January 1928 the Rotterdamsche Lloyd ordered two passengers ships by the Koninklijke Maatschappy “De Schelde” at Vlissingen (Flushing), Netherlands, for there service between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies.
Due to work on the harbour of Vlissingen the building of the hull of the BALOERAN was boarded-out to the Maatschappij Fyenoord, Rotterdam.
Built as a passenger- cargo vessel under yard No 313.
26 August 1928 keel laid down.
29 August 1929 launched under the name BALOERAN, christened by Mrs. H.Drooglever Fortuyn-Bruinier, wife of the mayor of Rotterdam. One sister-ship the DEMPO.
Tonnage 16.981 gross, 10.062 net, 8.740 dwt., dim. 174.96 x 21.3 x 13.4m., length bpp. 167.64m., draught 8.7m.
Powered by two 10-cyl. single acting two stroke Schelde-Sulzer engines, 14.000 hp., twin screws speed 18 knots.
Passenger accommodation for 262 first, 266 second, 70 third and 68 fourth class. Crew 317.
She was later towed to Vlissingen for fitting out and placing of the machinery, completed under yard 188 by Koninklijke Maatschappij “De Schelde”.
22 March 1930 trials.
09 April 1930 delivered to the Rotterdamsche Lloyd.
16 April 1930 maiden voyage from Rotterdam to Batavia (Jakarta).
18 March 1931 on a voyage from Surabaya to Tandjong Priok (Tanjung Priok) she collided with the British SILVERBEECH in the Westgat. The BALOERAN, heavily damaged on her bow returned to Surabaya for preliminary repairs. She sailed then for Rotterdam and was repaired by Wilton.
During the summer of 1932 she carried the Belgian crown prince and his spouse from Batavia to Marseille.
End 1937 her accommodation modernized by the yard of Machine Fabriek en Scheepswerf P.Smit in Rotterdam. Her tonnage increased to 17.003 gross ton.
31 August 1939 she arrived for the last time in Indonesia, and 13 September 1939 she sailed from Tandjong Priok and sailed via the Cape of Good Hope to Rotterdam, her next sailing on 11 December 1939 to Batavia was cancelled and she was laid up at Rotterdam.
When war broke out between the Netherlands and Germany on 10 May 1940 she was still at Rotterdam, and could not escape, due to mine warnings in the Nieuwe Waterweg (The canal from Rotterdam to sea).
May 1940 till May 1941 used as a floating electric power station and boarding ship at Rotterdam.
11 May 1941 seized by the German Navy and converted as a hospital ship by Wilton Fijenoord, Schiedam.
Fitted out with 500 beds for sick or wounded troops and 161 medical personnel to take care of the sick and wounded men. Renamed in STRASSBURG and managed by HAPAG.
20 July 1941 commissioned.
31 July 1941 left Rotterdam for Norway and returned on 22 October 1941 for repair.
06 August 1942 sailed from Rotterdam bound for Kiel. 14 August 1942 sailed from Kiel bound for Gotenhaven (Gdynia) where she was used as a stationary hospital vessel until 05 December1942.
Sailed again for Rotterdam, where she arrived on 12 December 1942.
From January 1943 till May she made several voyages to the waters in and around Norway as a hospital vessel.
30 May 1943 decommissioned as hospital vessel.
31 August 1943 sailed from Rotterdam bound for Hamburg in ballast, The next day she hit a mine in position 52 42N 04 32E off Ijmuiden on the west coast of Holland.
Attempts to tow the STRASSBURG by BS3 and BS1 to Ijmuiden failed and she grounded in position 52 29.3N 04.32.4E and was abandoned by the German crew on 06 September 1943 at 16.00 hours.
After constant air attacks by Allied planes between 07 and 20 September 1943 she got on fire and was complete gutted. Received also torpedo hits from the British MTB 617.
She broke in two parts and still today you can find parts of the wreck 1.3 mile north of the Noorderhoofd at IJmuiden.
Her sister the DEMPO was torpedoed on 17 March 1944 by the U-371 off Algiers during the Allied invasion in North Africa; she was abandoned without loss of life.
On Netherland 1931 80c sg 395b, scott 201.
Maldives 1997 12R sg 2702, scott 2225.
Source: Rotterdamsche Lloyd by Scholten & Haalmeijer. Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse Koopvaardij in de Tweede Wereldoorlog by KWL Bezemer. Some web-sites.