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Achille Lauro
Career
Name:	Willem Ruys (1947-1964) Achille Lauro (1965-1994)
Operator:	Royal Rotterdam Lloyd (1947-1964) Flotta Lauro Lines (1965-1986) StarLauro (1987-1994)
Ordered:	1938
Laid down:	1939
Launched:	1946 (Delayed due to WWII)
Completed:	1947
Maiden voyage:	December 2, 1947
Out of service:	November 30, 1994
Fate:	Sank on December 2, 1994 off the coast of Somalia due to fire.
General characteristics
Tonnage:	21,119 GRT as built 23,629 GRT after refurbishment
Length:	630ft. (192m.)
Beam:	82ft. (25m.)
Draught:	29.2ft. (8.9m)
Capacity:	900 passengers
Crew:	400

The Willem Ruys

The Achille Lauro, originally the Willem Ruys, was a passenger liner. It is most remembered for its 1985 hijacking. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Image File history File links Willem-ruys. ... Image File history File links Willem-ruys. ... A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. ... This article is about the year. ... Hijacking or highjacking is the forcible robbery from, or seizure of, a vehicle in transit. ...

Concept and construction

Ordered in 1938, its keel was laid in 1939 at Vlissingen, Netherlands, for Rotterdamsche Lloyd. Interrupted by World War II and two bombing raids, the ship was not launched until July 1946 as the Willem Ruys. Completed in late 1947, its first voyage took place on December 2, 1947. It was 192 metres (630 ft) in length, 25 metres (82 ft) in beam, had a draught of 8.9 metres (29.2 ft), and measured 21,119 gross register tons. Eight Sulzer engines drove driving two propellers. It could accommodate 900 passengers. Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Keel (disambiguation). ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flushing (Dutch Vlissingen) is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... For other uses, see Bomb (disambiguation). ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo capacity of a ship. ... Sulzer Ltd. ... For other uses, see Propeller (disambiguation). ...

Service history

As the Willem Ruys

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

As the Achille Lauro

In 1964, it was sold to the Flotta Lauro Line, or Star Lauro, (Now MSC Cruises) and renamed the Achille Lauro (after the former mayor of Naples, Achille Lauro). The same year, Star Lauro also acquired the Achille Lauro's sister ship, Angelina Lauro. Extensively rebuilt and modernized, Achille Lauro entered service in 1966. The Achille Lauro played a role in evacuating the families of British servicemen caught up in the Six Day War, arriving in Cairo on June 1 1967. The Achille Lauro was destroyed by fire on November 30, 1994, and sank as a result of the fire three days later on December 2 [1]. Another ship, the Angelina Lauro, which used to operate for the Lauro lines, was also destroyed by fire and sank in 1979. Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... MSC Cruises is a division of Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC). ... Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ... Angelina Lauro, formerly known as , was a passenger liner and later cruise ship that was lost when it sank in Taiwan, on September 24, 1979. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Angelina Lauro, formerly known as , was a passenger liner and later cruise ship that was lost when it sank in Taiwan, on September 24, 1979. ...

1985 hijacking

On October 7, 1985, four men representing the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) took control of the liner off Egypt as it was sailing from Alexandria to Port Said within Egypt. is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) (جبهة التحرير الفلسطينية) is a militant Palestinian group which is designated by the United States and European Union [1] as a terrorist organization. ... This article is about the city in Egypt. ... Port Said (postcard around 1915) Port Said (31. ...

The hijackers had been surprised by a crew member and acted prematurely. 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 executed one wheelchair-bound passenger – an American named Leon Klinghoffer – because he was Jewish, and threw his body overboard. ^[1]The ship headed back towards Port Said, and after two days of negotiations the hijackers agreed to abandon the liner for safe conduct and were flown towards Tunisia aboard an Egyptian commercial airliner. CREW (acronym) may refer to: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington Concurrent Read Exclusive Write, access model for Parallel Random Access Machine Coherent Radiation Emission Weapon, see Directed-energy weapon, Coined by Iain M Banks Categories: ... Tartous (Arabic: طرطوس, also transliterated Tartus) is Syrias second largest port city after Latakia, and capital of Tartous governorate. ... The Palestinian flag, adopted in 1948, is a widely recognized modern symbol of the Palestinian people. ... Wheelchair seating in a theater. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Leon Klinghoffer (September 24, 1916 – October 8, 1985) was a retired appliance manufacturer from New York who was disabled (from a stroke) and used a wheelchair for mobility. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ...

The plane was intercepted by U.S. fighters from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Saratoga on October 10 and directed to land at Naval Air Station Sigonella, a N.A.T.O. base in Sicily, where the hijackers were arrested by the Italians^[2] after a disagreement between U.S. and Italian authorities. The other passengers on the plane (possibly including the hijackers' leader, Abu Abbas) were allowed to continue on to their destination, despite protests by the U.S. Egypt demanded an apology from the U.S. for forcing the airplane off course. USS Saratoga (CV-60), formerly CVB-60 and CVA-60, is the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the American Revolutionary War Battle of Saratoga, was a Forrestal-class supercarrier. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Naval Air Station Sigonella, the Hub of the Med, is a U.S. Navy installation at an Italian Air Force base in Sicily, Italy. ... This article is about the military alliance. ... Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Muhammad Zaidan (also known as Abu Abbas and Muhammad Abbas) (December 10, 1948 – March 8, 2004) was a Palestinian terrorist. ...

Disagreement between Italy and U.S.

The Italian prime minister Bettino Craxi claimed Italian territorial rights over the NATO base and Italian Air Force and Carabinieri lined up facing the American Navy SEALs which had arrived with two C-141's. Other Carabinieri were sent from Catania to reinforce the Italians. It was the gravest diplomatic crisis between Italy and United States and was resolved five hours later. Benedetto (Bettino) Craxi (February 24, 1934 – January 19, 2000) was an Italian politician, head of the Italian Socialist Party from 1976 to 1993, the first socialist President of the Council of Ministers of Italy from 1983 to 1987. ... The Aeronautica Militare Italiana is the Italian air force. ... The Carabinieri are the military police of Italy. ... SEALs in from the water. ... The Roman Odeon. ...

Hijackers

The fate of those convicted of the hijacking is varied:

• Bassam al-Asker was granted parole in 1991. He died on February 21, 2004.
• Ahmad Marrouf al-Assadi disappeared in 1991 while on parole.
• Youssef al Molqi was sentenced to 30 years, left the Rebibbia prison in Rome on February 16, 1996, on a 12 day furlough, and fled to Spain, where he was recaptured and extradited back to Italy.
• Abu Abbas left the jurisdiction of Italy and was convicted in absentia. In 1996, he made an apology for the hijacking and murder, and spoke out in favor of peace talks between Palestinians and Israel; the apology was rejected by the U.S. government and Klinghoffer's family, who insisted he be brought to justice. Abbas was captured in Iraq in 2003 by the U.S. military during its 2003 invasion of Iraq. He died in U.S. custody March 8, 2004.

The PLO was sued for its role in the death of Leon Klinghoffer. The $1.5 billion suit was dropped when the PLO paid an undisclosed sum to Klinghoffer's daughters.^[3]. The family founded the Leon and Marilyn Klinghoffer Memorial Foundation in cooperation with the Anti-Defamation League, which works to combat terrorism through legal, political and educational means.^[4] It has been suggested that Medical parole be merged into this article or section. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Medical parole be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Look up Furlough in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A furlough (IPA: ) is temporary leave of absence, especially from duty in the armed services or from a prison term. ... Extradition is the official process by which one nation or state requests and obtains from another nation or state the surrender of a suspected or convicted criminal. ... Muhammad Zaidan (also known as Abu Abbas and Muhammad Abbas) (December 10, 1948 – March 8, 2004) was a Palestinian terrorist. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see In absentia (disambiguation). ... Gari Melchers, Mural of Peace, 1896. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Civil action redirects here. ... The Anti-Defamation League (or ADL) is an interest group founded in 1913 by Bnai Brith in the United States whose stated aim is to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people. ... Terrorist redirects here. ...

Later years

The ship continued in service; it was reflagged in 1987 when the Lauro Line became StarLauro. On November 30, 1994, it caught fire off the coast of Somalia. Abandoned, the vessel sank on December 2. is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Achille Lauro

• Abu Abbas
• Lauro Lines s.r.l. v. Chasser et al., the U.S. Supreme Court case in the aftermath of this incident
• List of hostage crises

Muhammad Zaidan (also known as Abu Abbas and Muhammad Abbas) (December 10, 1948 – March 8, 2004) was a Palestinian terrorist. ... Holding --- Court membership Case opinions Laws applied 28 U.S.C. 1291 Lauro Lines s. ... The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the acronym SCOTUS[1]) is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. ... This is a list of hostage crises by date. ...

References

External links

• ss Maritime History- Willem Ruys/Achille Lauro
• H2G2- Achille Lauro hijacking
• Special Operations website- Achille Lauro hijacking

Achille della Ragione - Achille Lauro superstar - Napoli 2003 MSC Cruises is a division of Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC). ... Background The MSC Armonia is a cruise ship that was built in 2001 for the now defunct Festival Cruises as the European Visions and is currently operated by MSC Italian Cruises. ... The MSC Musica is a cruise ship built in 2006 and currently operated by MSC Italian Cruises. ... Background The MSC Opera is a cruise ship that was built in 2004 and is currently operated by MSC Italian Cruises. ... Oranje in August 1941 shortly after her conversion to a hospital ship MS Oranje, later known as MS Angelina Lauro, was a passenger liner, a wartime hospital ship and finally a cruise ship that was lost while being towed for scrap. ...