Editing MS Achille Lauro (section)

===As the ''Willem Ruys''===
[[File:M.S. Willem Ruys N.V. Rotterdamsche Lloyd, KITLV 1403728.tiff|thumb|left|MS ''Willem Ruys'']]

====On the East Indies route====
As ''Willem Ruys'', the ship began her maiden voyage on 5 December 1947. Together with her main competitor and running mate, the [[MS Oranje|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, passenger numbers decreased.

The future [[prime minister of Singapore]], [[Lee Kuan Yew]], travelled aboard ''Willem Ruys'' as a fresh graduate upon completing his studies in the United Kingdom.<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2056737-5,00.html|title=The Singapore Story|magazine=Time|date= 3 March 2011}}</ref>

====Collision with ''Oranje''====
On 6 January 1953, ''Willem Ruys'' collided in the Red Sea with running mate {{MS|Oranje||2}}, which was heading in the opposite direction. At that time, it was common for passenger ships to pass each other at close range 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. ''Oranje'' badly damaged her bow. Due to the possibility that 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.

====''Journey to Java''====
During 1957, the English diplomat, author and diarist [[Harold Nicolson]] and his wife, the author and poet [[Vita Sackville-West]], toured the [[Far East]] for two months aboard ''Willem Ruys''. The voyage is documented in ''Journey to Java'', his published journal of the trip,<ref name="Journey To Java">{{cite book |title= Journey to Java |last= Nicolson|first= Harold|year= 1957|publisher= Constable|location= London |url=https://archive.org/details/journeytojava0000haro}}</ref> which provides a detailed account of [[first class travel]] on the vessel in the 1950s interlarded with rambling literary reflections.

====Later years====
After repairs, Royal Rotterdam Lloyd decided to release ''Willem Ruys'' on the North Atlantic run. First, she was placed on the [[New York (state)|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 ''Oranje'' and ''[[TSMS Lakonia|Johan van Oldenbarneveldt]]'', ''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 20 September 1958, until 25 February 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 glazing in Tourist Class Wintergarden, her forward funnel was heightened and [[Stabilizer (ship)|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 7 March 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.