The Walnut Room

Achille Lauro

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The Achille Lauro, formerly the Willem Ruys, was a passenger liner. It
is most remembered for its 1985 hijacking. Ordered in 1938, her 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,
she began her maiden voyage on December 2, 1947. She was 192 metres
(630 ft) in length, 25 metres (82 ft) in beam, and had a draught of
8.9 metres (29.2 ft) and measured 21,110 long tons (23,643 S/T/21,449
M/T). She could accommodate 900 passengers. She had 8 Sulzer engines,
driving 2 propellers. In 1964, she was sold to the 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
was destroyed by fire on November 30, 1994, and sank as a result of
the fire three days later on December 2 ¹. Oddly, the Angelina Lauro
was also eventually destroyed by fire.

“Blending players from different musical styles, the picture of
Achille Lauro is most definitely akin to the artist in the cave.
Initially born out of a couple Mossman brothers’ melodies, the band
solidified when the musicians came together and each player took it
upon themselves to hone new skills, adapt and prepare for a musical
landslide in their repertoire. And while they have landed on something
extraordinary and fluid, the amalgamation of the players wasn’t all
that easy. On account of the vast musical styles afforded in each of
the five musicians, each player was forced to retreat and exhibit
patience through some calculated individualism; because in the end it
was always about complimenting the other players and coming back into
the whole