11,255grt for Anchor Line from Fairfield, Glasgow

1965 sold. Hans Werdler kindly sent me this

“Caledonia” was sold in 1965 for 350.000 Dutch Guilders to the “Stichting Studenten Huisvesting” (SHH), Amsterdam to create student rooms for student from the Amsterdam University. The ship arrived in Amsterdam in December 1965 and was docked at the NDSM Shipyard for rebuilding for her new role as a studentship. In Sept. 1966 the ship was towed from the NDSM Yard to the “Hornhaven” (Appointed by the city council) and soon there were complaints from the students that this location was too far from the University (half an hour bike ride) and that at the location, in the middle of nowhere, was nothing to do. In the first years only man were accepted to rent a room (Cabin) on board because HSS decided that the location on the ship was “Unsafe” for female students. In Dec. 1967 HSS succeeded to get a new docking space at the “Westerdokdijk”, on the “IJ” near the city centre. At the end of sixties the situation went out of hands, drugs (soft & hard), were freely sold on board, booze, parties etc and no social control. In 1969, during the “Hippie summer” the ship was “overloaded” with a 100% of people who didn’t belong there, but just walked on board for a free night of sleep and “Dam sleepers” found a dry space onboard in case of rain and cold. HSS also learned that maintaining a building was much easier than maintaining a ship and that the lack of maintenance was bringing the ship in a lot of trouble and with the delivery of an new student building HSS decided to sell the ship. Caledonia was towed to Hamburg in March 1971 for breaking.

In August 1970 an uncöordinated action from sailors and marines from the Royal Netherlands Navy cleaned up the national war memorial on the Dam in Amsterdam from “Dam sleepers’.

In most of the internet articles its mentioned that she was sold for scrap in 1970 but the local media say that the ship left Amsterdam in March 1971

First two photos from Aden

Anchor Line Caledonia Malcolm Cranfield

Caledonia as student ship shows her in the Horn Haven