in 1927 and renamed 'Van Rensselaer'. This was a cargo ship with passenger accommodation. When the ship departed from the port of IJmuiden for the West Indies on May 13, 1940, it struck a German magnetic mine. Four people on board lost their lives, including the captain, Haasters, who had suffered a heart attack immediately after the explosion. First mate Dolman grounded the heavily damaged ship at the Zuiderpier. The ship sank due to German aircraft bombs, and thus came an end to the Van Rensselaer. SS Boskoop The steamship Boskoop was built in 1927 for the KNSM in Krimpen aan den IJssel and was a passenger cargo ship named Bolsward. The ship was later renamed Boskoop. In October 1958, the ship ran aground on the beach at IJmuiden and drifted aimlessly. It was towed to the port of IJmuiden by three tugboats. The ship was scrapped in Spain in 1960. S.S. Atlas I have been able to find little information about this ship. Impressions of the ship's stamp are only known from the years 1932 and 1933. The ship, built in 1922 under the name Margarete, was acquired from the Ost-West Reederei in Hamburg in 1926 and renamed 'Pallas'. In 1927, the name was changed to 'Atlas', and in 1933 it was sold to the Royal West Indies Mail Service. A wonderful overview of the ship's stamps can be found, among others, in the book by Dr. J.D. Riddell: *Postale geschiedenis Suriname 1700-1956*, published in 1970 in an edition of 500 copies. A collecting area all its own! And the best part is to see the images of the ships in question alongside the stamp impressions, including 'technical data'. Why not start collecting this stamp area? Seawater is in our blood, and has been for many centuries. A bit of maritime postal history wouldn't hurt. A challenge.