MS Achille Lauro

{{Redirect|Willem Ruys|the Dutch game show host|Willem Ruis}} {| |} '''MS ''Achille Lauro''''' was a cruise ship based in Naples, Italy. Built between 1939 and 1947 as '''MS ''Willem Ruys''''', a [[passenger liner]] for the Rotterdamsche Lloyd. It is most remembered for its 1985 hijacking. In 1994, the ship caught fire and sank in the [[Indian Ocean]] off [[Somalia]]. ==Concept and construction== Ordered in 1938 to replace the aging ships on the [[Dutch East Indies]] route, her [[keel]] was laid in 1939 at De Schelde shipyard in [[Vlissingen]], [[Netherlands]], for Rotterdamsche Lloyd (now [[Nedlloyd]]). Interrupted by [[World War II]] and two [[bomb]]ing raids, the ship was not launched until July 1946 as the ''Willem Ruys''. The ship was named after the grandson of the founder of the Rotterdamsche Lloyd who was taken hostage and shot during the war. ''Willem Ruys'' was completed in late 1947. At that time, the Rotterdamsche Lloyd had been granted a royal prefix in honor of its services during the war. ''Willem Ruys'' was {{convert|192|m|ft|0}} in length, {{convert|25|m|ft|0}} in beam, had a draught of {{convert|8.9|m|ft|1}}, and measured 21,119 [[tonnage|gross register ton]]s. Eight [[Sulzer (manufacturer)|Sulzer]] engines drove two [[propeller]]s. She could accommodate 900 passengers. She featured a superstructure very different to other liners of that era: ''Willem Ruys'' pioneered low-slung aluminium lifeboats, within the upper-works’ flanks. The next ship to adopt this unique arrangement was the {{SS|Canberra}} in 1961. Today, all cruise ships follow this layout. ====On the East Indies route==== As ''Willem Ruys'', the ship began her maiden voyage on December 2, 1947. Together with her main competitor and running mate, the [[MS Oranje]] of the [[Netherland Line]], she became a popular fixture on the [[Dutch East Indies]] route. However, when the East Indies gained independence from The Netherlands in 1949, passengers numbers decreased. [[File:Willem Ruys ship.gif|thumb|left|The ''Willem Ruys'']] ====Collision with the ''Oranje''==== On January 6, 1953, ''Willem Ruys'' collided in the Red Sea with running mate {{MS|Oranje}}, heading in the opposite direction. At that time, it was common that passenger ships pass each other at close range (1 to 1.5 nautical miles) to entertain their passengers. During the (later heavily criticized) abrupt and fast approach of ''Oranje'', ''Willem Ruys'' made an unexpected swing to the left, resulting in a collision. It was a near-miss disaster. ''Oranje'' badly damaged her bows. Due to the possibility she would be impounded for safety reasons, she was unable to call at Colombo as scheduled, and went directly to Jakarta. ''Willem Ruys'' suffered less damage. There was no loss of life involved. Later, it was determined that miscommunication on both ships had caused the collision. ====Later years==== After repairs, Royal Rotterdam Lloyd decided to release the ''Willem Ruys'' on the North Atlantic run. First, she was placed on the [[New York]] service, and later [[Canada]] was included. In 1958, the Royal Rotterdamsche Lloyd and the [[Netherland Line]] signed a co-operative agreement to create a round-the-world passenger service. The joint fleet would sail under the banner of "The Royal Dutch Mail Ships". Together with the ''Oranje'' and the ''[[TSMS Lakonia|Johan van Oldenbarneveldt]]'', the ''Willem Ruys'' underwent an extensive refit to prepare her for this new service. She made two charter trips to [[Montreal]] for the Europa-Canada service. Then, from September 20, 1958 until February 25, 1959, she underwent a major facelift at the [[Wilton-Fijenoord]] shipyard in [[Amsterdam]], turning her from a passenger liner into a cruise ship. Her original four class distinctions became First and Tourist Class. A hundred new cabins were installed and [[air-conditioning]] was extended throughout all accommodations. The Javanese crew members were replaced by Europeans, who required upgraded crew accommodation. Externally, she was fitted with a new glazed in Tourist Class Wintergarden, her forward funnel was heightened and [[stabilizers]] were fitted. ''Willem Ruys'' was now able to accommodate 275 first class, and 770 tourist class passengers, although there were many interchangeable cabins which had additional berths fitted, which could increase the maximum passenger number to 1167. Her new specifications would see her tonnage increase from 21,119 to 23,114 [[tonnage|gross register ton]]. On March 7, 1959 ''Willem Ruys'' went off on her new world service to [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. She departed from [[Rotterdam]], sailing via [[Southampton]], the [[Mediterranean]], the [[Suez Canal]], [[Fremantle]], [[Melbourne]], [[Sydney]], [[New Zealand]], returning via the [[Panama Canal]]. The Royal Dutch Mail Ships (''Willem Ruys'', ''Johan van Oldenbarnevelt'' and ''Oranje'') became a popular alternative to the British liners. At the end of 1964, due to a strong drop in passenger numbers, ''Willem Ruys'' was laid up in [[Rotterdam]] and put up for sale. ===As the ''Achille Lauro''=== In 1964, she was sold to the [[Flotta Lauro Line]], or [[Star Lauro]], (now [[MSC Cruises]]) and renamed the ''Achille Lauro'' (after the company owner). Extensively rebuilt and modernized after an August 1965 onboard explosion, the ''Achille Lauro'' entered service in 1966 carrying passengers to Sydney, Australia. The ship played a role in evacuating the families of British servicemen caught up in the [[Six Day War]], arriving in Cairo on June 1, 1967.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} The ''Achille Lauro'' was converted to a cruise ship in early 1972, during which time she suffered a disastrous fire. A 1975 collision with the cargo ship Youseff resulted in the sinking of the latter, and another onboard fire in 1981 took her out of service for a time. She was laid up in Tenerife when the Lauro Lines went bankrupt in 1982. The Chandris Line took possession of her in 1985, shortly before the hijacking. ====1985 hijacking==== {{main|Achille Lauro hijacking}} On October 7, 1985, four men representing the [[Palestine Liberation Front]] (PLF) took control of the liner off [[Egypt]] as she was sailing from [[Alexandria]] to [[Port Said]]. [[File:Achille03.jpg|thumb|left|The ''Achille Lauro'' in 1989]] The hijackers had been surprised by a crew member and acted prematurely. Holding the passengers and crew hostage, they directed the vessel to sail to [[Tartus]], [[Syria]], and demanded the release of 50 [[Palestinians]] then in Israeli prisons. After being refused permission to dock at Tartus, the hijackers killed disabled Jewish-[[U.S.|American]] passenger [[Leon Klinghoffer]] and then threw his body overboard. The ship headed back towards Port Said, and after two days of negotiations, the hijackers agreed to abandon the liner in exchange for safe conduct and were flown towards [[Tunisia]] aboard an Egyptian commercial airliner. [[United States]] [[President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] ordered that the plane be intercepted by [[F-14 Tomcat]]s from the [[VF-74]] "BeDevilers" and the [[VF-103]] "Sluggers" of [[Carrier Air Wing 17]], based on the aircraft carrier [[USS Saratoga (CV-60)|USS ''Saratoga'']], on October 10 and directed to land at [[Naval Air Station Sigonella]], a [[NATO|N.A.T.O.]] base in [[Sicily]], where the hijackers were arrested by the [[Italy|Italians]] after a disagreement between American and Italian authorities. The other passengers on the plane (including the PLF leader, [[Abu Abbas]]) were allowed to continue on to their destination, despite protests by the United States. Egypt demanded an apology from the U.S. for forcing the airplane off course. ===== Disagreement between Italy and U.S. ===== Italian Prime Minister [[Bettino Craxi]] claimed Italian territorial rights over the NATO base. [[Italian Air Force]] personnel and [[Carabinieri]] lined up facing the [[United States Navy SEALs]] who had arrived with two [[C-141]]s. Other Carabinieri were sent from [[Catania]] to reinforce the Italians. It was the gravest diplomatic crisis between Italy and United States and was resolved five hours later. ==== Later years ==== The ship continued in service; she was reflagged in 1987 when the Lauro Line was taken over by the Mediterranean Shipping Company to become StarLauro. On November 30, 1994, she caught fire off the coast of [[Somalia]] while enroute to South Africa. At that time, the cause of the fire was suggested by Italian officials to be a discarded cigarette. But in reality the fire started in the engineroom by an explosion of one of the engines. Because of the lack of supervision the fire could go out of control, before discovered. The crew attempted to battle the fire for several hours but were unsuccessful. Abandoned, the vessel sank on December 2. == See also == {{commonscat|Achille Lauro (ship, 1947)}} * ''[[Lauro Lines s.r.l. v. Chasser et al.]]'', the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] case in the aftermath of this incident * [[List of hostage crises]] * [[The 1979 Nahariya attack]] == Further reading == * Bohn, Michael K., (2004), ''The Achille Lauro hijacking: lessons in the politics and prejudice of terrorism''. == External links == * [http://www.ssmaritime.com/willemruys.htm ss Maritime History – Willem Ruys/Achille Lauro] * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A730900 H2G2 – Achille Lauro hijacking] * [http://www.specialoperations.com/Images_Folder/library2/achille.html Special Operations website – Achille Lauro hijacking] * [http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/willemruys.html Great Ocean Liners – Willem Ruys/Achille Lauro] * [http://www.cnn.com/resources/video.almanac/1985/index2.html CNN Interactive: Video Almanac of 1985] {{MSC Ships}} {{coord missing}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Achille Lauro}}