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48-610: The Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij was a successor of the shipbuilding company De Maas, founded in Delfshaven in 1856 by Duncan Christie . De Maas was located in an area that is now the Sint Jobshaven in Rotterdam. The shipyard would have to move in 1905 because the lease on the land would end that year. On 14 February 1899 the company bought 4.5 hectares of land in Heijplaat , south of

96-664: A brewery and various dining and drinking facilities. Delfshaven escaped the bombing of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe on 14 May 1940. Later during the Second World War, the area around the Visserijplein and other parts of the western city of Rotterdam were destroyed by Allied bombing on 31 March 1943. 51°54′26″N 4°26′54″E  /  51.90722°N 4.44833°E  / 51.90722; 4.44833 Batavier Line The Batavier Line ( Dutch : Batavier Lijn )

144-760: A cargo capacity of 8,650 tons. The engines delivered 4,250 ihp for a speed of c. 13 knots. An identical ship, the Krakatau was built by Fijenoord and launched on 16 March 1912. For the RDM it meant that at that moment it was building the biggest ship to date constructed in the Netherlands. The fact that Hamilton built the identical Karimoen and Karimata , and that the Kangean was built by Northumberland Shipbuilding company in Howdon on Tyne puts things into perspective. However that may be, on

192-407: A community drydock. The problems were solved by 25 November 1903. On 30 December 1903 the final trials were held when the big steamer Lübeck from Lübeck used the dock. The necessity to build ships was caused by the nature of the drydock business. Drydocks generated a good margin, but during the moments that they were not occupied they made a big loss. Therefore, drydock companies often built ships, so

240-419: A drydock harbor of about three hectares that housed the drydocks of 3,000 and 7,500 tons capacity. As regards buildings it had an ironworkers building of about 2,000 m2; a woodworkers building with model room of about 1,350 m2 and the machine factory of c. 3,600 m2 that housed the smithy, boiler factory, metal workings, offices and administrative rooms. In 1910 the market recovered. On 27 September 1910 RDM tried

288-543: A large boost by the orders for four Walrus -class submarines for the Royal Netherlands Navy . However, the proposed sale of four additional submarines to Taiwan worth US$ 6 billion failed to materialize, after the Dutch government blocked the purchase due to Chinese pressure. As ship building orders declined, and the company became more involved in high technology systems development for the military and energy sectors,

336-530: A major arms supplier to the Royal Dutch Navy. The management decided to continue business as usual, although the representative of Queen Wilhelmina (who herself had fled to the United Kingdom ), General Henri Winkelman , expressly forbade any work on German military projects. Work on Dutch military products could be continued. A secret policy of clandestine opposition and dragging of feet was developed in

384-444: A separate municipality until 1886. The town of Delfshaven grew around the port of the city of Delft . Delft itself was not located on a major river, so in 1389 a harbour was created about 10 km (6 mi) due south of the city, to be able to receive seafaring vessels and avoid tolls being levied by the neighbouring and competing city of Rotterdam . This settlement was named Delfshaven ("Port of Delft"). On 1 August 1620

432-465: A service into London Port . The original boat on the service was the wooden paddle steamer De Batavier (built 1829). She was replaced by an iron-hulled paddle steamer named Batavier in 1855, and this ship was replaced by another iron-hulled steamer Batavier in 1872. In 1895, NSM sold the company to Wm. H. Müller and Co. and a condition of sale was that the Batavier name would be maintained as

480-416: Is now part of the so-called RDM Campus, a combination of research and development companies and a college. In 1938, the RDM bought, with Wilton-Fijenoord , all shares of P. Smit Jr. Shipbuilding and Machine Factory of D.G. van Beuningen . This company remained under its own name during its existence. During World War II , the company fell into German hands undamaged and intact, regardless of having been

528-768: The Pilgrim fathers left Delfshaven with the Speedwell . Since then, the town's Oude Kerk has also been known as the Pelgrimskerk, or in English, the " Pilgrim Fathers Church ". Fishing , shipbuilding and the distillery of jenever were the main sources of income. The Dutch East India Company had important wharves and warehouses in Delfshaven, and one of the Dutch West India Company 's most famous commanders , Piet Hein ,

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576-471: The Batavier Line service between Rotterdam and London was offered daily except Sundays. In 1902 a further pair of ship was ordered from Gourlay, Batavier IV and Batavier V , and when Batavier VI was added in 1903, Batavier I was taken out of service. In 1909 Batavier II and Batavier III were rebuilt to a size more closely aligned with the later ships. During the early stages of World War I ,

624-562: The Heijplaat became a common possession. This way the consortium became the dominant force in the shareholders meeting of De Maas. The plan of the consortium was to end De Maas and then to transfer the assets to the new company. On 10 June 1899 the consortium decided to build a floating drydock for ships of up to 12,000 tons displacement. On 23 January 1902 the contract that established the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij

672-500: The Meuse for 44,000 guilders. On 14 April 1899 a consortium was founded by people connected to the harbor of Rotterdam and the company De Maas. It had two goals: First to try to continue the company De Maas, Second, to run one or more drydocks. The consortium was led by president A.G. Kröller of the Wm.H. Müller & Co. shipping line. It got more than 200 shares of De Maas at 25%, and the terrain on

720-453: The Nazi German occupiers in the Netherlands decided to destroy all major ports, port facilities and infrastructure in the Netherlands. As a result, the RDM was nearly completely wrecked: the floating docks were ravaged and sunk and all major cranes blown up. The Germans also looted any production means such as lorries and lathes and took away any remaining supplies. Within six months following

768-584: The RDM completed 32 vessels during the war, 24 of which were smaller war ships for the Kriegsmarine. The shipbuilding company became an accepted target for the Royal Air Force , and in 1941 a German ship under repair was sunk in an air attack, with two people killed. No substantial damage to the wharf was done by the Allies during the war. However, after the start of Operation Market Garden on September 17, 1944,

816-437: The bankruptcy concerning RSV and RDM was announced. The offshore department was closed and the repair department transferred to Wilton-Fijenoord, by means of sale of the two largest docks. Of the 3,180 employees, 1,370 people became unemployed. The still viable components, the naval and the tool and heavy machinery businesses, were categorised in a new company: RDM Nederland BV , property of the government. Naval construction got

864-607: The company name and the naming scheme for its ships. Müller ordered two new steel-hulled steamers from Gourlay Brothers of Dundee in 1897, Batavier II and Batavier III . When this pair joined the fleet, the prior Batavier was renamed Batavier I . In Rotterdam, the ships docked at the Willemsplein; in London, the ships originally docked near London Bridge , but in 1899 switched to Custom House and Wool Quays near Tower Bridge (now known as Sugar Quay ). Also beginning in 1899,

912-417: The departments were divided into RDM Technology BV and RDM Submarines BV . In 1996, these companies were privately obtained by van der Nieuwenhuyzen. They were used for several activities and financial operations in the weapons industry, but no longer in association with the company's original shipbuilding activities. The shipyard itself was eventually acquired by the city of Rotterdam . The former shipyard

960-439: The employees could work on these while the drydocks were less busy. This was also how competitor Wilton's Dok- en Werf Maatschappij operated. During 1904 RDM would dock 145 ships totaling 305,020 tons in 518 days. The first ships built by RDM were still built on the terrain of De Maas , or were even ships started by De Maas . The latter was undoubtedly the case with the big dredging vessel launched on 13 August 1903. RDM built

1008-447: The end of the war, four floating docks were salvaged and repaired. On 4 March 1966, in a merger with Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde and Motorenfabriek Thomassen led to the creation of Rijn-Schelde Machinefabrieken en Scheepswerven (RSMS), and a further merger on 1 January 1971 with Verolme Verenigde Scheepswerven (VVS) led to the united company of Rijn-Schelde-Verolme Machinefabrieken en Scheepswerven (RSV). On 6 April 1983

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1056-571: The engines for a special ship built for P. van Ommeren, SS Sliedrecht , which was launched on 22 April 1905 by Crags & Sons in Middlesbrough . On 22 July 1905 Sliedrecht made its trials, and about two months later the Holland-Gulf Maatschappij contracted for the Alwina . The Alwina was the first sea ship that the RDM would build. With all possible speed a slipway of reinforced concrete

1104-557: The evening the second part. The big drydock had a rough journey in the Irish Sea. It faced such bad weather that the tugboats were steaming for days without making progress. The weather also significantly damaged the drydock. On 3 September 1903 the big drydock arrived in Rotterdam. The Spanish steamer Noviembre was the first ship that tried to use it. The dock could not be made dry, and so the Noviembre left it again on 25 September and went to

1152-453: The first Dutch ship with a steam turbine. She was delivered as Turbinia on 27 July 1915. On 10 June 1914 the competitor Scheepsbouw Maatschappij Nieuwe Waterweg was founded. It was modeled on the RDM, and persuaded many employees and key figures of the RDM to come work for her. World War I caused significant problems in the supply of the necessary materials for new ships. In general it was very profitable for Dutch shipbuilders, especially in

1200-517: The first months of the war, with the full support of the management. The main goal was to protect the work force from deportation. In 1942 nevertheless, some 250 men had to go and do forced labour ('Arbeitseinsatz') in Germany, for shipbuilders Blohm und Voss in Hamburg . Wartime production achieved only half that of peacetime. After the war, none of the directors were indicted for collaboration . In total

1248-435: The first years of the war. Four new ships were built in 1914 and due to the extraordinarily busy first half of 1913, the overall docking turnover for 1914 still surpassed that of 1914. 1915 was also a good year for RDM, with 8 ships delivered. In 1916 6 ships were delivered, while the docking branch of the company made good profits. In 1917 the RDM results finally decreased. In that year only four new ships were delivered. In 1918

1296-471: The level of the RDM itself business was booming. In 1911 Van Ommeren ordered the tanker Mijdrecht . On 10 October 1912 she was launched. Mijdrecht was 325 feet long, had a beam of 47 feet and a hold of 24 feet. Cargo capacity was 3,500 ton, power 1,500 ihp for a speed of 10.5 knots. The construction, more specifically the riveting of the tanks, gave so much trouble that RDM and Firma Ph. van Ommeren suffered significant losses. On 25 October 1912 RDM laid down

1344-527: The line continued service, but the ships were sometime subjected to being stopped by German submarines. In March 1915, Batavier V was stopped and seized as a prize by German submarine U-28 , but later released by the German prize court . In May 1916, Batavier V struck a mine off the British coast and was sunk with the loss of four lives. In September, Batavier II was seized by UB-6 , but later released; she

1392-576: The name of the company was again changed, this time to RDM Technology . The naval section eventually became Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding , owned by the Damen Group . On 20 December 1991, the company was sold by the government to the Royal Begemann Group of Joep van den Nieuwenhuyzen , and renamed RDM Technology Holding BV . Due to a lack of orders, employment was cut from nearly 1,200 to under 500 during reorganizations in 1993 and 1994, while

1440-527: The new floating sheerleg Bison of 66 tons lift capacity. It was built by RDM, and had a relatively large reach, so it could load from ships that were on a drydock, or positioned behind another ship. The Bison could also be hired. Also in 1910, the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland ordered the freighter Kambangan. She made her trials in December 1911. Her measurements were 430x55x37 feet with

1488-518: The old boiler factory for five more months. On 18 July 1902 the order for two floating drydocks was given to William Hamilton and Company in Port Glasgow . The cost for both drydocks together was 950,000 guilders. The delivery and opening of the biggest dock was to coincide with the opening of the Shipyard at Heijplaat on 3 October 1903. Eventhough the big drydock was not completely ready, the opening of

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1536-407: The shipyard took place on the planned date. The small drydock was named Prins Hendrik-dok I and the big drydock Prins Hendrik-dok II , The small drydock Prins Hendrik-dok I would be suitable for ships of up to 350 feet and 3,000 tons It would be operated by electric engines driving four pumps. On 13 July 1903 Prins Hendrik-dok I was towed into the dock harbor. It had been towed from Scotland by

1584-604: The so-called 'Onderzeebootloods' (submarine hall) was built. This was enlarged three times. Here, 17 Dutch and 1 Polish submarine were constructed. Two of the subs fell into German hands in May 1940, and duly served in the Kriegsmarine , the navy of Nazi Germany . The Germans also found the snorkel here, a Dutch invention. This apparatus allows subs to use their diesel engines under water, greatly extending their range, and subsequently all German U-boats were equipped with this. The hall

1632-403: The south side of the terrain. There were also offices, a house for the chief engineer, and a house for the chiefs. A power plant had two steam engines of 450 ihp each, with boilers and dynamo's. It provided electricity for the pumps of the drydocks as well as for the machinery and lights on the rest of the shipyard. The steam engines and boilers were built by RDM, but the power plant as a whole

1680-462: The technical service of Bureau Veritas did accept. He called in his father A.J. de Gelder, former chief of the Dutch East Indies 'Waterstaat'. In fall 1901 father and son De Gelder had started the design of the shipyard on Heijplaat. The plan included a sketch for the location of the buildings and machinery, and in more detail the location of drydock basin. Most of the buildings were projected on

1728-523: The terrain on Heijplaat for 101,400 guilders. On 1 March 1902 the decision was made to liquidate De Maas. For the CEO position the supervisory board wanted to have W. de Gelder working as an engineer in Kinderdijk. He had written a brochure that advocated the need for a modern drydock company west of the railway bridges over the Meuse. He did not want to become the new CEO, but his brother Ir. M.G. de Gelder, chief of

1776-521: The tugboats Zwarte Zee and Lauwerszee of Smit's tugboat service. On 13 August Prins Hendrik-dok I was taken into service. The passenger ship Batavier I of the Batavier Line was the first ship to use the floating drydock. The big drydock also known as Prins Hendrik-dok II would have a lift capacity of 8,000 tons and be suitable for ships of up to 500 feet length. The big drydock was 438 feet long, 96 feet 6 inches wide and could lift 7,500 tons. It

1824-532: The war finally hit the RDM, with not a single ships using the docks in August 1918. The complete cessation of the import of raw materials caused that not a single ship was delivered in 1918. However, the year 1918 was still closed with a profit. On 14 January 1925, a shipbuilding facility was set up as a subsidiary on the northern bank in Schiedam and continued to function as a separate establishment until 1978. In 1928/29

1872-504: The west side of the terrain. During 1902 the RDM also succeeded in getting a lease on 9 more hectares of land on Heijplaat. The ground which was dug out for making the dock basin (harbor for the floating docks) was used to heighten the terrain, which was regularly flooded up till then. Most activities took place in the main building. It measured 75 m by 48 m and had iron foundations and an iron upper structure. The machine factory, model room and carpentry shop were located in another building on

1920-450: The world. These include: In the Belgian reactor vessels, numerous tiny faults were found during the 2012 maintenance inspections, with unknown consequences for the near future of these two reactors. Delfshaven Delfshaven ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˌdɛl(ə)fsˈɦaːvə(n)] ) is a borough of Rotterdam , Netherlands, on the right bank of river Nieuwe Maas . It was

1968-525: Was a packet service between Rotterdam and London from 1830 until the 1960s. The line was established by the Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij (known as NSM and in English as Netherlands Steamship Company ). Having attempted unsuccessfully to establish services between Rotterdam– Hamburg and Antwerp –London, the company turned its attention to Rotterdam–London and became the first regular foreign-owned company to set up such

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2016-405: Was born here. Delfshaven belonged to the city and municipality of Delft until 1795, when it declared itself to be an independent municipality, under protest from Delft. In 1825 it got city rights. Delfshaven was annexed by Rotterdam in 1886 at its own request. The current borough has about 73,000 inhabitants. Its small historic centre has been carefully preserved. It features modest local museums ,

2064-568: Was leased in perpetuity to the Port of Rotterdam in 2004. The site has since been redeveloped into the RDM Campus. The primary business of RDM had always been ship repair in its drydock facility, although it also built several new vessels over the years. The company also became a strong competitor in building equipment for offshore drilling by the mid-1960s. Ships built by RDM include: Rotterdam Drydocks built 22 reactor vessels for nuclear plants all over

2112-458: Was made by machine factory 'Voorheen Gebr. Figee' from Haarlem. A new boiler factory was equipped with a hydraulic riveting machine. The assets which came in from De Maas consisted of a big inventory and many tools, and above all 300 experienced employees. The machinery of De Maas was generally too outdated to be of use. During 1904 the last parts of De Maas were brought to the new shipyard. The buildings of De Maas were then sold. RDM only held on to

2160-416: Was of the self-docking type made of 6 six connected, but different pontoons. Each of these could be decoupled so it could be repaired and painted. It was operated electrically and had six 16 inch centrifugal pumps. Each of these could pump 1200 tons of water in an hour. Each pump had its own engine powered by an electrical power station on shore. On 31 July 1903 the first part of the drydock was launched, and in

2208-736: Was ordered from the Hollandsche Maatschappij tot het maken van Werken in Gewapend Beton from Den Haag. The Disconto Bank aided in financing a bending roll and a planer . The second order came from the Noord-Nederlandsche Scheepvaart Maatschappij from Harlingen, which ordered the Constance Catharina. Soon other orders followed. Up to 1908 the shipbuilding business went very well. By 1909 the shipyard had three slipways for ships of up to 110 m long. It had

2256-459: Was signed. The company would have 1,000,000 guilders capital in 1,000 shares. The supervisory board of the RDM consisted of: H. de Jong of Phs. van Ommeren NV; J.P.J. Lucardie director of De Maas; Ir. J.F. Rebel engineer; Ph. W. van der Sleyden former minister of Rijkswaterstaat and L.W. Veder of Hudig & Blokhuyze. The supervisory board accepted the offer of the consortium of 207 shares in De Maas and

2304-455: Was sunk in 1917 by the British submarine E55 . In June 1922 the London terminal was changed to "Batavier Pier" in Gravesend . After World War I ended, new Batavier II and Batavier V were added to the line, but during World War II , the newer Batavier V was seized by German forces and later sunk by a British motor torpedo boat . A newer Batavier III , added in 1939 to replace

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