MS Noordam

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MS Noordam has been the name of several ships run by the Holland America Line.

The first ran a transatlantic route from Rotterdam to New York, primarily delivering immigrants, between 1902 and 1928. The second, built in 1938 by P. Smit Jr. in Rotterdam, had a cruising speed of 18 knots. Her gross tonnage was 10,704 tonnes. She was renamed Oceanien in 1963, and was scrapped in Yugoslavia in 1967.

The third Noordam was the first for luxury cruise service. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in 1984, had a gross tonnage of 33,933 tonnes and was 704 ft (215 m) long. The ship's beam was 89 ft (27 m) and draft was 24 ft (7.3 m); her cruising speed was 21 knots. Her standard capacity was 1,214 with all 607 cabins at double occupancy; her maximum capacity was 1,350 passengers and she had 560 crew members. In 2005, the ship was acquired by Louis Cruise Lines and was immediately chartered to Thomson Cruises; she was rechristened the Thomson Celebration. Her sister ship, the Thomson Spirit, was originally the Holland America ship Nieuw Amsterdam.

The latest ship to bear the moniker Noordam (the Dutch word for North) is a member of Holland America's Vista class. The ship was launched in 2006 and was christened on February 22, 2006, in New York City by the actress Marlee Matlin. The Noordam is the sister ship of the MS Oosterdam, MS Westerdam, and MS Zuiderdam. All of these ships are named for the four compass points. With a gross tonnage of 82,500, she is 950 ft long and has a beam of 106 feet. Her passenger capacity is 1,918, who are served by 800 crew members.

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