Angelina Lauro
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Angelina Lauro was a cruise ship that was lost when it sank in Taiwan, on September 24, 1979.
[edit] History
Angelina Lauro began working in 1939, with the well known Nederland Cruise Lines. She served the company well for twenty five years, travelling across the world as a cruise ship. She was named Oranje, to honor the Netherlands national association football team.
The cruise and shipping industries were suffering from the growth that the airline industry, in particular, with the advent of aviation's jet era. As a consequence, more passengers and cargo were travelling by airplane and not by ships.
With all the aviation progress in mind, and the competition it represented to ship companies, Italian company Lauro Cruises bought the ship in 1964, renaming her Angelina Lauro. The first sign of trouble with the ship began before she entered service with her new company, however, as a fire broke out inside the ship. Nevertheless, the ship entered service soon, once again, serving as a cruise for thousands of tourists around the world.
On March 30, 1979, Angelina Lauro suffered a fire while in port at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. The fire developed at the crew galley, spreading to the dining room. All passengers were evacuated, while crew members and port firefighters battled the blaze. It took four days to take the fire out, during which in-land firefighters joined the battle. No-one was killed, but Lauro Cruises decided to sell the ship, and by July of that year, she was on her way to Asia.
On September 24, 1979, Angelina Lauro was being towed, probably for repairs, when she suddenly fell back into the sea. No one was injured, but the ship was deemed unseaworthy and she was never put to work again.
[edit] Capability
During her heyday, Angelina Lauro could carry up to 949 passengers, which, combined with crew members and cruise workers, would add up to about 1,000 persons per trip.
