# New Waterway Shipbuilding Company Limited of Schiedam



## schiedam (Aug 31, 2009)

Hi!

I am new to the forum and I am trying to research the New Waterway Shipbuilding Company of Schiedam.

My forebears were involved in this company and whilst they left me various bits of memorabilia I really do not have that much information about how many ships were built and over what period of time.

I guess there must be masses of information on the web somewhere but I am struggling to find it at the moment.

I know that they built a floating dry dock that was registered as AFD 5 and there ar some interesting comments about this on the forums of this site but is it the same ship?

The one I know about was apparently built in Schiedam but the posting on the forum suggests that it was built in Portsmouth?

Does anyone know anything about this company, when did it close or is it still going in some form?

What happened to AFD-5 and did she really sink?

There were a number of New Waterway Shipbuilding vessels sunk in the war and they are mentioned on Uboat.net including the SS Domino, the MS Pollux, the MT President Franqui and the SS Bjorko.

References suggest that the ships were built between 1910 and 1954 which means the yard existed during two world wars which must have been difficult.

I wonder if anyone, anywhere knows anything?

Thanks


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

Hello and welcome aboard, I knew the yard quite well from '73 until it closed in78-9. spent a lot of time in Schiedam where they still distill jenever!

I'll try and help you later today or later this week.

ttfn

=Bill=


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## schiedam (Aug 31, 2009)

Hi!

Thanks for that, it would be great to understand exactly what went on at the yard.

The floating dry dock is our major touch with the history of all this but it seems my Grandfather probably moved from the Clyde, where he learnt his craft, to Schiedam.

unfortunatley the family lost loads of records during the war and my Grandfather probably retired in the mid thirties so you can imagine the connections have run a little thin.

I do have the names of a lot of the Directors of the company when they gave my grandfather the model of the floating dock but only very few seem to have Dutch names!

I look forward to hearing more!

Best regards


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

*Scheepsbouw Mij. Nieuwe Waterweg*

A good link is http://scyedam.delinea.nl/kaleida/pagina.php?id=2005477this is the municipal site for Schiedam, the dutch items are translatable.

It's interesting to note that a floating dock which was purchased by RDM for the waterway, was lost in transit from Germany to Holland, it was wrecked on some of the islands North of Den Helder.

Scheepsbouw Mij. Nieuwe Waterweg - is the correct phrasing for Google, any Dutch items are reasonably well translated, it's quite good for getting the gist of the do***ents, even if the grammar is somewhat wanting. If you have any further queries please pm or e-mail.

Regards

=Bill=


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## schiedam (Aug 31, 2009)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the interesting link and for taking time to provide us with this information.

We believed that the floating dry dock came to the UK and possibly ultimately ended up in some far flung place as Bermuda.

Maybe someone will recognise this and let us know?

In the meantime the shipyard suffered som serious damage in the war but was presumably rebuilt comprehensively if it was still up and running in the 1970's?

We have some really old pictures of the yard from the 1920's so would be intersted to know if there are any more recent ones available somewhere.

Is there a specific address to find the location on Google Earth?

Thanks for your support.


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

On Google Earth location is- 51° 54',08" N 4°23'.04" E -, just put it into the "Go To" box and you'll find the yard as it is today, the only remnants are the name of the road. Part of the yard is an offshore base, another part is an anchor and cable store, another part is a storage facility for hard core from scrapped buildings.

P.S. it went bust when the shipping and building slump arrived in the late seventies early eighties, it was a good little yard, but could not survive, partially because it was too small and because there were too many on the payroll. It just wasn't flexible enough.


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## Jan Hendrik (Feb 14, 2005)

*Nieuwe Waterweg*

Scheeps reparatiebedrijf "De Nieuwe Waterweg" was a subsidiary of the RDM (Rotterdam Drydock Company), the latter was and still is located in Heyplaat, Rotterdam South of the river Maas (Meuse) in the Waalhaven.

Shipyard Nieuwe Waterweg had at least two floating docks, I remember them very well as I attended many vessels in drydock in the 60's and 70's.

Close by were Yard Gusto and also of course Wilton Feyenoord, the largest shipyard North of the Maas.
The latter is now owned by Damen and renamed as such.

Nieuwe Waterweg at least in the 60's was only a repair yard. No newbuilding.
Many good memories, however, got no photos. They closed down I would say late 70's early 80's.
Jan


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## Journee (Mar 17, 2011)

Comprehensive information (in Dutch) on the shipyards "De Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij" at Rotterdam and "De Nieuwe Waterweg" at Schiedam can be found at: http://www.shipmotions.nl/RDM/index.html.
Best regards,
Johan.


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## Journee (Mar 17, 2011)

NEW WATERWAY SHIPYARD

Who has a picture available of s/s "Phyllis Seed" (in 1933 s/s "Bjorko", Stockholm) built in 1924 at the NW in Schiedam (yard no. 126) for Seed Shipping in Newcastle. Available Dutch information on this ship can be found at webpage http://www.shipmotions.nl/RDM/RDM/RDM-126.html. 

Kind regards,
Johan.


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## deepstop (Apr 13, 2016)

Hello,

I would be interested in information regarding this company as well.

Specifically if anybody had pictures or blueprints of the SS Albireo that was built in 1920 or information where such pictures or blueprints could be found.

Thanks


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## Furnessfamilyhistory (Jan 5, 2021)

schiedam said:


> Hi!
> 
> Thanks for that, it would be great to understand exactly what went on at the yard.
> 
> ...


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## RDM-Archief.nl (Feb 1, 2021)

Look what i have







found....


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## RDM-Archief.nl (Feb 1, 2021)

deepstop said:


> Hello,
> 
> I would be interested in information regarding this company as well.
> 
> ...





deepstop said:


> Hello,
> 
> I would be interested in information regarding this company as well.
> 
> ...


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