THE VOYAGE OF THE GELDERLAND

In midsummer dawn comes early in the Netherlands and normally the sun would have been well above the horizon before the first stirrings of activity at the Willemsoord naval base at Nieuwediep. However, on this 15th day of July 1900 things were different. It was the day on which the sleek white shape at the outfitting dock would be commissioned and formally join the fleet. As a result work details were busy from early light to put the finishing touches to the grandstand and to see that everything was shipshape.