MS Baloeran was a passenger liner built for the Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd. Her hull was laid down on August 26th 1928 at the Wilton Fijenoord Shipyard in Rotterdam. Launched the 29th of August 1929, her hull was towed to the de Schelde Shipyard in Vlissingen (Flushing) where she was completed on April 9th 1930.

She left on her maiden voyage on April 16th 1930 leaving from Rotterdam to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. She kept on sailing between the Netherlands and her Colony untill late 1939 when she was laid up in Rotterdam due to the outbreak of the second World War.

When Germany invaded the at this point still neutral Netherlands on May 10th 1940, the Baloeran was still at the Lloydskade in Rotterdam. She, together with the Statendam 3, Veendam, and many more ships were trapped in the port of Rotterdam. Since the ships were ready to depart, the crews of these ships did want depart Rotterdam but after the harbourmaster told them the river was laid with German magnetic seamines, the plans were dropped.

The Baloeran was taken over by the Germans and was first used as a electric power station. On may 11th 1941, she was taken over by the German navy to be converted into a hispital ship, now renamed as Strassburg and sailing under HAPAG management, she served between German and Norwegian ports.
While going back to the Netherlands for a refit, she hit a mine off the coast of Wijk aan Zee on the 1st of September 1943 and ran aground, 18 days later the British torpedoed her and the following day the British finished the job and bombed her, after which she sank.


On March 8th 1930, the MS Baloeran passed the Koningshavenbrug (de Hef) and the Koninginnebrug (Queensbridge) at the Noordereiland in Rotterdam. My friend Swanky Shipping Line and I have recreated this moment in time for you to enjoy!

This projects is the first project from "Historic Shipbuilding", a partnership between us to recreate ships or anything historically valuable enough to recreate.

More info about Historic Shipbuilding is on my home page!


If you have any thought or opinions or even questions, leave them in the comments below!



~Swanky & Pranay