Ghost ship: a 40 million pound cruise liner was left to rot near a paradise island (3 photos + 1 video)

Many tourists began flocking to the old sunken cruise liner that had run aground. The ship had an observation deck, a library, a lecture hall and a swimming pool.





The abandoned ship MS World Discoverer cost around £40 million in today's money and was built to withstand the harshest climates, including the scorching heat and bitter cold of the polar regions.

Many tourists have started flocking to an old sunken cruise ship that ran aground after hitting a reef off an island paradise.

The MS World Discoverer was left to rot after it was laid on its side in the shallow Pacific Ocean in the Solomon Islands. The ship, which cost £40 million in today's money, was built to withstand icebergs and break through the vast ice sheets of the polar regions. It featured an observation deck, a library, a lecture theatre, a swimming pool and sun deck, as well as a small fitness centre.



But the ship found its final resting place after its supposedly desperate captain failed to keep up his duties nearly 25 years ago. The German-built liner, built by Schichau Unterweser in 1973, was eventually sold to Adventurer Cruises and sailed the Great Lakes from Chicago in the U.S. to Montreal in Canada.

In 1980, the ship was registered in Liberia, where it underwent an expensive refurbishment. The new and improved liner set off on voyages to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, Chile and Argentina. From June to August of that year, the MS World Discoverer cruised to Alaska and the border. From March to May and August to October, the ship made two separate voyages to the South Pacific Islands.



It was April 30, 2000, when disaster struck. Captain Oliver Kruess sent out a distress signal after the ship struck a large, uncharted rock or reef in Sandfly Passage in the Solomon Islands. In a desperate attempt to keep the ship from sinking, Kruess intentionally ran the ship aground.

"It just crashed into the shore, breaking trees in the forest that stretches all the way to the shore. It was a very impressive sight. When we got to the shore, we saw a tree hanging off the bow of the ship," said British traveler David Wright, who was on board at the time.

Miracle-wise, everyone on board survived and was evacuated to safety. The ship is now a local landmark and a popular destination for dark tourists.