Awaiting Photo

Captain Pieter Eilts Brouwer sailed for the company for 6 years and then left.  As the company was still very young it had to attract people from the outside. This was not always easy as many in the Dutch Shipping World were very leery about this new thing called –steam –.

He was born on 13 May 1839 in Wildervank in the Eastern part of the Dutch Province of Groningen which is in the N.E. of the Netherlands.  Many people from that area choose for a career at sea, often sailing on ships to the Baltic, or on the Dutch lakes and inland water ways.

Records indicate that by the age of 46 he owned his own ship, the tjalk Alida (a) and was registered in the city of Groningen.  He was at least for three years Master of that ship. He then joins Holland America in 1888 as a 3rd officer. We can only speculate why, as there is no information yet, but joining as a 3rd officer makes sense as, very likely he did not have any steamship experience yet. The fact that he was capable of the job is born out by the fact that he became captain in 3 years time.  He had obtained his Chief Mate’s License in 1883, which gave him the right to sail as a Master under the Dutch flag.

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Joined the Holland America Line as 3rd officer on 05 Oct. 1888

Date:                     Function:                             Ship:                                      Wages and/or remarks.

05 Oct. 1888        3rd officer                            P.Caland                              40,–

17 Feb. 1889       3rd officer                            Obdam                                 50,–  went to London to collect the Obdam. (b)

20 Feb. 1889       2nd officer                            Rotterdam                          70,–

29 Sep. 1889       Chief Officer                      Rotterdam                          100,–

03 Sep. 1890       Chief Officer                      P.Caland                              110,–

18 Oct. 1890        Temporary dismissed

04 Nov. 1890      Chief Officer                      Schiedam                            110,–

16 Nov. 1891      Chief Officer                      Maasdam                            110,–

21 Jul.    1891       Captain                                 Schiedam

10 Jul.    1894       Dismissed from the company.    (c)

The next record that has surfaced thusfar is that by 1896 he has his own ship again, a Tjalk called Rijn en Schelde (a). Registration in the town of Groningen. The name of the ship indicates that he was active on the inland waterways.

Assignments as Captain:

All his voyages were on the ss Schiedam which had entered service in 1877. Capt. Brouwer was promoted on 20 July on the Schiedam on which he was serving as Chief Officer. The regular captain (Capt. Bruinsma) was transferred in New York, halfway through the voyage to the ss Edam.

Voyage                 Route                                                                                                                                                       Year

number

87

 20 jul – 29 sep dep NY 05 sep –   Rdam

1891

88

 15 oct – 02 dec Adam – NY (03 –   08) Baltimore ( 10 -14) Adam

1891

89

 09 dec – 31 dec Adam – at sea

1891

89

 01 jan – 25 jan  at sea – Baltimore 01 – 06)- Rdam

1892

90

 03 feb – 21 mar  Rdam – NY (22 feb) – Baltimore (26   -03)  – Rdam

1892

91

 30 mar – 14 may Rdam – Baltimore   (18 -23) – Rdam

1892

92

 21 may – 06 jul Rdam –  NY ( 07-0 10) – Baltimore (11 – 16) – Rdam

1892

93

 10 jul – 28 aug Rdam – NY (27 –   02) – Baltimore (04 – 10) – Rdam

1892

94

 07 sep – 01 nov Rdam –  NY (21 – 28) – Baltimore (03 – 07) –   Queenstown (28 – 29) – Rdam

1892

95

 16 nov – 31 dec Rdam – BSM – NY   (5-8) – Baltimore (10 – 16)  – at sea

1892

95

 01 jan – 05 jan  at sea – Rdam

1893

96

 18 jan – 01 may  Rdam – Queenstown (07 – 16) – (NY 30 – 03)   Baltimore  (05 – 12) – Rdam

1893

97

 24 may – 13 jul Adam – BSM – NY   (10 – 15) – Baltimore ( 16 – 24) – Adam

1893

98

 22 jul – 02 sep Adam – NY (07   -16)  – Adam

1893

99

 13 sep – 20 oct Adam – NY (27 -04)   – Adam

1893

100

 25 oct – 02 dec Adam – NY (11 -16)   –  Adam

1893

101

 16 dec – 31 dec Adam – at sea

1893

101

 01 jan – 24 jan At sea – NY (04   -08)- Adam

1894

102

 29 jan – 14 mar Adam – NY (20 -24)   –  Adam

1894

103

 19 mar – 05 may Adam – NY (07 -13)   –  Adam

1894

104

 02 jun – 07 jul Adam – NY( 18   -21)  –    Adam

1894

 

Explanation:

Example voyage 91:

First date:   30 mar  = departure from home port on 30 March

Second date:  14 may: arrival in home port

Followed by ports visited and if stay longer than one day between brackets the dates of stay.

Baltimore (18 – 23) = 18 April to 23 April.

If there was a year change during the voyages (see 89) the entry is split up.

Sources:

(a)    Information obtained from the Website: Piet’s Shipping Database.

(b)   A whole group of officers, under command of Captain Geert Bakker went over to London to collect the new addition to the fleet the ss Obdam.

(c)    Dismissed should not be read in the context of being fired. The company used the word “ontslagen” which had the meaning in those days of being released from company duties.