The construction of the ship took over 10 years and it was launched in 1947 as the Willem Ruys, originally built for the Dutch it was used mostly to carry passengers and goods between the Netherlands and the East Indies. In the 1960’s its role changed carrying settlers to Australia from the Netherlands. In 1965 it was bought by the Italian Star Lauro company and added to its cruise ship operation.

In 1971 its name was changed to the Achille Lauro, it first hit the headlines when it rammed an Italian fishing boat and killed one of the crew on the much smaller vessel. In 1981 a fire on board killed two people. It again was in the world news in 1985 when hijacked by Palestinian terrorists, during that incident one American passenger was shot and killed.

During a cruise in late November 1994 with 1,000 passengers on board and close to the Horn of Africa a fire broke out on the Achille Lauro. The ship listed to one side and the lifeboats were launched. A tug was sent out to tow the ship to shore and as the remaining crew  were attempting to connect a line to the rescue ship a huge explosion rocked the cruise ship. Two of those still on board were killed. The Achille Lauro quickly sank to the bottom of the sea.

The passengers and remainder of the crew were watching from the safety of the lifeboats  and were picked up safely by rescue boats. The cruise ship had two sister vessels, the ‘Lakonia’ and the ‘Angelina Lauro,’ both ships were also victims of on board fires.