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Angelina Lauro
Lauro Lines

  • Length: 197,1 m

  • Beam: 25,15 m

  • GRT: 24,377 t

  • Built: 1939 Nederlandse Scheepsbouw Maatschappij, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

  • Operator: Lauro Lines, Naples

  • Speed: 21 kn

  • Passengers: 1,600

  • Former name: Oranje 1939-1964

  • Registry: Italy

  • Homeport: Naples

She was built for the Nederland Line for Amsterdam - East Indies service. She was laid up 1939-41 and in 1941 was converted into a hospital ship for the Australian Navy. In 1964 she was sold to Lauro Lines and rebuilt the same year in Genoa, Italy with new funnel and enlarged superstructure. She was chartered to Costa Line in 1977-79 and marketed as Angelina.

On 03-30-1979 she caught fire at St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and took a list of 25 degrees because of the water being pumped into her. She was sold for scrap to Kaohsiung, Taiwan after the fire had been extinguished, but never made it there as during the towage on 09-24-1979 she took a list, rolled over and sank rapidly in the mid Atlantic.

1966

Former Oranje, rebuilt for Flotta Lauro Line by Cant. del Tirreno, of Genoa.
1966

March 6.  Maiden voyage from Bremerhaven via Suez Canal, arriving Melbourne on 2 April 1966
1967 

Commenced voyages outbound around Cape Town.
1969

 Commenced return voyages via Cape Horn calling at several South American Ports.
1971

Started regular round world voyages via Panama Canal.
1972

Decision made to withdraw from Australia, leaving Melbourne for the last time on 14 May'72
1972

Refitted for full time cruising for Lauro Line, but managed by Costa line of Italy.
1977

Chartered for 3 years to Costa. Marketed as Angelina with funnel painted in Costa colours.
1979

30 March.  Fire broke out in galley while docked at St.Thomas, rapidly engulfing the whole ship. The weight of the water caused her to sit on the bottom with a 25 degree list.
1979

6 July.  Refloated and sold to Taiwanese breakers.
1979

24 September. While under tow in the mid Atlantic, her list increased, rolling on her side and sank.

Angelina Lauro was completed in 1939 as the Oranje, of Nederland Line. She left on her maiden voyage to Batavia on September 4th, after a cruise from Amsterdam-Madeira. She remained in Sourabaya following the outbreak of World War 2, later transferring to Australia where she was converted to a hospital ship for the Royal Australian Navy, though remaining under the Dutch flag. Oranje re-entered Amsterdam-Batavia service in 1946. In 1950 she began a Round-the-World service via Panama, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Suez.

In 1964 she was sold to Achille Lauro, who renamed her Angelina Lauro. As with fellow Dutch liner Willem Ruys/Achille Lauro, conversion was seriously delayed by a fire. Angelina Lauro finally re-entered service from Europe to Australia and New Zealand in 1966.

In 1972 she became a fulltime cruise ship. In 1978 Angelina Lauro was chartered to Costa. She was destroyed by a galley fire during a Caribbean cruise in March 1979. Whilst being towed to Kaohsiung for scrapping, she began taking on water and then sank in mid-Pacific on September 21st 1979.

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