MS Prinsendam, was a Holland-America Line cruise ship built at Shipyard de Merwede in the Netherlands in 1973.

She was approximately 120 nautical miles (222 km; 138 mi) south of Yakutat, Alaska, at 12:40 a.m. on 4 October 1980 when a fire broke out in her engine room.

[1] Her master, Cornelis Dirk Wabeke (13 April 1928 – 16 August 2011), declared the fire out of control one hour later and Prinsendam sent a radio call requesting immediate assistance.

Williamsburgh served a vital role as a communications platform and was the first vessel to arrive on scene and take passengers on board.

The Sohio Intrepid served as a platform for one of the U.S. Air Force helicopters that was unable to refuel in flight.