| |
N0KFQ > TODAY 30.11.14 16:28l 44 Lines 1750 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 41180_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Nov 30
Path: IZ3LSV<IW0QNL<JH4XSY<JE7YGF<N9PMO<KQ0I<N0KFQ
Sent: 141130/1522Z 41180@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.62
Nov 30, 1994:
Achille Lauro sinks near Somalia
The Achille Lauro cruise ship catches fire and sinks to the
bottom of the sea near Somalia on this day in 1994. The large
luxury liner had a checkered history that included deaths and
terrorism prior to its sinking.
The construction of the Willem Ruys by the Royal Rotterdam Lloyd
Line took more than 10 years. The completed ship, which weighed
in at 24,000 gross tons and was launched in 1947, was used to
carry passengers and cargo back and forth from the Netherlands to
the East Indies. In the 1960s, it was primarily used to carry
immigrants to Australia. In 1965, the StarLauro company bought
the ship to add it to its cruise line.
In 1971, the ship, re-named Achille Lauro, rammed an Italian
fishing boat in the Mediterranean Sea, killing one person. Ten
years later, a fire on board the ship killed two people. The most
infamous incident in the history of the Achille Lauro, though,
occurred in 1985, when it was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists
who shot and killed an American passenger, Leon Klinghoffer.
In 1994, the Achille Lauro was carrying 1,000 passengers near the
Horn of Africa when a fire broke out on board. The lifeboats were
launched as the fire caused the huge ship to list to the port
side. A tug boat was sent to bring it back to shore, but as the
tug was trying to connect to the ship, there was a huge
explosion. Two people died and the Achille Lauro sank to the
bottom of the ocean.
The survivors in the lifeboats were picked up by the USS
Gettysburg. The Achille Lauro's two sister ships, the Lakonia and
the Angelina Lauro, also fell victim to on-board fires.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
Using Outpost Ver 2.8.0 c42
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
