Michelangelo – Passenger Liner/Cruise Ship
45911 grt / 1965 blt / Italy / 5234113
At Tilbury Landing Stage – 2.8.1974
Don Smith Collection
Notes:-
Funnels: The Michelangelo had distinctive latticed funnels topped with large fins. This innovative, wind-tunnel-tested design was intended to keep smoke away from the passenger decks, and it proved to be highly effective.
Interiors: The liner’s interiors were stylish and modern, decorated in an Art Deco style by renowned Italian architects.
Notable features included a 489-seat cinema, a variety of public lounges, and multiple swimming pools.
Sister ship: The Michelangelo was built alongside an identical sister ship, the SS Raffaello, which was constructed in a different Italian shipyard.
The two ships were among the last great transatlantic liners ever built.
End of service: After just ten years in service, the Michelangelo was laid up in 1975, having never turned a profit.
Sold to Iran: In 1977, the Shah of Iran purchased the Michelangelo and the Raffaello to be used as floating military barracks. The ships, which originally cost $45 million each, were sold for just $2 million apiece.
Scrapped: After the Iranian revolution, the ship deteriorated. Plans to convert it into a luxury cruise ship never materialized.
The SS Michelangelo was ultimately sold for scrap and dismantled in Pakistan in 1991.
