Achille and Angelina Lauro

Is there anybody here who had the chance to sail on the Achille Lauro or Angelina Lauro way back when MSC was still Star Lauro/Flotta Lauro? I know both of these ships were gone by the time that the company became MSC, but does anybody have memories of sailing these ships?

Is there anybody here who had the chance to sail on the Achille Lauro or Angelina Lauro way back when MSC was still Star Lauro/Flotta Lauro? I know both of these ships were gone by the time that the company became MSC, but does anybody have memories of sailing these ships?

I was on the Angelina Lauro in the mid 1970's...7 day carib cruise out of Ft Laud..the Italian Officers & crew were top notch......it was an older ship then & rode through a severe storm quite well.....

wonderful ship!!!

Is there anybody here who had the chance to sail on the Achille Lauro or Angelina Lauro way back when MSC was still Star Lauro/Flotta Lauro? I know both of these ships were gone by the time that the company became MSC, but does anybody have memories of sailing these ships?

Wasn't the Achille Lauro a Chandris Ship? These ships were staffed by Greek Officers and Crew.

The first thing i remember when i hear the name of this ship is Leon Klinghoffer.. Poor man.. I was a kid when that happened and i still remember it being on the news.. it was so frightening..

Number9,

Achille Lauro was owned by Flotta Lauro/Lauor Lines. When the company hit financial problems in 1982, Achille Lauro was detained in Tenerife for a year. With the help of the Italian government, she was brought back to Genoa and remained layed up for another year. That's when Lauro entered a joint charter agreement with Chandris for Med cruises. After the 1985 hijacking, Chandris pulled out of the agreement.

Eventually, MSC bought Lauro Lines in 1987 and rebranded the company as Starlauro Cruises.

In 1994 Achille Lauro caught fire and sank two days later. The next year Starlauro Cruises was rebranded and became what we know as MSC Cruises. Although, MSC's current MSC Rhapsody is the only Starlauro ship still in the fleet.

My family were devotees of the Italian Line and sailed with them for many years in the 1960's & 1970's. We were booked on the Raffaello in 1975 when Italian Line abruptly closed down their passenger service. My dad booked us on a 7-day Caribbean cruise on the Angelina Lauro sailing from San Juan in the summer of 1975. The ship's funnel was painted in Costa colors, but was mostly staffed by Lauro Line crew. There was considerable animosity onboard between the "Costa" staff and the "Lauro" staff.

I remember the ship's very pronounced tumblehome. It was quite unique and the gangway had huge nets beneath it to span the huge airspace between the pier and the hull opening to the ship's lobby. The swimming pool's shape exaggerated the ship's movement. It was "surf up" the entire cruise. The water continuously sloshed out, even in light seas.

My brother & I were delegated to an inside room, way beneath the waterline, with bunk beds. At least we had our own toilet and shower. My parents were in what I guess was one of the former first-class rooms with lots of wood paneling and a big bathroom with a huge bathtub.

Don't remember too much (it was 33 years ago.....), but I know that we changed our cruising allegiance to Home Lines after that one and only Lauro/Costa experience.

ryndam,

Doesn't sound to fun!

The Costa years were overall pretty popular/profitable for the ship...up until the fire. But from what I've heard and read the Lauro and Oranje times of the ship's life had a more loyal passenger base.

I believe the original name of the Achille Lauro was the MS. Willem Ruys from Holland.

Yes, you're correct.

Achille Lauro was origionally the MS Willen Ruys owned by Royal Rotterdam Lloyd and the Angelina Lauro was origionally the MS Oranje, also from Holland, and owned by Netherland Line. Unlike the Achille Lauro, which was simply refurbished, the Angelina Lauro was completely rebuilt and looked nothing like her origional design.

Heres a great history of the ship (With great pictures)... http://www.ssmaritime.com/oranje.htm

Didn't Angelina Lauro catch fire and sink in St. Thomas harbour?

I thought she did.

I just checked the great pictures on the http://www.ssmaritime.com/oranjefire.htm pages.

The first thing i remember when i hear the name of this ship is Leon Klinghoffer.. Poor man.. I was a kid when that happened and i still remember it being on the news.. it was so frightening..

We must be around the same age. Who would think a bunch of crazies would take a ship

Is there anybody here who had the chance to sail on the Achille Lauro or Angelina Lauro way back when MSC was still Star Lauro/Flotta Lauro? I know both of these ships were gone by the time that the company became MSC, but does anybody have memories of sailing these ships?

I sure do. In 1972? I sailed on the Angelina Lauro from Sydney, Australia to Durban, South Africa. I shared the cabin with 3 strangers (at least we had a bath this trip, compared to my first cruise on P&O's Arcadia). One of my room-mates is still a friend today.

We hit a terrible storm crossing the Indian Ocean and even the crew were sick- all over the ship!

I had only planned to spend 3 months in S Africa and continue on a later sailing to England. Surprise! Surprise! Two weeks before the ship was to sail I received a letter saying that due to the "current political situation" in South Africa they were discontinuing their South African services. They left me stranded!

I stayed in Africa for 3 years and would not have missed that time for anything.

I also sailed on Angelina Lauro from Sydney to Freemantle in 1971 (?).

I was in a six berth cabin, with 5 strangers.

After priceless memories of sailing atw, the cruise was such a disappointment.

Most people on board were sick everywhere, crossing the Great Australian Bight, and nothing opened in Australian waters, until the ship left Freemantle.

It is a wonder that the experience didn't put me off cruising for ever, however it was a long time between cruises!

Fortunately, my trip to Perth was saved by an unforgettable journey home, across the Nullabor Plains, on the Indian Pacific train.

I also sailed on Angelina Lauro from Sydney to Freemantle in 1971 (?).

 

Most people on board were sick everywhere, crossing the Great Australian Bight, and nothing opened in Australian waters, until the ship left Freemantle.

 

It is a wonder that the experience didn't put me off cruising for ever, however it was a long time between cruises!

 

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I would never cruise on another Italian line after that experience. The Italian families had their children running around the dance floor all night.

The kids would bump into the dancers and the waiters carrying drinks.

I certainly don't dislike children, but these kids were totally out of control and their parents just smiled indulgently at them.

In spite of the storm and uncontrolled children, I made a lot of new friends on that ship. But I will always remember the waves washing over the top deck and wild lurching of the ship while one comic in our group sang "Nearer my God to Thee." :)

I was on a cruise in Bermuda when the hijacking of the Achille Lauro took place. We received a news report under our cabin door each morning and were shocked when we read the story. Obviously, the ship we were on beefed up security. One evening I went off the ship without my Boarding Pass. I was in a hurry to see the Color Guard at St. George's Wharf. When I returned to the ship, I realized that I forgot to take my Boarding Pass when I changed purses. Before I was allowed to re-board, I was questioned by the staff. I thanked them as they allowed me to board. I was happy that they took these steps to ensure our safety. After that, I always made sure I had my Boarding Pass with me.

I cruised from Sydney to Auckland, via Milford Sounds, Christchurch, Wellington and White Island. I believe AL was the first to visit, all because a young boy who was fascinated by Volcanos asked Captain Da Rosa how close we would go to it.

The ship was old and threadbare, comfortable and homely and sea-kindly. Officers were Italian, crew Italian and multi-national. Food excellent. Ship had tumblehome sides, true ramp and sheer, really fascinating to travel in a ship essentially designed before World war two. I really enjoyed it.:)

Did fourteen nights on ACHILLE LAURO in October of 1994 from Genoa to Egypt and the Med. One of the best, if not the very best cruise I've taken in some 150 cruises. Lovely, aging liner with more character than anything afloat today. Great, dedicated staff on board who knew how to deal with multiple languages and cultures and even the food was brilliant (so long as you stuck with the Italian offerings). Our waiter was on board during the hijacking and told us quite a few colorful tales. We were in tears when the news of her fire and subsequent sinking flashed on the tube a few weeks later.

Peter Knego

There was a second Angelina Lauro that sailed for StarLauro in 1989-1991

She was the charted greek cruise ship Arcadia.

Modelman, that is a great photo of the ex VICENTE PUCHOL, a poor stand-in for the ex ORANJE/ANGELINA but a pleasant little ship, nonetheless. Thanks for sharing it.

Peter

http://www.midshipcentury.com

As a youth, the Angelina Lauro was our first cruise. We went to Cap Hatian in Haiti, San Juan, St. Thomas and the Bahamas.

The aspects I remember most were the Italian Crew and the swimming pool. The pride the Italians showed in the dining room was the best you could ever imagine.

The swimming pool was absolutely wild. The rocking motion of the pool would slosh you from one end to the other. My brother and I had more fun getting washed out of the end of the pool and on to the deck.

I also remember the skeet shooting off the back of the ship and hitting golf balls off the side.

Those pictures of the fire are amazing.

Really fun memories!

The swimming pool was absolutely wild. The rocking motion of the pool would slosh you from one end to the other. My brother and I had more fun getting washed out of the end of the pool and on to the deck.

 

In those days you knew you were on a ship. The tables, dressers, beds, all had railings so things wouldn't fall off. Today ships are so smooth you seldom know you are on water. I miss the jelly legs when you tried to adjust to being on land again.

When I think of the rocking and movement on the Angelina Lauro versus todays ships, it is night and day. I often laugh at the threads about concerns about motion sickness on today's ships.

I pulled a photo from our cruise on the Angelina Laura and you are absolutely right about the little railings on all of the tables. I have a picture of us at a cocktail party and all of the tables and the bar have them to keep the glasses from rolling off the tables.

Oh the good old days!!!

I hope you don't mind me resurrecting this thread for a trip down memory lane. I sailed on the Achille Lauro in 1971 from Melbourne, Australia to Southampton, England. I believe that the journey took 8 weeks.

The thing I loved about the Achille Lauro, sailing on it as a child, was that it was a proper ocean liner. It wasn't a cruise ship, it was dedicated to getting from one place to another and definitely felt like a ship with a purpose.

Our first port was Sydney and that was very exciting. We moored up near Sydney Harbour Bridge. Because it was still the days of assisted passage to Australia, there were plenty of other ships in port that day. We were in dock alongside the Angelena Lauro and the Canberra.

We had another day or so at sea before arriving in Wellington, New Zealand, then there was a long crossing to Punta Arenas and the Magellan Straits. Now that's what I called a storm! It was sufficiently bad to close the dining room and send everyone to their cabins. One time the big metal doors between the sections of the ship closed on my hand as I was walking between the two sections and I had to have a very black fingernail removed - ouch!

We had an inside cabin, second class, but my childhood memories were of doing everything that I could to find ways to explore the ship. I really wanted to get into the hold, but they told me that was sealed once the ship was sailing. Now I have no way of knowing whether that was true or a grown up lie, but I did manage to sneak into the cabin bag storage and have a good look around. I also swear that I saw a car loaded into the hold for our crossing.

It seemed to take forever to get to Chile. I've crossed the Atlantic since and its nothing compared to the total remoteness of the Pacific. We couldn't wait to get off when we reached Punta Arenas. Its funny, I've been looking at some pics from people who have recently sailed on NCL and the place still looks the same now as I remember it.

My parents did try and get me to go to school on ship, but failed as I'd much rather explore the ship, swim and have fun.

On one day of the cruise I remember overhearing that a passenger had fallen overboard and the ship was going back to see if they could find them. They didn't. I have no idea if that was what was going on or just a rumour though. My parents said that a woman had been sitting on the railings and fallen over backwards into the ocean.

After Chile and the Magellan Straits (which were truly amazing) we docked in Buenos Aires which was beautiful. A few days later we were in Rio, again magnificent.

We then crossed the Equator and the Achille Lauro had a ceremony on deck. This was part of the induction ceremony for those that had never crossed the equator before. We were also given certificates to celebrate the fact, and sea names too.

Another long stint on ship to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. I remember eating well in the dining room. Every night there was soup on the menu and every night one of the soups was consomme. I'd never tried it before and I swear I ate it every day for 8 weeks. I've never eaten it since!

Our cabin had four berths - us two kids slept in the top bunks with the rails around so my parents could play cards in the dark with a little nightlight while we slept. I can't remember if we even had a bathroom in the cabin. It wasn't the balcony stateroom I'm used to now by any stretch of the imagination. However I was hugely fond of the Achille Lauro and very saddened by what befell her later. No matter how much I have cruised since or whatever degree of luxury I've been lucky to experience, I will always have special memories of this ship.

Our first port was Sydney and that was very exciting. We moored up near Sydney Harbour Bridge. Because it was still the days of assisted passage to Australia, there were plenty of other ships in port that day. We were in dock alongside the Angelena Lauro and the Canberra.

Sally, thank you for sharing your wonderful memories with us. What a great trip you had! Eight glorious weeks!

I sailed from Sydney, Australia to Durban, South Africa on the Angelina Lauro in April, 1971. Perhaps you were in the ship next to us in the beautiful Sydney harbour.

We had a cabin for for 4 (I was billeted with 3 strangers) and to my delight we did have our own bathroom so I expect you did as well, considering that I had the cheapest possible cabin on the ship.