Cornelis Verolme (Verolme shipyards) by Ariette Dekker

CORNELIS VEROLME (1900-1981), the shipbuilder. Cornelis Verolme was once the largest shipbuilder in the Netherlands. In the reconstruction he stomped a world group from the ground in a short time. Within the established Rotterdam metal industry, however, one looked at newcomer Verolme with argus eyes. He was wronged because he broke into the existing relations in the shipbuilding industry and was looked down on him because of his simple reformed farm return. Cornelis Verolme sought recognition all his life, but got it only partially. He evoked too much irritation because of his controversial and ambitious character and his desire for publicity. But the village politics of Dutch industry from those days also contributed. When Verolme built a giant dock at the same time in the late 1960s, in his unstoppable expansion drive, he became in serious financial difficulties. The government forced him to merge with his arch rivals. He was not up to the sophisticated political game he ended up in. However, the mammoth group RSV, which thus emerged, was still in decline and led to the controversial parliamentary survey in 1983-1984. Ariette Dekker describes Cornelis Verolme's life against the background of relations in Dutch shipbuilding and industrial policy. She searched for the origin of both the attraction force and the repulsion that Verolme summoned. She unveiled the myth of the origin of his wealth. She dived into his private space and discovered his special love for Brazil br>For the biography she did extensive archival research and interviewed relatives, Verolme veterans, competitors and experts.