The Love Boat cruise ship took its final voyage before being stripped for scrap metal.
The MS Pacific, the cruise ship that was featured in the U.S. 1970s television show "The Love Boat," took its last trip to a ship-breaking yard on Turkey's Aegean Sea coast on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
The ship, which was called the Pacific Princess on the show, is 13,500 ton, 561-foot long vessel It will be stripped for its metal and parts in Turkey, Ersin Ceviker of the Ship Recyclers' Association of Turkey told Reuters. The 600-passenger ship was sitting at a dock in Genoa, Italy for many years. It last sailed for Spanish-based Quail Cruises after it was taken over from Princess Cruises in 2002.
"The Love Boat" television show ran on ABC from 1977 to 1986. The Pacific Princess was the boat, sailed by Gavin MacLeos as the ship's captain. The boat mainly sailed from California to the Mexican Riviera. The comedic show would tell the stories of the love affairs and humorous encounters between passengers and crew members on the boat. Cruise executives often give credit to the show for setting off a high interest in cruise trips. The ship had since lost its glory from it's television days.
"This ship has undergone several modifications over its lifespan. It had been decommissioned for five years, and renovation now would have been too costly," Ceviker said.
The Izmir Ship Recycling Co. bought the 42-year-old ship for $3.3 million. The ship departed from Genoa, Italy and sailed to the seaside town of Aliaga in Turkey. It had a rough trip as it ran into violent weather. At one point, the ship started taking on water and had to be helped by additional tugboats to finish the trip to Aliage.
While the original Pacific Princess will be taken apart, a new Pacific Princess, which joined the Princess fleet in 2002, will continue to sail.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
