Transport: Rotterdam Rescue

Dancing blithely in the languid Caribbean night, late-reveling passengers on the Holland-America liner Rotterdam fortnight ago felt a slight shock, were mildly alarmed to learn that the 24,000-ton cruise-ship had gone aground on tiny Morant Cays, 40 miles southeast of Jamaica. Speedily assured there was no danger, most of them joined the rest of the 460 passengers in sleep. Next day, with no other incident than one sprained ankle, they and most of the crew were picked up by nearby ships, taken safely to Kingston.

Far less of a sinecure was the rescue of the stranded ship. Though moving at only 9 m.p.h. when she struck, the 650-ft. liner had shoved her entire length onto the coral reef, was punctured in several places, seemed at first glance to have reached the end of her 27-year career. Still on board with a skeleton crew, harassed Captain Johan van Dulken yammered for tugs, kept one eye cocked on the horizon for their approach, the other on the sky for signs of bad weather, which he well knew would batter his ship to bits. For five days his worried vigil was rewarded with calm weather, as speedily-marshaled salvagers arrived and went to work. Having only two salvage ships at hand last week when it was estimated more than 50 tugs were needed, officials of Merritt, Chapman & Scott Inc., No. 1 U. S. salvagers, decided to make the Rotterdam rescue herself. Lightening ship as much as possible, they sank eight 34½-ton anchors astern, ran block and tackles from each to the Rotterdam’s winches. Then, with the two salvage ships helping somewhat, the stricken liner slowly dragged herself back into deep water. Towed off to Kingston at once, she was found virtually undamaged, was expected back in service in short order.