The (NSM; from Dutch: Dutch shipbuilding company), was a Dutch shipbuilding company based in Amsterdam. It existed from 1894 to 1946. From c. 1908 it was the largest Dutch shipbuilding company.
Foundation of the NSM
Successor of the Koninklijke Fabriek The Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (NSM) was a successor of the Koninklijke Fabriek, albeit only from an organizational perspective. When the Koninklijke Fabriek was restarted as Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en spoorwegmaterieel (later Werkspoor) on 22 May 1891, the shipbuilding activities were stopped.
In 1893 former employees of the Koninklijke Fabriek then contacted Jacob Theodoor Cremer, and he founded the new company Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (NSM). The literal meaning of the name was 'Dutch shipbuilding company', a name that would later prove not to be an exaggeration. NSM acquired (leased) the site of the former shipyard of the Koninklijke Fabriek, but not the site of the engine factory. Because it used the grounds and the former employees of the Koninklijke Fabriek, the NSM was a successor of the Koninklijke Fabriek, but only from an organizational perspective.
Board and shareholders The contract for the foundation of the company was signed on 25 August 1894. Its first CEO ('directeur') was Daniël Goedkoop Jr. (a shipbuilder) The first members of the supervisory board were: J.T. Cremer (above), L.P.D. op ten Noort (CEO of SMN), W.J. Geertsema, Jhr. mr. C.J. den Tex and J.C. Jansen. Note that Cremer and Geertsema were also in the board of the Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en spoorwegmaterieel.
The first 500 shares of 1,000 guilders each were bought by a very large number of persons. It gives the impression that there was not much confidence in the new company. Major shareholders were J.T. Cremer for 65 shares; Daniël Goedkoop Jr. for 55; Peter Wilhelm Jansen for 60; S.P. van Eeghen for 10; W.J. Geertsema for 15; H.C. van den Honert 10; Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland for 62; Oostersche Handel en Reederij 10; Johann Gottlieb Sillem for 12; Firma Lippman Rosenthal 10; L. Serrurier 10.
Plan for the shipyard
The plans for the NSM included a report by several experts that advocated 5 principles.
1 The shipyard would only be competitive if the workers could work in piece rate pay, doing the same work all the time. The existing Amsterdam shipyards had combined shipbuilding and ship repair. The latter led to disturbance in quick shipbuilding and prevented the use of piece rate pay, because the work was not continuous. (This vision opposed that of Fijenoord and RDM in Rotterdam, but wages were probably lower there.)
2 The nucleus of most of the workforce of current shipyards in Amsterdam had still been educated in the art of building wooden ships. Most of these people were older than suitable for shipbuilding. For many years nothing had been done to educate workers in shipbuilding. Young people would have to be educated in shipbuilding, and they could no doubt produce significantly more if they had an interest to do so.
3 The necessary materials for shipbuilding could be acquired (delivered) in Amsterdam for nearly the same prices as in other places with successful shipbuilding industries. There was no significant problem in this respect.
4 A new shipbuilding company should not limit itself to seeking orders in the Netherlands. Foreign countries should be taken into account to get orders. A Dutch shipyard that delivered solid work at a competing price might also count on a fair amount of work for Dutch shipping lines. This was especially the case now that these shipping lines got more and more convinced that their ships should preferably be built at Dutch shipyards, and that the government demanded it in certain contracts with these shipping lines. (cf. the contract between the government and the KPM)
5 A good shipbuilder that was located in an industrial center like Amsterdam, next to a renowned machine- and boiler factory (the Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en spoorwegmaterieel (later Werkspoor)) did not have to build its own machines and boilers. On the contrary: it was far better that a new shipbuilder did not mingle himself in machine-construction. That way he could focus on the core business, while remaining free to buy machinery at the best conditions, or according to the choice of the principal. (This was contrary to the strategy of Fijenoord and RDM, and also to that of Van Vlissingen en Dudok van Heel.)
First decades (1895–1914)
Setup of the shipyard
The plan for the shipyard had also determined that the site of the former shipyard of Van Vlissingen ( Third Conradstraat) would be the location of the new shipyard. The lease would be cheap, and the buildings could be bought. Plans to move to the other side of the IJ had been considered, but had been rejected for the moment, because the workers lived on the south side of the IJ. 283,000 guilders would be spent on buildings, installations, tools and machinery. Another 24,000 was for inventory, and the rest of the 500,000 was for working capital.
In mid 1894 the new company tendered the construction of some buildings on the site. The tender was for an office, a carpentry hall, a workplace with engine room and boiler house, a lunchroom with doorman's home. It also called for filling up a harbor and making fences and shoring for the site on the Wittenburgergracht and third Conrad street. The site had four obsolete slipways for ships of up to .
On 7 March 1895 the NSM launched its first vessel, Amsterdam V. It was a steam vessel of and 600 ihp meant for a river service between Amsterdam and Mannheim. On 10 May 1895 the NSM launched the steel deck barge Lomboks Glorie. On 8 June 1895 the Van Outhoorn was laid down for the KPM. She was launched on 24 January 1896, the first ocean-going ship built by the yard. It was a steel ship of 1,700 tons, and was claimed to be the largest KPM ship for service in the Indies. Engines were made by the Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en spoorwegmaterieel. As could be expected the first years were not profitable for the NSM. In 1894 it lost 3,078 guilders, in 1895 it lost 31,711.
The next couple of years saw a quick increase in activity. On 4 July 1896 the steamship Paramaribo of was launched. It had been laid down on 24 January and was ordered by the Department of the Colonies. On 7 August 1896 a suction dredger of about 350 tons was launched for the shipyard Conrad, and ultimately the Russian government. Another was launched at about the same time, and the third, a suction dredger hopper barge followed on 5 September 1896. On 15 May 1897 the Prins Willem V of was launched. In August 1897 the gunvessels Koetei and Siboga with engines from Fijenoord, were laid down for the Indische Militaire Marine. On 23 October 1897 the freighter Madura of and was launched.
Wilhemina Drydock
In October 1897 NSM got an order for a floating drydock for the Amsterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij. It was to be a self-docking dry dock with a lift capacity of 7,500 ton. The price would come to 700,000 guilders. A comparison with its share capital shows that the order was very important for the new shipyard. On 13 May 1899 Wilhelmina Drydock was taken into use.
Because of the narrow Oosterdok Lock, Wilhelmina Drydock was constructed at a special site that the NSM leased. This site was connected to the former shipyard Gebroeders van Lindern, which had built the Koningsdok that still lay just west of it. This site currently houses the EYE Film Institute Netherlands.
Expansion on the Conradstreet
Soon the shipyard had a serious lack of space, and in 1899 the company leased a site from the Amsterdam Municipality to build a new fifth slipway. It also expanded its buildings. In 1908 the whole site between the third Conradstreet and the Conradstreet (where the gate now is) was leased. It allowed the lengthening of the fifth slipway. It was not a structural solution: The Oosterdoksluis, which connected the shipyard to the IJ only allowed ships with a beam of up to to pass. In the end this was solved, but there was also a railway bridge behind it, and this would not be extended to more than 18 m.
Becomes the largest Dutch shipyard The infrastructural and other problems of the Amsterdam shipbuilding industry were so big that in 1905 the shipyards in Amsterdam built only 15,000 of the 180,000 tons of ships that were built. In 1907 the tonnage for sea-going ships was 51,000 tons, with the NSM as second largest shipyard with three ships for 10,500 tons. In 1908 the NSM was the third largest Dutch shipyard, with 4 ships for 6,600 tons after De Schelde with 11,000 and Fijenoord with 10,800 tons. 1908 was a good year for the NSM. It built 8 ships, had 11 under construction, and received three new orders. One of these was a large modern ship for the SMN. The company decided to invest 600,000 in a major expansion of the shipyard. The dividend was determined at 7%.
In 1909 the problem with the narrow Oosterdok lock (Oosterdoksluis) was partly solved. The lock was removed and its functions taken over by other works. The remaining passage was widened from to . On 2 June 1909 Nias, long by beam, was the first ship to profit from it. The interests of the NSM had been important in the discussions about the Oosterdoksluis. Nevertheless, the interests of the Rijkswerf which was also dependent on the Oosterdoksluis, and therefore those of the Dutch navy, were probably more important. On 15 March 1909 the Rijkswerf launched , an armored cruiser with a beam of . The widening of the passage did enable the NSM to grow faster than before.
In 1909 the NSM was the Dutch shipyard that launched most tonnage with 15,054 tons, and the shipyard that had by far the most tonnage still under construction. In 1911 the total tonnage of launched sea-going ships was 85,000. Of this four steamships, a tugboat and a floating dock totaling 26,990 tons by NSM, De Schelde was second with four steamships 12,140 ton. At the end of 1911 NSM had 39,300 tons still under construction. In 1912 NSM built 4 ships for 31,000 brt, and RDM was second with 6 sixs for 19,000 brt. In 1913 the Dutch shipbuilders launched 110,000 tons of sea going ships. NSM launched five ships for 31,000 brt; RDM six ships for 31,000; Fijenoord three for 15,000; Wilton two for 1,250; De Schelde one for 9,000t; Bonn & Mees one for 7,000.
The reasons why NSM became the largest Dutch shipyard are not that obvious. In 1933, Mr. Goedkoop would explain that the scientific way of organizing the work played a big part. This also regarded knowing exactly how much time a task should take, which enabled piece rate pay. A really interesting remark was that in some instances, the amount of skilled labor at Dutch shipyards was only 20% against 80% at some British shipyards.
In general, NSM built large ships. Prinses Juliana was long overall, measured tons, and displaced 12,190 tons (English). She was the largest ship built in the Netherlands up to then. Even before it was launched the SMN ordered a sister ship of the same dimensions in January 1910. This ship displaced 12,190 tons loaded to be immersed , and was launched on 15 March 1911.
On 12 May 1911 the NSM launched Juliana Drydock for the Amsterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij. Due to its beam, NSM had built her on a site north of the IJ, so it did not have to pass the Oosterdok Lock. The large dry dock was built in cooperation with the Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en Spoorwegmaterieel, Machine Factory 'Jaffa' from Utrecht, and Electrotechnische Industrie v/h Willem Smit & Co from Slikkerveer.