​World Discoverer: The Abandoned Cruise Ship

Somewhere in the Solomon Island, is a cruise ship left abandoned. The 3,724 gross tonne World Discoverer has been left to rust but has also become a tourist attraction itself!
 
The ship was originally built as the BEWA Discoverer in 1974, at the shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany. Throughout its career, the ship was sold to various cruise lines and renamed several times too. In 1990, the ship was registered in Liberia and named World Discoverer. The small cruise ship was built with a double-hull, to allow it to cruise to the Antarctic polar regions. In 1996 an extensive refurbishment was carried out. So how did the once profitable ship end up abandoned?

On 30 April 2000, the ship hit a large uncharted rock or reef in the Sandfly Passage, Solomon Islands. The ship began taking on water quickly and the Captain sent a distress signal, which was received in the nearby capital city, Honiara. A nearby ferry quickly came to the aid of the sinking cruise ship and all passengers were safely transferred.
 
The Captain was able to control the World Discovered despite the 20-degree list and grounded the ship in Roderick Bay to avoid it from sinking completely. Following the incident, an underwater survey was carried out and the ship was declared a total loss. Ever since the World Discoverer has remained abandoned in Roderick Bay.
 
Tidal activity overtime has damaged the ship further causing the list to increase to 46 degrees. The ship is now covered in rust on its surface with many windows broken. The abandoned ship has however now become a tourist attraction of the Solomon Islands, with even others modern day cruise ships offering excursions to view the wreck.