Local newspapers can supply a lot of interesting details dealing with merchant trade shipping and building. Details which for instance no longer can find in another way due to the fact the archives of the shipping companies and yards are missing, incomplete or not for (historical) research accessible.
The national newspaper Het Vaderland: staat- en letterkundig nieuwsblad morning edition dated 4 May 1939. Yesterday morning was at the yard Gusto of the firm A.F. Smulders at Schiedam a hopper sand dredger launched built for account of the government of Siam. She was destined to serve on the Bangkok Bar to make it possible for seagoing ships to sail on the river between Chow Phya and Bangkok. Around 16.00 o’clock Mrs. Bahidda Nukara, spouse of the ambassador of the government Phra Bahidda Sukara undertake the last action necessary for the launching. Present were mr.dr. J.A.M. van Buuren, minister of water, the consul general of Siam F.H. Sardeman, the consul of Siam at Amsterdam baron P. Taets van Amerongen, the burgomaster of Schiedam dr. F.L.J. van Haaren, engineer Sumthum Darmaraksa, first lieutenant of the Royal navy of Siam supervisor during the building, W. Blankwaard, R. Zuyderhof en L.D. Petit, members of the board of the Genootschap Nederland-Siam and representatives of Lloyds and the Shipping Inspection Board. The dredger was self supporting for loading and pumping. The main dimensions were 80 x 13,25 x 6 (hold) and 4,50 (draught) meter. Her cargo capacity was 1.000 cubic meters. She was built in the highest quality class of Lloyds and specially fitted out with good ventilated, large rooms regarded the climate of Siam.
The local newspaper Schiedamsche Courant dated Wednesday 3 May 1939 reported that she was launched and christened just before 16.00 o’clock without giving further details. The next day this newspaper published again an item dealing with this dredger. She was to be fitted out with a dragged suction head for mud sucking but could also fitted out with a special cutter head for mullet ground. The cargo hold could be loaded while moving and towing the suction head over the ground or while being anchored and working with the cutter head. The fore ship was fitted out with two stakes movable up- and downwards and which were put down in the bottom allowing the vessel to turn around these same stakes. In the bottom of the ship were valves installed allowing to dump the mud in open sea. The cargo could also be pumped empty by a floating press line of a press line on the shore. The complete bedizening of the bottom valves and several toggles, the winches and the main engine was centrally done from the bridge. The engines consisted of 3 steam engines with 2.500 hp of which two engines were used for the screws and sand pumps to pump the cargo hold empty while the third one was used for the sand pump which filled the cargo hold. There were two oil fuelled Scottish boilers fitted out with a forced extraction facility.
