About twenty years ago, the captain of a unique Arctic cruise liner arrived at a small cove on a tropical island. The World Discoverer, a 7-deck vessel with a double narrow hull, was specifically designed to sail in the polar regions, but happened to stay in the tropics forever.
The liner was built at a German shipyard back in 1974 and was specifically designed for voyages to the Arctic. The ship's hull was stronger as compared to other ships of this class, which allowed it to pass through straits in ice fields and enter the mouths of small rivers.
The World Discoverer was Ice Class 1A and could make long-distance trips in polar regions, but it was also in demand for trips to the Falkland Islands, Chile, Argentina, and Alaska in summer.
Mass media dubbed travels on this liner "middle-class expeditions" because average citizens could go where previously only scientific expeditions had traveled.
The World Discoverer voyages were in demand until 2000. In April of that year, Captain Oliver Kress entered the channels of the Solomon Islands, but hit an uncharted reef and then sent the vessel aground in Roderick Bay as a temporary solution.
According to the captain's plan, this was enough to mothball the vessel ashore and bring up the necessary parts for repairs.
In the end, however, the plan didn't work out. The company that owns the World Discoverer tried to deliver the necessary materials, but ultimately abandoned the idea because of logistical difficulties – the Solomon Islands were too remote.
Today the World Discoverer is the main attraction of the bay. The most interesting thing is that now there are a lot of tourists here willing to see the last resting place of the unfortunate ship.
Source: trendymen
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