'Love Boat' Cruise Ship's Life Over, Will Be Dismantled for Parts

"The Love Boat," the cruise ship used in the 1970-80s romantic comedy television series, has made its final voyage to the Turkey Aegean Sea for a ship breaking yard.

The MS Pacific, known as the Pacific Princess when the television series started, will be stripped down for its metal and parts, Ersin Ceviker of the Ship Recyclers' Association of Turkey, told Reuters. The ship is 561 feet long and weighs 13,500 tons.

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"The Love Boat," the cruise ship used in the 1970-80s romantic comedy television series, has made its final voyage to the Turkey Aegean Sea for a ship breaking yard. The Globe and Mail said Turkey’s Izmir Ship Recycling Co. purchased the 42-year-old ship for $3.3 million.

The cruiseliner arrived from Genoa, Italy, at the breakers in the seaside town of Aliaga in Turkey late on Tuesday after a difficult trip in a violent storm, Ceviker told Reuters.

"This ship has undergone several modifications over its lifespan," Ceviker said. "It had been decommissioned for five years, and renovation now would have been too costly."

The 600-passenger ship is tiny by today's standards of cruise ships, according to USA Today. The top cruise ships now can carry between 2,800 to 5,400 passengers.

The vessel last carried passengers for Quail Cruises of Spain after changing hands a couple times since sailing for Princess Cruises from 1975 until 2002, according to USA Today.

The cruise ship was built in 1971 for Flagship Cruises as the Sea Venture and renamed Pacific Princess in 1975 after joining the Princess fleet.

USA Today said cruise industry executives often credit the TV comedy with creating a boom in cruise bookings during the life of the television series. The show depicted fictional passengers and crew involved in adventures and romances at sea.





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