BAK small

Dirk Bak was born in the city of Utrecht, in the middle of the Netherlands on 07 July 1916. he was the son of Marinus Ingel Bak, a local gymnastics teacher. His mother (Dirkje van Vliet) had passed away by time Dirk went to the maritime academy.

He entered the Kweekschool voor de Zeevaart in Amsterdam on 05 September 1932 ) and is assigned to the two year course.  His father must have remarried as there is a step mother mentioned (Sophia Honselaar) in the signing on papers.  As home address was given Burgemeester Knappertlaan 25A at Schiedam.  This raises the question why he did not go to the Maritime School in Rotterdam which was nearly on the door step. (a)

The ss Cottica of te KNSM, This ship sailed on liner service to the Dutch colonies in the Caraibbean Sea.

In 1934 he goes for his cadet period with the KNSM of Amsterdam (Royal Dutch Boat). He makes 5 voyages with this company of which four on the ss Cottica. He then returns to school in Jan. 1936. He passes the exam for 3rd mate on 22 April 1936. (a)

He then applies for work with Holland America and is placed on 07 May 1937 on board the ss Maasdam (II) a passenger cargo ship employed on the New York service.  Holland America was bringing tonnage back out of lay-up and needed more officers. The ss Maasdam (II) had just finished a refit in 1936 and had then returned to sailing.

The ss Maasdam (II). This ship had jsts been refitted as Holland America was bringing tonnage back out of lay up.

After sailing on several cargoships of the B- class, he was assigned to the ss Volendam (I) on April 1940.

 

The ss Volendam II with neutral lettering in the period September 1939 to May 1940.

The ship had made it on time out of the Netherlands before the German invasion and he was on board when the ship was torpedoed during a childerens transport. Luckily all were saved. (See story under Volendam (I) on this website) He passed the exam for 2nd mate on 06 April 1941. In this period the ss Volendam (I) is under repairs in Glasgow and Liverpool after the torpedoeing.

He then transferred in March 1942 (travelling from Halifax to New York by train)  to the ss Noordam (II) where he will remain for the duration of the war.  The ship sailed in the Pacific and was used to transport troops but especially complete support units with their equipment. sSch as mechanics  travelling to an island in the Pacific with their airplanes etc. As such the ship was never exposed to much warfare as it mostly carried supporting troops and units following the initial assault waves.

The ms Noordam (II) was brought into the 2nd world war as a troopship with a large cargo capacity. She was mainly used in the Pacific War theatre.

On 01 Aug. 1945 he is assigned as 2nd officer to the ss Jan van Ooyen, an Dutch Government ship bought with the intention to forward it eventually to a Dutch company to replace tonnage lost in the war. He takes the train from New York to somewhere in Canada and joins the ship on August 03. It is asumed that he eventually returns it to the Nethelands with this ship.

This photo shows him on board the ss Noordam (II) as 2nd officer.

Some of the officers of the ms Noordam (II). Dirk Bak is standing in the top row middle. (photo courtesy Capt. A.M van Gemert. Here in lower row center as 3rd. Officer)

His war records also indicates that he was married at the time with Mrs. Leentje Bak -nee Nuis living at  Prins Hendriklaan 22 in Vlaaringen and who he sents an allotment of  fo fl. 140,– a month. One child, Dirkje (born 28 Nov. 1938) is also noted.

GAP in assignments from 1945 to 1956.

The Blommersdyk (II) was the last of the surviving B-class ships from 1922. it was sold to Italy in 1957 and scrapped in 1959.

On 30 March 1956 he was promoted to captain with an assignment to the ss Blommerdyk (II). In accordance with company policy the most Jr. captain started out on the oldest ship.  Then he rotates over the fleet sailing on the ms Soestdyk (II), the ms Sommelsdyk (III), and the ss Axeldyk and the ss Aalsdyk.  In 1959 he is transferred to the West coast fleet and sails on the Dalerdyk, Dongedyk, Dinteldyk en Diemerdyk.

The ms Dongedyk had been built in 1929 as the ms Delftdyk. After the war she had been so drastically rebuilt that the compay gave her a new name. He could carry 52 passengers in First Class.

On 27 april 1961 he briefly makes the newspapers when his ship, the ms Dongedyk, fishes up an old sea anchor in Departure Bay on the West coast of Canada. The anchor is kept on board and it is decided to donate it to an elementary school in Callandtsoog  who had adopted the ship. The old anchor, belonging to a siling ship from the 1800s was placed in the school yard. (ED 2025: it is unknown if it is still there as the school seems to have been moved)

This photo shows some of the pupils and a teacher of the school visiting in Rotterdam the ss Dongedyk with the anchor still on board.

He is also in command of the ms Kloosterdyk in 1962 when this cargo ship made one west coast voyage. Most likley to see if the use of  K class ships would work on this service but as no other K-ships were assigned, the experiment was most likley not a success.

GAP in assignements . We have no records of his asisgnments between Septermber 1964 and Spring.1967 as the company records are incomplete.

In 1968, with the demise of the D-ships he is assigned to the K-class ships sailing to the Gulf of Mexico. ms Korendyk, ms Kamperdyk followed by the ms Moerdyk. Then by 1973 he is on the G-ships, the Gorredyk and the Grebbedyk.

The ms Grebbedyk was one of a series of 4 purposee built cargo ships especially assigned for the Gulf o Mexico service.

By late 1973 the records stops.

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

12 Oct.1934       Cadet                                    Deucalion (Capt. Mulder)   to Mediteranean and Adriatic

until 02 Dec. 1934

21 Dec.1934      Cadet                                     Cottica                                 to West Indies and new York

until 02 Mar.1935

24 May.1935      Cadet                                    Cottica                                 to West Indies and New York

until 01 Aug. 1935

09 Aug. 1935        Cadet                                  Cottica                                  to West Indies and New York

until 17 Oct. 1935

25 Nov. 1935         Cadet                                  Cottica                                 to West Indies and New York

until 02 Jan. 1936

Obtained 3rd mates license on 22 April 1936 and is dismissed with good marks from the Academy.

Joined the Holland America Line as 4th. officer on 7 May 1937

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

07 May. 1937      4th. officer                           Maasdam                            92,–

26 Jun. 1937        4th. officer                           Bilderdijk                             92,–

28 Jun. 1937        4th. officer                           Maasdam                            92,–

01 Oct. 1937 according to new arrangements                                      102,–

05 Oct. 1937        4th. officer                           Blommersdijk                    102,–

GAP. In 1937 the company switched over to a new administration system and these papers are kept by the Holland America Line pension fund and are not accessible for research.

04 Apr. 1940           3rd. Officer                          Volendam                        146,– Until 28 Feb. 1942

In between voyages he passes his exam for 2nd mate on 06 april 1941.

01 Mar. 1942           3rd. Officer                          Noordam                          148,–Until  08 April 1942.

09 Apr. 1942           2nd Officer                             Noordam                          194,– Until 15 May. 1945 disembarked at San Francisco.  Send to New York.

26 Jul. 1945                2nd Officer                            Noordam                         232,– Rejoins at New York but is transferred a few days later.

01 Aug. 1945                2nd Officer                           Jan. van Ooyen (Relief officer not owned by HAL. Takes the train to Canada and joins on Aug. 03.

28 Dec. 1945               2nd Officer                        Blommersdyk                232,–

GAP.

30 Mar.1955                  Captain                                Blommersdyk

11 Feb. 1956                   Captain                                Sommelsdyk

21 Jul. 1956                     Captain                               Soestdyk

16 Sep. 1957                    Captain                              Axeldyk

30 Nov. 1957                   Captain                              Soestdyk

28 Apr. 1958                     Captain                              Aalsdyk

17 May 1959                     Captain                             Dalerdyk

02 Oct. 1960                     Captain                              Dongedyk

29 Jun. 1961                       Captain                              Diemerdyk

28 Dec. 1961                      Captain                               Kloosterdyk

05 Jun 1962                         Captain                               Dongedyk

13 feb. 1963                         Captain                                Diemerdyk

28 Aug, 1964                        Captain                               Dinteldyk

GAP

03 Jun. 1967                           Captain                               Diemerdyk

28 Feb. 1968                          Captain                                 Korendyk

26 Dec. 1969                          Captain                                Kamperdyk

30 Jan. 1972                           Captain                                 Moerdyk

11 Jan. 1973                           Captain                                Katsedyk

08 Jun. 1973                           Captain                               Gorredyk

14 Aug. 1973                         Captain                                Grebbedyk

End of company records.

GAP.

Captain Bak would have reached the mandatory pension age in 1976.   TBC

Sources:

a. comportementen boeken of the Kweekschool voor de Zeevaart as held by the Archives of the city of Amsterdam.

b. Authrors archive for collected information and photos

c. 2nd world war pesonell records Dutch Government London.

d. Stamboek from the HAL archive as held by the municipel archives of the City of Rotterdam.

Last updated: 22 Jan. 2025