Historical Asides
After the the Second World War the Flotto Lauro line of Naples ventured into the emigrant market, with the converted freighters Ravello, Olimpia and Napoli. In 1987 the Mediterranean Shipping Company also of Naples acquired the vessels of Achille Lauro, who had inherited his first ships in 1912.
MSC Monterey, a 55 year-old MSC cruise ship still in service, was originally built for the United States Maritime Commission in 1952 as the Pine Tree Mariner; a C-4 cargo vessel (together with a sister ship Mariposa). Since then the ship has had a long life and several owners. In 1956 it was sold to the Matson Navigation Company of San Francisco, and rebuilt as a 14,799 ton passenger ship, for voyages to Australia and New Zealand. In 1989, MSC Monterey was acquired by StarLauro Crociere, passing to MSC in 1995.