What does DAM mean?

[localady]

Ine-

We missed you last time when we were in Amsterdam in July 2005, maybe we won't miss you when we return next year to cruise on the Prinsendam in August! We always look forward to our stays in Amsterdam! Hoping for a bit of sun this next time, as last year was quite wet!!:cool:

[Ine]

Localady, let me know by the time you sail..

I really donot know our 2007 plan yet.

[JimAOk1945]

I realize this thread is quite old, but it has answered a question for me. As a future HAL cruiser (eagerly waiting for the 2016 summer cruises to be announced :D), I had been wondering why all the ships names end with "dam."

 

Thanks for the information.

[2bout2c]

According to Capt Albert. Holland American in the past had both passenger and cargo ships. The passenger ships were names that ended in dam. The cargo ships ended in dike. He told this on one of his talks. I did not read this in his journal.

[Topsham]

The styling and use of the 'dam' was of course started when the HAL (NASM) started with their first ships.... s.s. ROTTERDAM.

 

Stephen

[iancal]

It means Dam, the AC is not working....check the plumbing.

Edited December 4, 2014 by iancal

[Topsham]

It means Dam, the AC is not working....check the plumbing.

 

 

 

:D

 

Good one!

[Boytjie]

(Although Noordam should be noorddam as north is noord in dutch).

 

 

Glad I am not the only one questioning this! :)

[JimAOk1945]

According to Capt Albert. Holland American in the past had both passenger and cargo ships. The passenger ships were names that ended in dam. The cargo ships ended in dike. He told this on one of his talks. I did not read this in his journal.

 

Very interesting. Thanks for your comments.

[john2003]

I was also explained the difference between the dam and dijk ships in one of the informative sessions hosted by the second officer on our recent Noordam sailing. There is a painting of a dijk cargo ship in one of the stairwells.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Himself]

I wish I were on a DAM ship, not sitting in a DAM hot and DAME humid state, dreaming about a coming wonderful DAM cruise to Hawaii on the glorious ZaanDAM!

 

Greg: I am covering for a priest on military assignment and the boiler stopped working--it died--and now the church is ice cold. Wish I was in Texas!

[Topsham]

I was also explained the difference between the dam and dijk ships in one of the informative sessions hosted by the second officer on our recent Noordam sailing. There is a painting of a dijk cargo ship in one of the stairwells.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

Yes, but what THIS particular 'dijk' or 'dyk'? (In earlier company history the name ended in 'dijk'.... changed to 'dyk'.

 

Again why THIS particular ship? AMSTELDYK. I could have picked any name of this 'A' class 'Victory' ships in the fleet... ARKELDYK, AALSDYK, AVERDYK, ABBEDYK, AXELDYK, AARDYK, and even more. I choose this ship in the painting because I had something on my mind at the time... perhaps because I was think of a Grolsch... so I went for close enough for an Amstel!!!!

 

Stephen

[Topsham]

Glad I am not the only one questioning this! :)

 

 

 

Peter...

 

The names does not mean 'NORTH DAM'. If yes then the name would have been NOORDDAM

 

 

Same as:

ZUID is South ZUIDER is Southern as in ZUIDERDAM

WEST is West WESTER is Western WESTERDAM

OOST is East OOSTER is Eastern OOSTERDAM

NOORD is North NOOR is Northern NOORDAM

 

 

Clear as Mud!

 

Stephen

[Boytjie]

Peter...

 

The names does not mean 'NORTH DAM'. If yes then the name would have been NOORDDAM

 

 

Same as:

ZUID is South ZUIDER is Southern as in ZUIDERDAM

WEST is West WESTER is Western WESTERDAM

OOST is East OOSTER is Eastern OOSTERDAM

NOORD is North NOOR is Northern NOORDAM

 

 

Clear as Mud!

 

Stephen

 

But isn't Noor = Norwegian?

Edited December 4, 2014 by Boytjie

[Topsham]

But isn't Noor = Norwegian?

 

 

 

Some words are in the same nordic language.

 

 

 

Have you ever heard the compass direction NORTH NORTH EAST

 

or SOUTH SOUTH WEST?

 

It is can be spoke as NOR NOR EAST or SOU SOU WEST.

 

Or the gale force known as a 'NOR-EASTER'. Means same as NORTH-EASTER.

[Topsham]

Peter,

 

Back to your Norwegian NOOR.

 

The people from Norway mean the Northern land. You don't it as NOORDWAY? Or NOORDWEGIAN?

 

Thank we don't cruise with NCL... we would get shot!

[Boytjie]

Some words are in the same nordic language.

 

I looked at some online Dutch translators/dictionaries and they seem to translate "Noor" to "Norwegian".

 

Have you ever heard the compass direction NORTH NORTH EAST

 

or SOUTH SOUTH WEST?

 

It is can be spoke as NOR NOR EAST or SOU SOU WEST.

 

Or the gale force known as a 'NOR-EASTER'. Means same as NORTH-EASTER.

 

I can understand that.

 

What is the usual Dutch term for "northern"?

 

(Afrikaans is my mother tongue so that is where my interest comes from)

[Topsham]

northern = noordelijk

 

 

 

Helpful? :)

 

 

 

The name NOORDAM is just that... a 'name' you cannot find it in the dictionary. It is just a HAL name.... as some other names in the fleet.... WESTERDAM, OOSTERDAM, ZUIDERDAM, PRINSENDAM, RYNDAM, KONINGDAM, STATENDAM etc etc.

 

Like in RYNDAM. We know it is name after the River Rijn. The name might have been as RIJNDAM. When the first one was built at Belfast in 1901 the ship's name should have been RIJNDAM. Instead, someone thought the name was 'difficult'.... so it was changed to RYNDAM. If you find any photo of RYNDAM in any Dutch book the name is RIJNDAM.

 

We can ships like WESTERDAM and WESTERDIJK (passenger & cargo) and can also have NOORDAM and NOORDERDIJK. Perhaps when naming the NOORDAM she was spelled that way because NOORDERDAM was too 'difficult'.

 

I'd take HAL names.... right or wrong... a million time better than RCI names like OASIS OF THE SEAS. Yuk!

 

Here is a set of names... always popular ... British India ship in the 50s. They called four sisters as DWARKA, DARA, DUMRA and DARESSA. The first three names are India names/places. The last one DARESSA is a made up names.... DARESSA just sounded better than 'Dar-es-Salaam'. Beautiful names. If you ever see the DWARKA in the movies... you can find the ship in 'Ghandi'.

 

Stephen

[Boytjie]

northern = noordelijk

 

 

 

Helpful? :)

 

 

 

The name NOORDAM is just that... a 'name' you cannot find it in the dictionary. It is just a HAL name.... as some other names in the fleet.... WESTERDAM, OOSTERDAM, ZUIDERDAM, PRINSENDAM, RYNDAM, KONINGDAM, STATENDAM etc etc.

 

You left out Eurodam... the easiest example of a made up names! :D (And the Eurodam name is fine by me, I like it!)

 

I get that the names won't be found in a dictionary, I guess I have always wondered about Noordam not being derived the same way as the others were.

 

Like in RYNDAM. We know it is name after the River Rijn. The name might have been as RIJNDAM. When the first one was built at Belfast in 1901 the ship's name should have been RIJNDAM. Instead, someone thought the name was 'difficult'.... so it was changed to RYNDAM. If you find any photo of RYNDAM in any Dutch book the name is RIJNDAM.

 

As Afrikaans developed and written language rules were made, it was decided to simplify spelling so they made all the Dutch 'ij's "j"s and in "wijn"/"wyn". In the same way "school" became "skool" and " "rechte" became "regte".

 

We can ships like WESTERDAM and WESTERDIJK (passenger & cargo) and can also have NOORDAM and NOORDERDIJK. Perhaps when naming the NOORDAM she was spelled that way because NOORDERDAM was too 'difficult'.

 

Noorderdam could not be more difficult than Zuiderdam. :D

[Topsham]

You left out Eurodam... the easiest example of a made up names! :D (And the Eurodam name is fine by me, I like it!)

 

:D

 

 

I didn't like the name EURODAM... back in the beginning. I guess I'm guessed to it now... but would have preferred MADURODAM!

 

In '72 I was 3rd. Off. in the SeaTrain container ship EUROLINER.... three sisters were EUROFREIGHTER, ASIALINER and ASIAFREIGHTER. Simple names for sure.

 

We had the blue ribbon for a cargo ships... 28 knots. Only ship that could beat us were QE2 and the FRANCE!

 

Stephen

[michmike2]

Didn't read the entire post, so apologies if someone beat me to this.. but DAM is an acronym for Mothers Against Dyslexia.

[Topsham]

Saw this scrawled in a London tube station...

 

 

Dyslexia KO!

[grannynurse]

DAM is Dutch for either city or town.

BTW have you seen the DAM Ships hats and Tee shirts?

grannynurse

[Topsham]

DAM is Dutch for either city or town.

BTW have you seen the DAM Ships hats and Tee shirts?

grannynurse

 

 

 

Not quite. Dam is a 'barrier' on a river or body of water.

 

In places where dams were built they also became towns and cities.

 

 

As in Rotterdam.... 'a dam on the river Rotte'.

 

Amsterdam.... 'a dam on the river Amstel'.

 

Maasdam, Ryndam.... made up names. Just using the rivers Maas and Rhine or Rijn or the English Ryn - dam.

[Boytjie]

Not quite. Dam is a 'barrier' on a river or body of water.

 

In places where dams were built they also became towns and cities.

 

 

As in Rotterdam.... 'a dam on the river Rotte'.

 

Amsterdam.... 'a dam on the river Amstel'.

 

Maasdam, Ryndam.... made up names. Just using the rivers Maas and Rhine or Rijn or the English Ryn - dam.

 

 

And as in Hoover Dam. :)