Insulinde restoration financially on track

Good news for the Insulinde! Thanks to a generous donation, we are financially on track to complete the restoration! A wonderful milestone for which we are incredibly grateful.

Thanks to the many donations and support we received for the restoration of the Insulinde, a large part of the necessary funding had already been raised. But with the contribution from the Pieter Houbolt Fund, we can complete the restoration with confidence.

The restoration continues

Hard work has been done behind the scenes over the past few months. Significant steps have been taken on both the ship itself and the engines.

At the Damen Shipyards in Den Helder, much attention has been paid to the repair of the ironwork over the past few months. Damaged parts have been addressed both on the exterior and inside the ship. Unfortunately, during the extensive inspection, some unexpected problems also came to light. For instance, holes were discovered in the hull in various places, and part of the bottom of the ship turned out to be in worse condition than expected. Despite these setbacks, the end of the most important repair work on the ironwork is in sight.

Engines get a second life

Meanwhile, hard work is being done at Spaarnestad Motorenrevisie in Haarlem on the two historic Gleniffer engines. The first engine has now been largely disassembled and thoroughly inspected. Fortunately, the cast-iron engine block appears to be still in good condition. Various other parts are being replaced or repaired. We are also looking into the best way to ensure the engines function reliably and safely in the future.

Thank you, donors!

We are enormously grateful to all donors and involved partners for their contributions. At the same time, continued support remains of great value. This allows us to build a buffer for unexpected costs and work towards the festive return of the Insulinde to the Rescue Museum in 2027. Will you help get the Insulinde ready for her hundredth birthday?