Editing MS Achille Lauro

{{Short description|Cruise ship launched in 1946}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Willem Ruys|Willem Ruis}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2009}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = Achille39 b.jpg
| Ship caption = ''Achille Lauro''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship name = *''Willem Ruys'' (1947–1965)
*''Achille Lauro'' (1965–1994)
| Ship namesake = *Willem Ruys
*[[Achille Lauro]]
| Ship owner = *1947–1965: [[Royal Rotterdam Lloyd]]
*1965–1989: Achille Lauro FU G. & C.
*1989–1994: Star Lauro S.P.A.<ref name="SMHD">{{cite web |url=http://www.marhisdata.nl/main.php?to_page=schip&id=7323 |title=Name ship: Willem Ruys |publisher=Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank |access-date=March 12, 2016}}</ref>
| Ship operator = * Royal Rotterdam Lloyd (1947–1964)
*[[Flotta Lauro Lines]] (1965–1989)
*[[StarLauro]] (1989–1994)
| Ship registry = *1947–1965: {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Port of Rotterdam|Rotterdam]]
*1965–1994: {{flagicon|Italy|civil}} [[Port of Naples|Naples]]
| Ship route = 
| Ship ordered = 7 May 1938
| Ship builder = [[:nl:Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde|KM 'De Schelde' S&M]], [[Vlissingen]]
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 214
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 25 January 1939<ref name="SMHD"/>
| Ship launched = 1 July 1946<ref name="SMHD"/> (Delayed due to WWII)
| Ship completed = 21 November 1947<ref name="SMHD"/>
| Ship christened = by HM [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|Queen Wilhelmina]]<ref name="Ward">{{cite book |title=Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships |url=https://archive.org/details/berlitzcompleteg0000ward |url-access=registration |last=Ward |first=Douglas |year=1995 |publisher=Berlitz |location=Oxford |isbn=978-2-8315-1327-0}}</ref>
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship maiden voyage = 2 December 1947<ref name="SMHD"/>
| Ship in service = 2 December 1947
| Ship out of service = 30 November 1994
| Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: PIQF → IBHE<ref name="SMHD"/>
*{{IMO number|5390008}}
| Ship fate = Sank on 2 December 1994 off the coast of Somalia due to fire on board.
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = 
| Ship tonnage = *21,119 GRT as built
*23,629 GRT after refurbishment
| Ship displacement = 
| Ship length = {{convert|642|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="Ward"/>
| Ship beam = {{convert|82|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="Ward"/>
| Ship height = 
| Ship draught = 
| Ship draft = {{convert|29.3|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="Ward"/>
| Ship depth = 
| Ship decks = 9<ref name="Ward"/> (6 passenger accessible)<ref name="SMHD"/>
| Ship deck clearance = 
| Ship ramps = 
| Ship ice class = 
| Ship sail plan = 
| Ship power = *2 × [[Wärtsilä|Sulzer/ Winterthur]] + 6 × [[Wärtsilä|Sulzer/de Schelde]]
*{{convert|32000|BHP|abbr=on}}<ref name="SMHD"/>
| Ship propulsion = 2 propellers<ref name="SMHD"/>
| Ship speed = {{convert|22.0|kn|abbr=on}}<ref name="SMHD"/>
| Ship capacity = *869 passengers (as built)<ref name="SMHD"/>
*1,372 passengers<ref name="Ward"/>
| Ship crew = 300<ref name="Ward"/>
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}
{{Coord|2|N|47|E|display=title}}

'''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 [[Achille Lauro hijacking|hijacked]] by members of the [[Palestine Liberation Front]].

The ship was also involved in two serious collisions: in 1953 with the {{MS|Oranje||2}}, 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]].

==Concept and construction==
Ordered in 1938 to replace the aging ships on the [[Dutch East Indies]] route, she was [[Keel laying|laid down]] in 1939 at [[:nl:Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde|Koninklijke Maatschappij 'De Schelde'. Scheepswerf en Machinefabriek]] in [[Vlissingen]], [[Netherlands]], for Rotterdamsche Lloyd (now part of [[Nedlloyd]]). Interrupted by [[World War II]] and two bombing raids, the ship was finally launched in July 1946, as ''Willem Ruys''. The ship was named after the grandson of the founder of Rotterdamsche Lloyd, whom the Germans had 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 honour 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 from other liners of that era; ''Willem Ruys'' pioneered low-slung aluminium lifeboats, within the upper-works' flanks. The next ship to adopt this arrangement was the {{SS|Canberra||2}} in 1961. Today, all cruise ships follow this layout, with fibreglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) used for lifeboat hulls.

==Service history==

===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.

=== As ''Achille Lauro'' {{Anchor|As Achille Lauro}}===
[[File:"Achille Lauro" - Palermo, 1965 (2).JPG|thumb|left|The ''Achille Lauro'' on fire during her conversion work in 1965]]
In 1965, she was sold to the [[Flotta Lauro Line]] and renamed ''Achille Lauro'' after [[Achille Lauro|the company's owner]]. She was extensively rebuilt and modernized after an August 1965 onboard explosion, and entered service in 1966 carrying passengers to [[Sydney]], Australia. The ship played a role in evacuating the families of British servicemen caught up in unrest in [[Aden]], and made one of the last northbound transits through the [[Suez Canal]] before its closure during the [[Six-Day War]].

''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 Lauro Lines went bankrupt in 1982. The [[Chandris Line]] took possession of her under a charter arrangement in 1985, shortly before the hijacking.

The ship was chartered by a private group for the duration of the [[1987 America's Cup]] series held in Fremantle, Western Australia, to act as a viewing platform and accommodation for 1,400 visitors. It also housed the international jury which oversaw the races.

====1985 hijacking====
{{Main|Achille Lauro hijacking}}
On 7 October 1985, four members of the [[Palestine Liberation Front]] (PLF) took control of the liner off Egypt as she was sailing from [[Alexandria]] to [[Port Said]]. 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-American passenger [[Leon Klinghoffer]] and then threw his body overboard.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |last=Berman |first=Daphna |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=981987&contrassID=2&subContrassID=16 |title=Klinghoffer daughters recall personal tragedy at commemoration of terror victims outside Israel |work=Haaretz |date=9 May 2008}}</ref>

The ship then 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. This airliner, however, was intercepted by U.S. Navy [[Grumman F-14 Tomcat|F-14 Tomcat]] fighter aircraft and directed to land in [[Sicily]]. There, the United States [[Delta Force]] unsuccessfully attempted to extract the hijackers in order to try them in the United States, thereby causing the [[Crisis of Sigonella|Sigonella Crisis]]. The four terrorists were ultimately sentenced to prison terms by the Italian courts, while the operation's mastermind, who had not taken part in the actual hijacking, was given passage to Yugoslavia and escaped.<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. Reported to have evidence linking PLO Aide to Hijacking|first=Philip|last=Shenon|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 14, 1985|url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1985/10/14/077673.html?pageNumber=1}}</ref>

====Later years, fire, and sinking====
The ship continued in service. She was re-flagged in 1989 when the Lauro Line was taken over by the [[Mediterranean Shipping Company]] to become "StarLauro".

[[File:MS Achille Lauro lifebouy.jpg|thumb|Lifebuoy from the ''Achille Lauro'' (at top right), now on display in the [[Maritime Museum Rotterdam|Rotterdam Maritime Museum]]]]
In the evening of 30 November 1994 she caught fire off the coast of [[Somalia]] while ''en route'' to [[South Africa]], with 979 passengers and crew aboard. At that time, Italian officials said the fire had been caused by a discarded cigarette. Later analysis suggests that the fire started in the engine room after one of the crankcases exploded which allowed cooling oil to get into the exhaust. Because of a lack of supervision, the fire burned out of control before its discovery.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news |last=Cowell |first=Alan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/02/world/achille-lauro-smolders-after-1000-are-rescued.html|title=''Achille Lauro'' Smolders After 1,000 are Rescued|work=[[The New York Times]]|date= 2 December 1994 |access-date=30 September 2019 }}</ref> The crew battled the fire unsuccessfully for several hours, first with hoses and then by passing buckets from the swimming pool. Entertainer [[Moss Hills]], who led rescue efforts during the sinking of MTS ''[[MTS Oceanos|Oceanos]]'' in 1991, recalled that pouring water on an oil fire was ineffective, while making the conflagration worse.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-7RGBfR4Cs | title=The Story of the ''Achille Lauro ''| website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref> The vessel was abandoned in the morning after developing a list. A small number of crew and passengers were unable to board the main lifeboats due to flames coming up from the hull, so they climbed down a rope ladder from the stern to reach inflatable boats. Two died and eight were injured during the evacuation and transfer to rescue ships. Among the ships that responded to the call were [[USS Gettysburg (CG-64)|USS ''Gettysburg'']] and {{USS|Halyburton|FFG-40|6}}.<ref name="BBC">{{Cite news |title=BBC on This Day 30 November 1994: Blazing liner abandoned off east Africa |work=[[BBC News]] |date=2008 |access-date=30 September 2019 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/30/newsid_2525000/2525643.stm }}</ref> ''Achille Lauro'' sank on 2 December 1994, which was witnessed by a fire tugboat that had arrived to assess salvageability. The wreck has not been located since.<ref>{{cite web|author=Reuben Goossens |url=http://www.ssmaritime.com/achillelauro.htm |title=''Achille Lauro'' |publisher=ssMaritime.com |access-date=30 September 2019 }}</ref>

==See also==
*''[[Lauro Lines v. Chasser]]'', a [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] case dealing with the ''Achille Lauro'' hijacking
*''[[The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro]]'', 1989 film
*''[[Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair]]'', 1990 film
*''[[The Death of Klinghoffer]]'', 1991 opera
*[[List of hostage crises]]
*[[1979 Nahariya attack]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Bohn, Michael K. (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=754tx7I-98cC ''The Achille Lauro Hijacking: Lessons in the Politics and Prejudice of Terrorism'']. Potomac Books, Inc. {{ISBN|978-1-574-88779-2}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100729111538/http://www.cnn.com/resources/video.almanac/1985/index2.html CNN Interactive: Video Almanac of 1985]

{{MSC Ships}}
{{1985 shipwrecks}}
{{1994 shipwrecks}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Achille Lauro}}

[[Category:MS Achille Lauro| ]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1994]]
[[Category:Ship fires]]
[[Category:Ocean liners]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Ships of MSC Cruises]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of Africa]]
[[Category:1946 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built by Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents involving cruise ships]]
[[Category:Sunken cruise ships]]