WORLD SHIP SOCIETY

Scandinavian Liners are the ships that sailed from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. These small countries were traditionally seafaring nations, and extensive fleets were built to connect their populations to the rest of the world. From the 1860’s onward, Scandinavian liners sailed the world’s oceans and continued to do so until the decline of the transatlantic passenger ships in the early jet age. Many lingered on as cruise ships during the next few decades. The tremendous growth of the cruise industry in the 1960’s through the 1980’s was largely due to Scandinavian maritime enterprise. Norwegian-based companies Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Viking Line and others led the way in the early years of the modern cruise business. Captain Albert Schoonderbeek, current Fleet Master for Holland America Line, will cover this entire period, from the early Thingvalla Line to latest “Apartment of the Seas.”

(Photo: Captain Albert Schoonderbeek collection)