The ship was designed by Gerard Dijkstra who modelled her after the mid-19th century frigateAmsterdam, but she is not a replica. A major difference is that the hull is made of steel. The owners call the ship a “modern extreme clipper in historical perspective”, meaning that the construction method is a combination of the best qualities of clippers of the past, outfitted and built with modern techniques but with a classic “look and feel”. She is a very fast ship, with 15 knots being a normal speed. She won the 2001 Cutty Sark Tall Ships’ Race.
She is rigged with double topsails on the fore and main mast and a single topsail on the mizzen. She has royals on all masts and a skysail on the main mast. The building of the hull in 1997/98 was used as a work experience project for the unemployed (e.g. metalworking and welding). The ship was first presented to the public at the 2000 edition of SAIL Amsterdam. During the 2005, 2010 and 2015 editions of the event she was the flagship.
The Stad Amsterdam is used for training and as a charter-ship for guests. The crew is international and the official language on board is English. Her home port is Amsterdam.
In September 2009 Stad Amsterdam was refitted to accommodate a televised research expedition, tracing the second voyage of HMS Beagle (1831–1836). The ship re-sailed the route of the Beagle in approximately 8 months while collecting information to allow comparison between Charles Darwin‘s Beagle observations and the current ones. The show was aired by the Dutch public broadcaster VPRO as Beagle: In Darwin’s Wake (Beagle: In het kielzog van Darwin).
The Stad Amsterdam celebrated her 15th anniversary at the five-day SAIL Amsterdam 2015 tall ships festival in August 2015. The occasion was commemorated with the publication of a book about the ship, with contributions from Eberhard van der Laan – then the Mayor of Amsterdam – and the co-founder of the ship, Frits Goldschmeding. The book was co-created by former quartermaster Bart Huijs, and the sculptor and photographer, Anthony Smith.
