MS Achille Lauro

Achille Lauro
History
Name
  • Willem Ruys (1947–1965)
  • Achille Lauro (1965–1994)
Namesake
Owner
Operator
Port of registry
Ordered7 May 1938
BuilderKM 'De Schelde' S&M, Vlissingen
Yard number214
Laid down25 January 1939[1]
Launched1 July 1946[1] (Delayed due to WWII)
Christenedby HM Queen Wilhelmina[2]
Completed21 November 1947[1]
Maiden voyage2 December 1947[1]
In service2 December 1947
Out of service30 November 1994
Identification
FateSank on 2 December 1994 off the coast of Somalia due to fire on board.
General characteristics
Tonnage
  • 21,119 GRT as built
  • 23,629 GRT after refurbishment
Length642 ft (196 m)[2]
Beam82 ft (25 m)[2]
Draft29.3 ft (8.9 m)[2]
Decks9[2] (6 passenger accessible)[1]
Installed power
Propulsion2 propellers[1]
Speed22.0 kn (40.7 km/h; 25.3 mph)[1]
Capacity
  • 869 passengers (as built)[1]
  • 1,372 passengers[2]
Crew300[2]

2°N 47°E / 2°N 47°E / 2; 47

MS Achille Lauro was a cruise ship based in Naples, Italy. It was built between 1939 and 1947 as the ocean liner Willem Ruys for Royal Rotterdam Lloyd. In 1965 Achille Lauro bought the ship, had it converted into a cruise ship, and renamed it after himself. In 1985 it was hijacked by members of the Palestine Liberation Front.

The ship was also involved in two serious collisions: in 1953 with the Oranje, and in 1975 with the cargo ship Youseff. It also suffered four onboard fires or explosions: in 1965, 1972, 1981, and 1994. In the last of these, in 1994, the ship caught fire and sank in the Indian Ocean off Somalia.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Name ship: Willem Ruys". Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Ward, Douglas (1995). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Oxford: Berlitz. ISBN 978-2-8315-1327-0.