The story of the Willem Ruys,
later known as Achille Lauro.
1938:
A 20,000 gross ton liner was ordered to be build for
the N.V. Koninklijke
Rotterdamsche Lloyd, for their Rotterdam-East Indies service, at N.V. Koninklijke Maatschappij
"De Schelde", Vlissingen, yard-building no. 214.
1939:
Keel was laid,
but while under
construction, Holland was occupied by German Nazi's.
As a consequence, hardly any work was done and
the unfinished hull lays
uncompleted on the slipway of the N.V. Koninklijke Maatschappij "De
Schelde", Vlissingen, for the duration of the war.
When the Germans demanded that the ship must be
completed for them, the Dutch shipbuilders worked as slowly as they dared, and
the Dutch resistance committed several acts of sabotage, delaying the work
further still. It was only by sheer luck that the partially completed hull was
not destroyed by the Germans as they retreated at the end of the war.
1946:
Seven years
and six months after the keel had been laid, the ship finally entered her natural
element, and was taken to the
fitting out bay to be completed. The completion was considered a national
priority. And so, on July 1, 1946 the ship was launched and christened Willem
Ruys after the founder of the Rotterdamsche Lloyd. The company decided to
name the ship Willem Ruys in tribute to their director who had been
taken hostage and murdered during the war.
1947:
November
21, 1947 the vessel was completed, and on December 2, 1947 she set out on her
maiden voyage from Rotterdam to Indonesia, this Rotterdam-East Indies
service was operated until December 1957, when political changes caused
its cessation. Indonesia, this group of islands had been a Dutch colony since
the 17th century, but in 1949 the area gained its independence.
1958:
Collision
with her rival, Oranje.
1959:
The Royal
Rotterdamsche Lloyd and the Nederland Line signed a co-operative agreement to
create a round-the-world passenger service. Together with the Oranje and
the Johan van Oldebarneveldt, the Willem Ruys underwent an
extensive refit to prepare her for this new service. The Willem Ruys
made two charter trips to Montreal for the Europa-Canada line.
Before she
entered the New Zealand route, she had been rebuilt by Wilton-Fijenoord to fit
in the round the world service.
Her original four class distinctions became First and Tourist. The addition of
100 new cabins increased her berths to 1167. The Javanese crew members were
replaced by Europeans, who required upgraded crew accommodation.
The liner
received full air-conditioning, Denny Brown stabilisers; a new evaporator
plant; and new auxiliary engines as well as having her public rooms
refurbished, and some deck areas increased in size. Even her funnels received a
lift of ten feet.
1964:
This new
service was not a success and lasted only five years, the Willem Ruys
and Oranje were sold to Achille Lauro,
owner of
Flotta Lauro of Naples.
1965:
She was
officially handed over and renamed Achille Lauro after the managing
director of the Lauro Line.
Work began
to rebuild and modernise the liner by Cantieri Navali Riuniti di Palermo,
unfortunately the vessel suffered an explosion and a resulting fire on August
29.
1966:
Entered
service again, hauling immigrants,the most obvious changes made to her were the
heightening of the two funnels, and the repainting of the hull into blue. The
gross tonnage had been increased to 23,629, and the first voyage went to
Wellington from Genoa via Sydney.
The route
was from North Europe (Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Southampton)-Genoa-Sydney-Wellington,
which operated until 1972.
1972:
The bridge
and accomodation of the ship were badly damaged by fire during an overhaul at
Genoa.
It took
five months before Achille Lauro could enter service again, the Achille
Lauro became a fulltime cruise ship.
1975:
She
accidentally rammed the small Lebanese live-stock carrier Youssef in the
Dardanelles, which was sunk.
The
accident resulted in one human casualty.
1981:
The ship
suffered another fire, a fire occurred in a bar and three passengers were
killed during the evacuation.
The blaze
did not send the ship to the scrappers, however, but she was put into service
again later.
1982:
The Lauro
lines declared bankruptcy in 1982. The Achille Lauro, about to set off
on a long cruise to Africa, was
arrested in
Tenerife in 1982. She laid up there for a year, until the Italian Government
arranged to have her brought back to Genoa.
1985:
After a
further year's lay-up, a joint charter arrangement for Mediterranean cruises
was made between Lauro and Chandris. The Achille Lauro was reactivated
and began cruising in the Mediterranean but, on 7th October 1985, she was
hi-jacked by a PLO splinter group with the loss of one life of an American
passenger, they killed the disabled American tourist Leon Klinghoffer, and
threw him and his wheelchair overboard.
1987:
The ship
continued to operate for Flotta Lauro until 1987, when it was bought by the
Swiss-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, who rebranded the company as
Starlauro Cruises, the Achille Lauro took on the Swiss flag.
1994:
The Achille Lauro served Starlauro until 30
November 1994, when she caught fire on a Genoa-South Africa cruise, in the seas off Somalia.
The ship was abandoned, all 1,090 passengers and crew
had to be taken off. Of them, three people were killed in the blaze before they
could be rescued.
The fire lasted for three days and the ship became a
total loss, she sank two days later on 2 december 1994.
Technical specifications:
Willem
Ruys (1947) Achille
Lauro (1966)
Owner: N.V. Kon. Rotterdamsche
Lloyd Flotta Lauro,
Napoli (1987, Starlauro, Napoli)
Flag: the Netherlands Italy
(re-) building yard: Kon. Mij. De Schelde, Vlissingen Cantini Riuniti, Palermo
Yard no.: 214
Keel laid: 25 januari 1939
Launching: 1 july 1946 (planned spring
1941)
Delivered: 21 november 1947 (planned
spring 1942) 1965
Maiden
trip: 2 december 1947 1966
Costs 15 mio. dutch
guilders 33
mio. Dutch guilders
Length
overall 192,38 m. 195,97
m.
Length
b.p.p. 184,10 m. 176,56
m.
Beam: 24,99 m. 25,05
m.
Gross tonnage: 21.119 ton (1959, 23.114 ton) 23.629ton (1972: 23.862 ton)
Engines: 8 Schelde-Sulzer 2tew 8
cil. diesel engines 8 Schelde-Sulzer
2tew 8 cyl. diesel engines
Engine power: 32.000 hp. 32.000
hp.
Propellors: two 3-blade propellers. two 3-blade propellers
Service
speed: 22 knots 22
knots
Max. speed: 26 knots 24,6 knots
Passengers: 840 passengers (1959: 1045
passengers): 1307 passengers (1972:
1097 passengers) :
- 344 1st class (1959:
275 1st class) -
152 1st class
- 301 2nd
class (1959: 770 tourist class) -
1155 tourist class (1972: 1097 cruise class)
- 109 3rd
class
- 86 4th
class
Crew: 425 people.
Keel laid N.V. Koninklijke Maatschappij "De Schelde", Vlissingen, building no. 214, photo K.M.S.
Progession at building yard in september 1939,
photo K.M.S./K.R.L.
Situation after liberation of Vlissingen by
Allied Forces in November 1944, photo Imperial War Museum.
Launching of the Willem Ruys on 1 july 1946,
photo K.M.S.
The Willem Ruys almost completed, photo K.M.S.
The Willem Ruys passing the locks in Vlissingen
for completion and delivering in Rotterdam, photo C. Schreurs.
The Willem Ruys shortly for her maidentrip in Rotterdam, photo K.R.L.
The Willem Ruys in full livery, photo K.R.L.
The Willem Ruys arriving 24 december 1947 in
Tandjong Priok on her maiden trip, photo Archief Spaarnestad.
One of the decks of the Willem Ruys, photo
K.R.L.
Conversation room with stairs to veranda, photo
K.R..L.
Smoke salon first class, photo K.R.L.
Passenger cabin first class, photo K.R.L.
Operating panel engine room, photo K.R.L.
Willem Ruys as Achille Lauro for Flotta Lauro,
postcard Flotta Lauro
Achille Lauro for Flotta Lauro, postcard Flotta
Lauro
Achille Lauro for Starlauro after the sell of
Flotta Lauro to M.S.C. in 1987, postcard Starlauro
Starlauro’s
cruising program of the Achille Lauro for 1992, photo Starlauro.
The hull on fire just before sinkin on 2
december 1994 for the coast of Somalia, photo Dufka/Reuter.