Flashback in maritime history – Sinking of ferry George Prince, with 76 lives lost 20 October 1976

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) On 20 October 1976, the ferry George Prince sank in the Mississippi River near Luling, Louisiana following a collision with the tankship Frosta. Of the 94 persons on the ferry, 76 died, including the pilot. The USCG investigation states that the ferry departed its moorings at Luling for a routine nighttime crossing to Destrehan on the west bank. Unusually, it sounded…

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Flashback in maritime history – Hijacking of Achille Lauro 7 October 1985 (video)

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) On 7 October 1985, four members of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro when it was in the Mediterranean Sea en route from Alexandria, Egypt to Port Said. The Achille Lauro left Genoa, Italy, on October 3 for a 12-day cruise of the Mediterranean Sea. Aboard were 748 passengers and several…

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Flashback in maritime history – Toya Maru Japanese ferry sinking, resulting in 1500 deaths, 26 Sept. 1954

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The Tōya Maru was a Japanese train ferry constructed by the Japanese National Railways which sank during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese islands of Hokkaidō and Honshūon September 26, 1954. The Japanese National Railways announced in September 1955 that 1,153 people aboard were killed in the accident. However, the exact number of fatalities remains…

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Flashback in maritime history: Le Joola, Senegalese ferry capsized with death toll of nearly 2000, 26 Sept. 2002 (video)

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The Senegalese government-owned ferry capsized off the coast of The Gambia on September 26, 2002, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,863 people. The sinking of the ferry Le Joola is thought to be the second-worst non-military maritime disaster in number of lives lost, after the Doña Paz. The ferry was reportedly loaded to overcapacity,…

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Flashback in maritime history – Fire on SS Morro Castle on 8 September 1934 (video)

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The passenger/cargo ship SS Morro Castle caught fire and burned on 8 September 1934, while on a voyage from Havana, Cuba to New York. The origin of the fire was never conclusively determined. The master had died in his sleep the previous night of an apparent heart attack. The fire was detected in the First Class Writing…

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