Spido
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- This page is devoted to
postcards and photographs of the Rotterdam excursion ship operator
Spido. An alphabetical
list of ships illustrated
on this page is shown below. Below this is a fleet list showing
postcards &
photographs in
chronological order.
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- Spido are the main excursion
ship operator in Rotterdam. I have no details on the early history
of the company, but they were bought by famous towage company
Smit in 1976. Initially, Spido did more in the Port of Rotterdam
than just sightseeing trips. At least until the fifties they
delivered mail to ships in Rotterdam (with an official contract
from the Post Office) and they also acted as taxi-ships, collecting
sailors from, and delivering them to, ships in port. Flying the
"E" (locally known as the "Spido-flag") was
all that was necessary to get a boat alongside.
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- The current fleet consists
of three vessels,
Abel
Tasman,
Marco Polo &
Vasco da Gama, which
operate short harbour trips of 75minutes, plus longer excursions
from a terminal by the Erasmus Bridge in the centre of Rotterdam.
When I visited in May, the short harbour trips were leaving on
a 30 minute frequency (this reduces in the summer when more of
the longer trips are run). This schedule required three ships
to maintain it, but the newest vessel Abel Tasman was
on a charter, so Spido were using the Aqua-Fun, previously
their own Stad Rotterdam of 1962, but sold in 1999. In
May 2003 I have added pictures of
Dutch Master (ex-Prinseplaat) now working as a charter ship
on the Thames in London.
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- Vessels
in Spido Service on this Page:-
- Abel
Tasman
- Current Fleet (2006) - built 2000
- Erasmus - Fleet member 1955-1974
- James
Cook
- Current Fleet (2006) - built 2000
- Marco
Polo
- Current Fleet (2006) - built 1995
- Oranjeplaat - Fleet member 1961-1997
- Pieter
Caland
- Fleet member 1960-1999
- Prinseplaat - Fleet member 1961-1999
- Prinsesseplaat - Fleet member 1952-1994
- Regentesseplaat - Fleet member 195?-19??
- Stadt
Rotterdam
- Fleet member 1962-1999
- Vasco
da Gama
- Fleet member 1998-200?
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- Other Vessels on This
Page:-
- Aqua-Fun - ex-Stadt Rotterdam
- Dutch
Master
- ex-Prinseplaat
- Frisia - ex Aqua-Fun, Stadt Rotterdam
- Supperclub
Cruise
- ex-Pieter
Caland
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- Associated Pages:-
- Nederlandse
Raderstoomboot
- photographs of the steam paddle steamer De Majesteit, based
in Rotterdam
- Thames
Leisure Cruises
- current operators of
Prinseplaat
- Spido Home Page - Official Home Page for Spido, with
fleet lists and details of excursions
- www.raderstoomboot.nl - Official Home Page
for the operators of the steam paddle steamer De Majesteit
- Ferry
Postcards
- Simplon Postcards
Home Page
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- Spido Fleet List
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- Erasmus (1955-1974)
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- Erasmus was built in 1923 as the W.F.van
der Wyck for service between Enkhuizen and Stavoren. In 1941
she was requisitioned by the Germans as Wilkommen, and
in 1944 renamed Regulus. She was acquired by Spido in
1955 and named Erasmus. She was out of service in 1973,
sold in 1974, and in 1976 became the Hollands Glorie in
Dordrecht. She remains as a stationary vessel in Dordrecht, with
her engines removed. A more detailed history follows (supplied
by W.Kruit):-
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- 1923 - Launched as W.
F. van der Wijck
1937 - New engines (Original Kromhout engines exchanged for Werkspoor).
1940 - Scuttled in front of Enkhuizen harbour, raised soon after
capitulation.
1941 - Seized by the Germans, renamed "Wilkommen".
1943 - Sent to Antwerp for rebuilding as troopship.
1944 - Rebuilt as "Navigations Schulschiff" (training-vessel)
"Regulus"
1945 - Used to evacuate Eastern Prussia and other "Ostgebiete"
as the eastern front collapsed. Recovered, badly damaged, at
Wangerooge and towed back to Amsterdam. Restored and refurbished
by "NV Nederlandsche Scheepsbouwmij", Amsterdam. Back
in service between Enkhuizen and Stavoren.
1947 - Withdrawn from service, used for Northsea-excursions.
1954 - Test-runs between Den Helder and the island of Texel for
TESO. No sale; price of the vessel, combined with the cost of
conversion to a car-ferry too high.
1955 - Sold to "Spido", conversion to excursion vessel
by Wilton Fijenoord. Renamed "Erasmus", used for sight-seeing
trips in the port of Rotterdam.
1956 - Reconstruction of bridge. Wooden bridge replaced by steel
one.
1973 - Inactive, laid up.
1974 - Sold to Ministerie van CRM (ministry of culture, sport
and welfare), rebuilt as a floating boarding-house, renamed "Hollands
Glorie" in the Wantij, Dordrecht. At this moment she is
still in the same spot, bearing the same name.
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- W.F.van
der Wyck
as built for service between Enkhuizen and Stavoren.
- This
is an official card issued by the ship's restaurant.
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- Euro
Color postcard of Erasmus (serial number ecc1001).
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- Kruger
multi-view postcard of Erasmus (serial number 971/118).
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- Euro
Color postcard of Erasmus (serial number ecc935).
- The
liner in the centre of the picture is Anchor Line's Cilicia
of 1938, used as a dockers training vessel in Rotterdam between
1966-80.
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- The former W.F.van
der Wyck and Erasmus is now a stationary vessel in
Dordrecht, with her engines removed. She is permanently moored
in the "Wanty", near the Oranjelaan. The other ships
of the ferry-service between Enkhuizen and Stavoren both remain.
Van Hasselt is now active as Flandria 20 out of
Antwerp, and C.Bosman is a stationary ship anchored in
the Coolhaven in Rotterdam as a training vessel. Information
and photo below supplied by W.Kruit.
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- This
is a photograph of Erasmus as she looks in 2002.
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- Prinsesseplaat
- (Spido:
1952-1994)
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- Prinsesseplaat sailed for Spido from the year
she was built, in 1952 until she was sold in 1994. She was sold
to Rederij Huotermans in Roermond and operated from Maasbracht
under the name of Prinses. (Information supplied by W.Kruit).
Since 2006 she has been owned by Rederij Princess running cruises at Maasbracht
as the Princess. See www.rederijprincess.nl for sailing details
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- An early
postcard of Prinsesseplaat.
- Image
supplied by W.Kruit.
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- Euro
Color postcard of Prinsesseplaat (serial number SP5).
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- Princess
in Rederij
Princess service from Massbracht
- More images of Princess - Photo: © Rederij Princess
- Click to open larger image in new window
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- Princess
in Rederij
Princess service from Massbracht
- More images of Princess - Photo: © Rederij Princess
- Click to open larger image in new window
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- Regentesseplaat (195?-??)
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- This
card of Regentesseplaat dates from 1952, but I do not
have other details yet.
- Image
supplied by W.Kruit.
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- Pieter Caland (1960-1999)
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- For many years the largest
vessel in the Spido fleet, Pieter Caland was built in
1960. She was 50.9metres long and carried 525 passengers. She
left the fleet in 1999. In 2005, the ex-Pieter Caland
was operating as Supperclub
Cruise in Amsterdam.
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- Kruger
postcard of Pieter Caland (serial number 971/100).
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- Spanjersberg
postcard of Pieter Caland (no serial number).
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- Euro
Color postcard of Pieter Caland (serial number ec1005).
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- Euro
Color postcard of Pieter Caland (serial number SP1).
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- Euro
Color postcard of Pieter Caland (serial number SP7).
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- Bert
van Los postcard of Pieter Caland (serial number RT61).
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- Bert
van Los postcard of Pieter Caland (serial number RT61).
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- The ex-Pieter Caland operating as Supperclub
Cruise in Amsterdam in 2005.
- Photo:
© W.Kruit, 2005.
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- The
ex-Pieter Caland operating as Supperclub Cruise
in Amsterdam in 2005.
- Photo:
© W.Kruit, 2005.
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- The ex-Pieter Caland operating as Supperclub
Cruise in Amsterdam in 2005.
- Photo:
© W.Kruit, December 2005.
- Click to open larger image in new window
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- The
ex-Pieter Caland operating as Supperclub Cruise
in Amsterdam in 2005.
- Photo:
© W.Kruit, December 2005.
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- The
ex-Pieter Caland operating as Supperclub Cruise
in Amsterdam in 2005.
- Photo:
© W.Kruit, December 2005.
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- The
ex-Pieter Caland operating as Supperclub Cruise
in Amsterdam in 2005.
- Photo:
© W.Kruit, December 2005.
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- Supperclub Cruise (ex-Pieter Caland) in
Amsterdam with Celebrity Cruises' Millennium.
- Photo:
© W.Kruit, 24th April 2007
- Click to open larger
image in new window
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- Prinseplaat (1961-1999)
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- Prinseplaat was built in 1961, was 37.7metres
long and carried 440 passengers. She left the fleet in 1999,
and was bought by Thames
Leisure of London
for charter work, and was renamed Dutch Master.
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- Euro
Color postcard of Prinseplaat (serial number ecc914).
- I have
not identified the smaller vessel behind her.
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- Euro
Color postcard of Prinseplaat (serial number SP3 - same
as card below!).
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- Euro
Color postcard of Prinseplaat (serial number SP3 - same
as card above!).
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- Euro
Color postcard of Prinseplaat (serial number SP2).
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- Dutch Master (ex-Prinseplaat), taken on the
River Thames by Blackfriers Bridge.
- More
photos are available on the Thames Leisure page.
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 26th May 2003
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- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 26th May 2003
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- Stad Rotterdam (1962-1999)
- Aqua-Fun
(1999- )
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- Stad Rotterdam was built in 1962, was 39.8 metres
long and carried 305 passengers. She left the fleet in 1999,
but was chartered back to Spido in May 2001.
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- Spanjersberg
postcard of Stad Rotterdam (no serial number).
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- Euro
Color postcard of Stad Rotterdam (serial number ecc1002).
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- Euro
Color postcard of Stad Rotterdam (serial number SP4).
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- Paper
Mill postcard of Stad Rotterdam in Holland International
colours (serial number 414/H).
