MS Achille Lauro was a cruise ship based in Naples, Italy. Built between 1939 and 1947 as MS Willem Ruys, a passenger liner for the Rotterdamsche Lloyd, it was hijacked by members of the Palestine Liberation Front in 1985.Mrs B SmythA framed oil painting of the passenger ship Achille LauroAchille Lauropassenger ship, achille lauro, oil painting, dacre smyth

She was among many Allied merchant ships who escaped to Britain rather than be interned in occupied countries in World War II. Together with Holland America Line's Nieuw Amsterdam she served in the Allied cause. She was then chartered to the British Ministry of War Transport and put into service. Under the terms of the charter the flag and crew would remain Dutch. Volendam was assigned to the Children's Overseas Reception Board, a British Government scheme introduced in 1940 to evacuate UK school children overseas. She sailed from Liverpool on Thursday 29 August 1940 as one of 33 ships in Convoy OB 205. On 30 August 1940 whilst several hundred miles off Malin Head, Northern Ireland and heading into the Atlantic, she was attacked about 2300 hrs by the German submarine U-60, firing two torpedoes that hit No. 1 hold and damaged and caused flooding in No. 2 hold. Captain Wepster then gave the order to abandon ship, and despite rough seas all 18 lifeboats got away safely.In 1947 she was used in the Australia emigrant service and in June 1948 made her first Rotterdam – Quebec sailing for the Netherlands government with capacity for 1,500 single class passengers. On Tuesday October 17, 1950 she departed Rotterdam for Sydney, arriving 6-weeks and 1 day later at her destination on Wednesday November 29, 1950. She brought with her a ship-load of (mainly Dutch) immigrants, all eager to forge new lives in Australia. In September 1948 she started her first Rotterdam – New York sailing and commenced her last voyage on this route in February 1951.A framed oil painting of the MV Volenda,Volendammv volendam, migrant ships, troop ships, u boat attack