The Achille Lauro

The Achille Lauro has a storied history from its beginnings as a Dutch-built ship in wartorn Netherlands. Several accidents and mishaps plagued the ship before being purchased by the Italian Flotto Lauro Line and transformed into a beautiful and stylish passenger liner. The Achille Lauro made international news in 1985 when it was hijacked off the coast of Egypt by members of the Palestinian Liberation Front, resulting in the death of Leon Klinghofer and a tense political standoff. In 1994 an engine fire erupted during a voyage from Genoa to South Africa. The fire raged out of control causing the passengers and crew to abandon ship. The Achille Lauro continued to burn and sank on December 2, 1994.

Photos

Sources

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• ‌“‘Achille Lauro’: The Final Hours.” Tampa Bay Times, Florida’s favorite paper, Tampa Bay’s favorite local news site, 2022, www.tampabay.com/archive/1994/12/08/achille-lauro-the-final-hours/. Accessed 18 May 2022.
• “Cause of Achille Lauro Fire Still Unknown.” UPI, Dec. 1994, www.upi.com/Archives/1994/12/01/Cause-of-Achille-Lauro-fire-still-unknown/5407786258000/. Accessed 18 May 2022.
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• “Liner Achille Lauro Burns off Africa (Published 1994).” The New York Times, 2022, www.nytimes.com/1994/12/01/world/liner-achille-lauro-burns-off-africa.html. Accessed 18 May 2022.
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• ‌United States, Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard. “MARINE CASUALTY REPORT.” Zika Virus, 5 May 2016, www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/controlling-mosquitoes-at-home.html.
• Knego, Peter. “Floating Paradise Lost: MV ACHILLE LAURO, Part 1: The Volcanic Life of an Extraordinary Ship” YouTube, uploaded by Peter Knego’s MidShipCinema, 2021, /www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTTLtC06OHk.
• “Moss Hills | Oceanossinking.” Oceanossinking, 2015, www.oceanossinking.com/moss-hills. Accessed 19 May 2022.