A 56,000-ton floating dock, purchased by the Rotterdam Droogdokmaatschappij from the British Admiralty for DFl.5,000,000 and towed from Portsmouth to Holland by five British tugs, arrived at the Hook of Holland very early in the morning of Sunday, 17th May. With the help of four more tugs, the giant dock was towed through the New Waterway from the Hook of Holland to Rotterdam without incident -- all traffic of the New Waterway, which connects the Hook of Holland harbour with the great port of Rotterdam, was stopped while the floating dock was being moved along it.

Originally built for the British Southern Railway Company some 37 years ago, the dock was taken over by the British Admiralty during the 1939-45 war. It is stated to be the largest in the world.