SS Nieuw Amsterdam was a Dutch transatlantic ocean liner built in 1938 and scrapped in 1974. She was the second Holland America (Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij, or NASM) ship to be named after the former Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, the place we all know today as New York.  

Nicknamed the ‘darling of the Dutch,’ she had berths for 1,220 passengers: 556 in first class, 455 in second class and 209 in third class.

The last word in luxury at the time, the design of the ship was Arco Deco inside and out and 15 architects and 50 artists contributed to its understated elegance.

The first-class dining room had columns covered in gold leaf, tinted mirrors and a Moroccan leather ceiling with Murano glass light fixtures. There were no portholes or windows to the sea outside and the saloon relied entirely on artificial lighting.

Cabin and tourist class restaurants were also extravagantly decorated and there were two swimming pools – one indoor and one outdoor. It was also the second ship in the world to have a theatre.

The bar, where this 1957 drinks menu was in use, was flanked by two enclosed sun verandas extending to the sides of the ship. 

A mere 41 cocktails – including the Havana Club, the Hop Toad and the One-Two-Three – were offered as well as sours, egg flips, egg noggs, fizzes, rickeys, milk punches and long drinks. Must have made for very merry sailing!

The Nieuw Amsterdam made trans-Atlantic crossings between Rotterdam and Hoboken, cruised the Caribbean and twice cruised around South America, the first time in 1939 and the second time in 1950.

In the late 60s, she started cruising from Port Everglades, Florida, and was withdrawn from service in 1973 and scrapped the following year.

The latest Nieuw Amsterdam, the fourth luxury ship to bear the name in the Holland America line, currently sails to Alaska, the Caribbean and the Pacific Coast.