MS Achille Lauro 1994
Marker: recorded wreck position (Modern).
Key facts
| Name | MS Achille Lauro | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1994 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | Modern | derived from year |
| Ship type | cruise ship, ocean liner | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Cause of loss | Fire or explosion | Keyword match in English Wikipedia lead sentence |
| Nationality / flag | Netherlands, Switzerland | Wikidata P137 operator → P17 country |
| Operator | Royal Rotterdam Lloyd, MSC Cruises | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Sea / ocean | INDIAN OCEAN | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Somalia | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 118 km from land |
| Position | 2.0000, 47.0000 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
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 Palestinian 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.
Location
- Recorded position: 2.0000, 47.0000 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: INDIAN OCEAN
- Nearest coast: Somalia
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article MS Achille Lauro (revision 1376389016), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Browse more: Africa wrecks · INDIAN OCEAN · Modern