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 – MS Prinsendam fire and sinking 4 October 1980 (Video)

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The cruise ship Prinsendam was built in 1973 for Holland America Line. It was somewhat smaller than average size for its day, carrying about 350 passengers and 200 crew. Just after midnight on 4 October 1980, a fire broke out in the engineroom as the ship was transiting the Gulf of Alaska. Shortly thereafter, the master sent…

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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 – EL FARO sinking and the loss of 33 people on 1 Oct 2015 (video)

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) EL FARO was a United States-flagged, combination roll-on/roll-off and lift-on/lift-off cargo ship crewed by U.S. merchant mariners. She was lost at sea with all hands on October 1, 2015, after losing propulsion near the eyewall of Hurricane Joaquin. El Faro departed Jacksonville, Florida, bound for Puerto Rico at 8:10 pm EST on September 29, 2015, when then-Tropical Storm Joaquin was several hundred miles to the east. Two days…

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Flashback in maritime history – World’s first submarine attack 6 Sept. 1776

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) On the 7th Sept. 1776, during the Revolutionary War, the American submersible craft Turtle attempts to attach a time bomb to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe’s flagship Eagle in New York Harbor. It was the first use of a submarine in warfare. Submarines were first built by Dutch inventor Cornelius van Drebel in the early 17th century, but it…

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