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Al-Mansur: The unexpected fate of Saddam Hussein’s largest yacht

Saddam Hussein's 82-metre superyacht Basrah Breeze is still on the water today but his larger yacht, 121-metre al-Mansur suffered a different fate. Now lying in the shallow waters of a major Iraqi city, Katia Damborsky discovers how it has become an unusual floating base for locals fishing on the river. 

In March 2003, tensions between the US and Iraq were coming to a head. In the face of imminent invasion, the then-president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, ordered his yacht, 121-metre al-Mansur , to leave her berth in the port city of Umm Qasr and move 36 nautical miles upriver to be stationed in Basrah. Basrah was a stronghold of Iraq, producing much of the country’s oil and strategically located at the convergence of two rivers.

It would make sense to have a military ship manning the city’s harbour — and while al-Mansur was no military vessel, she did have reinforced steel decks, bulletproof windows almost five centimetres thick and high-grade on-board hospital facilities complete with an operating theatre.

But, she still wasn’t equipped to hold down the fort at Basrah. It has been reported — though not confirmed — that US and UK military forces intercepted a radio transmission that revealed the yacht’s movement. On her way up the river, she came under attack by fighter jets, which deployed specialised explosives that detonated just before impact, effectively blowing away much of the yacht’s upper decks. Eight bombs are thought to have hit her and although she didn’t sink, she was engulfed by a raging inferno that rendered her inoperable.

It would have been a remarkable sight for the people of Basrah, watching the dictator’s yacht ablaze and drifting unmanned down the Shatt al-Arab river. It was almost ironic — here was a yacht with the name meaning “God-assisted victor” or “conqueror” printed proudly on its bow, being reduced to a charred, bomb-blasted hull.

Like most yachts owned by dictators, al-Mansur was a symbol of Hussein’s power and prominence. She was delivered in 1983 (the same year that Hussein met with then-US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld) by now-defunct Finnish shipyard Wärtsilä and as a gift from the Saudi Royal Family. The ongoing war in Iraq complicated the physical delivery of the vessel (she was technically completed in 1982) and she was stored at the shipyard in Finland before she could be eventually handed over the next year in Morocco.

But after the bombing, al-Mansur was a far cry from the pleasure palace that she started life as. It is understood that the yacht’s content was cleared by the local port authority and officials acting on behalf of Hussein. Even in her sorry, scorched state, she had a lot of valuable materials on board — expensive silverware, solid marble surfaces, exotic wood accents and thick velvet upholstery. The design theme of the yacht was “plush Arab hotel”, according to reporting by the BBC. She was even thought to have solid gold furnishings on board.

She was looted too, according to a source speaking to BOAT International , a local taxi driver who goes by Mohamad. Once she was plundered, opportunists began chopping away at the hull and selling it for scrap. No one put a stop to the practice — it was a war zone, after all. 

Hussein's yacht remained upright for a few years after the bombing but was eventually scuttled close to Basrah’s dry docks. She’s in good company, with several other wrecked vessels rusting in the shallow water there. For the locals, it’s a constant reminder of the war — although, “you never forget the war,” says Mohamad.

The biggest problem that al-Mansur presents isn’t so much logistics, it’s the threat it poses to the water quality, says Mohamad.  “We use this water for everything in our life,” says Mohamad and for that reason, “people would like to remove all the sunken ships.”

The wreck is owned by the government, but “no one knows” whether there are plans to remove it anytime soon. It’s the biggest vessel that’s sunk in the river, and it would be costly and complicated to dismantle and remove it, speculates Mohamad. For now, the wreck is used by local fishermen, who perch on the protruding decks and cast their lines into the water. Mohamad’s cousin is one such fisherman, using al-Mansur as a base for carp fishing.

Al-Mansur is not the victorious power symbol that her owner had in mind, but she does represent a small victory for the Iraqi people. After years of conflict, Iraq is repairing itself and souvenirs of its troubled past are slowly fading away — much like al-Mansur ’s decaying hull.

The rest of Hussein's fleet

Just a few hundred metres from the remains of al-Mansur sits Basrah Breeze, the first yacht that Hussein owned. In contrast to her big sister, Basrah Breeze is on the water and remains in good condition. She is partially open to the public, serving as a floating museum dedicated to Basrah. The yacht is in largely the same state as when she was first launched over forty years ago, with busily-patterned walls, thick curtains and an opulent four-poster canopy bed in the master suite. 

In 2007, she left Iraq and resurfaced in Nice, listed for sale with a £17 million price tag. She didn't find a buyer, possibly in part because of her dubious past and questions surrounding her ownership. She served a brief stint as a research vessel back in Iraq until her running costs were finally deemed too expensive.

Hussein also owned a 60-metre pleasure craft designed for cruising the rivers. It was more practical than al-Mansur and Basrah Breeze , but still shared the same luxurious finishes and military-grade protection. Its fate is not known.

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Saddam Hussein's yachts were once signs of luxury. Now, one is a wrecked picnic spot for fishermen and the other was almost turned into a hotel.

• Saddam Hussein's yachts were once luxurious signs of the dictator's power.
• One boat is now a wrecked picnic site for fisherman. Another was reportedly almost a hotel.
• Photos show these yachts today as Iraqi officials debate what to do with them. 

Saddam Hussein's superyachts were once symbols of luxury, built in the 1980s and fitted with spacious presidential suites, marble tile, and various amenities.

But decades after his death, Hussein's vessels have met very different fates: one remains wrecked in a river —a picnic site for fishermen — while the another nearly became a hotel. 

The "Al-Mansur" multimillion-dollar yacht was once fitted to the personal requirements of Hussein, featuring gold trimming and an impressive atrium, according to Superyacht Content. Although it was never boarded by Hussein, the almost 400-foot boat remained moored at port for safekeeping. 

When US forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, the "Al-Mansur" was a juicy target. Troops destroyed the boat, leaving it to sink in the Shatt al-Arab waterway. 

20 years later, any sign of wealth or glamour is gone. "Al-Mansur" has been looted and stripped, its right side sunk deep into the riverbed. 

But fishermen told Reuters it's not such a bad outcome. "When it was owned by the former president, no one could come close to it," said fisherman Hussein Sabahi, who enjoys a cup of tea on the wreck after a long day of fishing. 

"I can't believe that this belonged to Saddam and now I'm the one moving around it," he added.

Some Iraqis told Reuters they think the wreck should be preserved for history. Others say governments, which have not funded any preservation efforts, are right to leave it to the river. 

Another one of Hussein's superyachts, the 270-foot "Bashrah Breeze," was built in 1981 for $25 million, or $100 million today, according to Yacht Harbour.

After Hussein's execution in 2006, ownership of the boat changed hands a few times.

Related stories

But in 2008, a Cayman Island entity put the yacht up for sale, according to Boat International. NPR reported at the time that the boat — fitted with gold faucets, swimming pools, and a rocket launching system — could sell for as much as $35 million. 

But it wasn't sold. Iraq stepped in and courts decided the "Bashrah Breeze" belonged to the government. 

Since then, the yacht's briefly hosted researchers from Basra University on a marine trip, as reported by Yacht Harbour. At the time, officials said it was in good condition and functioning well.

In 2018, reports that "Bashrah Breeze" would be made into a hotel for pilots made international headlines. This was disputed by the former Director of the Marine Science Center at Basra University Ali Douabul, who told Boat International the rumors were "completely wrong."

"If they'd used it for pilots, they would have ruined it in no time. It's never been used as such. I got a very, very unpleasant call from the minister about that."

It's unclear if the boat will be made into a museum or moored somewhere permanently.

• Main content

• Mar 22, 2023

The Saga of Saddam Hussein's Superyacht

A rusting heap that once signified the immense power of one of the world's darkest dictators, the superyacht owned by Saddam Hussein is now scrap.

The 396-foot al-Mansur was an ode to the second Abbasid caliph who reigned from 754-75 AD and founded the city of Baghdad. The term loosely translates to 'Conqueror.'

Now little more than a rust pile, al-Mansur has been sitting, capsized and half submerged, in a river outside Basra, Iraq since 2003. It's only real use has been as a place for local fisherman to cast some lines or occasionally stash their extra gear and nets.

So, how did something as valuable as a superyacht become a tourist attraction?

Surprisingly, the yacht was never targeted during the Iran-Iraq war from 1980-1988, nor was it damaged during the Gulf War from 1990-1991.

But in the days before the U.S invasion of Iraq on March 20th, 2003, Saddam ordered the yacht moved from its mooring at Umm Qasr , a port city in southern Iraq that connects to the Persian Gulf, to the inland city of Basra where it would be closer to Iraqi strongholds led by the Republican Guard.

Once the invasion gained steam and coalition troops began moving deeper into the country, the yacht became a target for U.S. forces. According to The Aviationist , the US/UK Combined Air Operations Command Centre intercepted military radio traffic coming from al-Mansur . She was subsequently targeted by two U.S. Air Force F-14A Tomcat warplanes who released 500 lb Mk 82 'slick bombs' that detonated near the waterline. The destruction left her capsized and burning.

Her current resting spot is the Shatt al-Arab waterway , where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that bisect Iraq come together north of Basra. In the aftermath of the attack, the yacht was looted by locals and stripped of anything valuable. Everything in the interior was ripped out and re-purposed or sold. Even parts of her exterior metal structure were torn off to be sold as scrap.

Now it's become something of a tourist attraction as local fishermen hop aboard for picnics or some R&R with friends and family.

In an interview with Inside Edition, fisherman Hussein Sabahi said Saddam's yacht was once a showpiece for his power and influence, but now it's little more than an obstruction on the waterway.

“We use it as a place to rest, hook our things to it and we sometimes submerge our fishing cages and some people fish from atop the ship. Other people come to take photos. It would be better if they could turn it into a museum,” Sabahi said.

“I can’t believe that this belonged to Saddam and now I’m the one moving around it,” he said.

Before the superyacht became a solemn reminder of the Hussein regime, al-Mansur was considered an advanced ship for its time.

The yacht was designed by the renowned Knud E. Hansen and was built in Finland at the former Wärtsila Shipyard. It was delivered under the guise of being for the government of The Republic of Iraq - State Enterprise for Water Transportation in 1983. Despite the ruse, the true owner's extravagant taste was evident thanks to the use of solid gold throughout both the interior and exterior, not to mention fine marble countertops, exotic woods, and fittings made from precious metals.

One of her most devious details was the inclusion of an escape route from the master cabin to a submersible pool built into the bottom of the hull. In the event of a boarding by hostile forces, whoever slept in the master cabin would be able to escape inside a tiny submarine kept beneath the boat.

The yacht was also a showpiece to the Middle East's influential and powerful, with room for up to 200 guests and intended as a venue for exclusive Baath Party events. She was even one of the first superyachts to feature a helipad. But despite having arrived in 1983, Saddam never set foot on al-Mansur .

There have been various efforts to salvage and remove al-Mansur from its current plot, but so far no Iraqi government has seen it through to completion.

“This yacht is like a precious jewel, like a rare masterpiece you keep at home,” said Zahi Moussa, a naval captain at the Iraqi ministry of transport, in an interview with CNN .

“We feel sad that it looks like this.”

You can check out the current state of al-Mansur in the video below:

#news #culture #weirdboats

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In pictures: How Saddam Hussein's superyachts met different fates

Mar 17, 2023

Frozen in time

Frozen in time for 20 years, two superyachts now lie at the confluence of Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates rivers, bearing witness to the false glories of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Image Source: Agencies

Rusting Al-Mansur

The Al-Mansur (Victorious) now lays on its side, having capsized after it was struck during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that ended Saddam's decades of iron-fisted rule.

Image Source: Reuters

Al-Mansur: Symbol of Saddam's wealth and power

The 121-metre (396 ft) "Al-Mansur", a symbol of Saddam's wealth and power when it was built in the 1980s.

A picnic spot for Iraqi fishermen

Today, 'Al-Mansur' is a destination for sightseers and fishermen who clamber aboard the wreck to picnic and drink tea.

A yacht that Saddam never boarded

Saddam issued orders for the yacht, which he never boarded, to leave its mooring at Umm Qasr to Basra for safekeeping a few weeks after the invasion got underway on March 20, 2003.

Image Source: AFP

Capsized in Shatt al-Arab waterway ​

It was targeted by US-led forces, and later capsized in the Shatt al-Arab waterway as it fell into decay.

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Looted and stripped bare.

In the turmoil that followed Saddam’s downfall, the yacht was stripped bare and looted, with everything from its chandeliers and furniture to parts of its metal structure removed.

Campaign to clear the flotsam

In a country wracked by decades of war, the authorities launched a campaign to clear the flotsam of smaller boats stranded in Shatt al-Arab. But as per officials, Al-Mansur is a very big boat and it has to be dismantled and then removed which is "costly and difficult".

The Basrah Breeze

On the contrary, the Basrah Breeze, equipped with swimming pools and at one time a missile launcher-- is by contrast partially open to curious spectators eager to board this relic of the war-scarred country's past.

A time capsule

The interior of the vessel is like a time capsule, bearing all the gilded trimmings typical of the late strongman's vast collection of properties.

Example of Saddam's extravagance

During his nearly 24 years in power, Saddam was not known to spare any expense, and the Basrah Breeze, delivered in 1981, was no exception.

Rooms, lounges and a helipad

With a capacity to board nearly 30 passengers and 35 crew members, the boat has 13 rooms, three lounge areas and a helipad.

Presidential suite

The yacht's presidential suite is decorated in golden and cream tones with a king-sized canopy bed and plush, 18th-century style armchairs, while the vast bathrooms are embellished with golden faucets.

Secret corridor leading to a submarine

Perhaps most impressive is a secret corridor leading to a submarine, offering an escape from any imminent threats, as noted on an information panel on the boat.

Centre of protracted legal dispute​

Fearing the repercussions of the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s, Saddam had given the boat to Saudi Arabia, before it travelled on to Jordan. By 2007, the vessel had come to be moored in Nice, France, where a year later it became the centre of a protracted legal dispute.

Govt decides to moor the boat in Basra

After the Iraqi authorities claimed its ownership, the government decided to moor the boat in Basra, having been unable to sell it.

Different fate for Basrah Breeze

The state of the Basrah Breeze is a far cry from the Al-Mansur, half-submerged, its rusty carcass protruding from the waters of Shatt al-Arab.

Ibn Khaldoon​

Meanwhile, another yacht of Saddam Hussien, Ibn Khaldoon has met a similar fate as the Al Mansur.

Image Source: AP

​Docked in Shatt al-Arab waterway

Ibn Khaldoon is docked in the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra, Iraq.

Frozen in time for 20 years, two superyachts lie at the confluence of Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates rivers, bearing witness to the false glories of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Saddam's ageing superyachts a legacy of excess - in pictures

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• These Were Saddam Hussein’s Crazy Mega Yachts

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The Top Gun-style raid to destroy Saddam Hussein's private yacht: Incredible story of how despot's £25m ship was blown up by F-14 Tomcat pilots

• Al Mansur ('The Victor') was bombed during Iraq War in March 2003
• Boat could seat 200 guests under glass atrium and measured 400ft
• 'Bounty Hunter' F-14 Tomcats attacked yacht although it didn't sink
• But the bombs did enough damage and it was later decommissioned

By Mark Duell

Published: 11:41 EDT, 30 March 2013 | Updated: 13:04 EDT, 30 March 2013

View comments

Bombed to pieces in a raid which could have come straight out of the film Top Gun, it was a stark symbol of Saddam Hussein's rule over Iraq having been broken and destroyed.

The Al Mansur, translated as ‘The Victor’, was the dictator’s £25million yacht which was blasted during the Iraq War in March 2003 - and 10 years on it is still a stark reminder of a fallen tyrant.

The 400ft boat, weighing 7,400 tons, could seat 200 guests under a glass atrium in the middle and even had a secret escape route descending down from Hussein’s room into a submarine launch pod.

Bombed: Saddam Hussein's private yacht, the Al Mansur, lies at the dockside in Basra on April 10 2003

Blasted: The 400ft boat, weighing 7,400 tons, could seat 200 guests under a glass atrium in the middle

It was designed to Saddam's personal specifications and sumptuously decorated all over in marble, exotic woods, and with silver and gold fittings.

Measuring 350ft long, the boat weighed 7,359 tons and looked more like a smart cross-Channel ferry than a private yacht.

Saddam's love for al-Mansur was proved just five days before the war began.

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Despite all the other urgent war preparations, he had ordered the yacht to be moved under a full naval guard from its normal berth in the far southern port of Umm Qasr to Basra's inner harbour in a vain attempt to offer it better protection.

But it was blown up in Basra harbour by 500lb Mark 82 bombs during the Anglo-American invasion by two VF-2s with TARPS (Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System) from USS Constellation.

These ‘Bounty Hunter’ F-14 Tomcats attacked the yacht on March 27, 2003, more than 20 years after it had been launched in 1982. It had escaped damage during the Iran-Iraq War of 1980 to 1988.

In profile: Saddam Hussein's presidential yacht took its name, Al Mansur, from an 8th century caliph described by historians as a merciless potentate who destroyed any threat to his rule

Up in the air: A U.S. F-14 Tomcat is pictured on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman. It was F-14 planes that bombed Hussein's ship

Dictator: Saddam Hussein was hanged in Baghdad, Iraq, for crimes against humanity in December 2006

SADDAM'S BOAT IN DETAIL

• Built : Turku, Finland
• Cost : £25million
• Launched : 1982
• Length : 394ft
• Weight : 7,359 tons
• Decks : Eight
• Engine : 12,000hp
• Decommissioned : June 2003
• Scrapped : 2005

The F-14s were flying near the Euphrates River for a standard TARPS reconnaissance mission when a British Army forward air controller asked them to attack the yacht, reported The Aviationist blog.

The Combined Air Operations Center had realised that radio equipment on the ship was being used for battlefield communication, although the vessel had never been used for military purposes before.

The ship had already been hit by a shot from an S-3B Viking - a primarily anti-submarine plane - but it was missed by two laser-guided bombs from F/A-18 Hornets, reported The Aviationist.

However, on March 27 the attack was led by a Tomcat team of Lt Mark Callari and Lt Jeff Sims, which dropped two bomb runs while Lt Pat Baker and Lt Sean Mathieson provided cover in the second F-14 above.

They then switched positions and Baker and Mathienson dropped their bombs, hitting the hull above the water. Both planes headed back to the Constellation with the Al Mansur on fire.

The team knew their attacks had not sunk the vessel. The bombs were designed with fuses intended for ground support, but not for sinking the ship - because they exploded before hitting.

But the Al Mansur was rendered unusable by the bombs and was decommissioned almost three months later before being scrapped at Basra in 2005.

In 2009 the boat's sister ship which was also built in secret for the Iraqi dictator went on sale for £17million.

Decor aboard the floating palace - originally called Qadissivat Saddam - included Arabesque arches, dark wood carvings, deep pile carpets, and loose rugs woven in Islam's holiest cities.

As well as other typically Muslim features, including prayer rooms and ornate fountains, the Danish builders also installed gold-tap bathrooms, whirl pools, steam rooms, and hi-tech bathrooms.

Unlike the Al Mansur, the Qadissivat Saddam was kept abroad after it was built in Denmark in 1981 and was completely untouched by the numerous wars Saddam was involved in during his reign.

WHO WAS THE LEGENDARY AL MANSUR

The statue of Muslim caliph Al Mansur, founder of Baghdad, sitting in a dreary square in the city

Al Mansur (712 to 775) was the second caliph of the Abbasid dynasty and is generally regarded as the real founder of the Abbasid caliphate.

His father was a great-grandson of Mohammed's uncle Abbas.

Al Mansur wiped out the last remnants of the deposed Omayyad dynasty, and cut the Abbasids free from the revolutionary movement that had brought them to power.

He achieved power with the aid of Persian troops, and he established his new capital at Baghdad.

Arab historian Al Masudi in Meadows of Gold recounts a number of anecdotes that present aspects of this caliph's character.

He tells of a blind poet on two occasions reciting praise poems for the Umayyads to one he didn't realize was this Abbasid caliph. Al Mansur rewarded the poet for the verses.

Al Masudi relates a tale of the arrow with verses inscribed on feathers and shaft arriving close to Al Mansur. These verses prompted him to investigate the situation of a notable from Hamadan unjustly imprisoned and release him.

There is also the account of the foreboding verses Al Mansur saw written on the wall just before his death.

A very impressive aspect of this caliph's character is that when he died he left in the treasury six hundred thousand dirhams and fourteen million dinars.

In 2008, MBC 1 had depicted the life and leadership of Al Mansur in a historical series aired during the holy month of Ramadan.

Share or comment on this article: The incredible story of how Saddam Hussein's £25million private yacht was blown up by F-14 Tomcat pilots

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The total destruction of Saddam Hussein’s yacht

At Superyacht Content we are always on the look-out for interesting and alternative yachting stories. So, when the story of AL MANSUR came to our attention courtesy of Jim Evans at Superyachts Monaco on Instagram, we just had to find out more!

A post shared by Jim Evans (@jimevans2010) on Jul 14, 2017 at 11:42pm PDT

Saddam Hussein’s yacht: AL MANSUR

AL MANSUR translates roughly into English as’ the Victor’, which seems somewhat ironic judging by the nasty end it met during the Invasion of Iraq in 2003 at the hands of some rather cruel US Air Force pilots (though, obviously, not as cruel as the yacht’s owner- a world famous dictator).

The name originally belonged to an ancient Iraqi Caliph, who was responsible for the complete obliteration of the Omayyad dynasty in the year 715. This founding father of the Iraqi regime made Baghdad his capital, and undoubtedly was a role model to a young Saddam Hussein during his destructive dictatorship over the Iraqi people.

A Presidential Interior

Originally built in Finland by Wartsila in 1982 AL MANSUR had quite the grandiose air about her, as you would expect for a £25m yacht with her unique position in world affairs.

Designed by Knud E Hansen in Denmark and littered with trimmings of solid-gold both inside and out, yacht AL MANSUR measured 120m and featured an impressive atrium complete with a glass dome looking up to the sky above. Reportedly she was specified and delivered to Saddam’s personal requirements, which included the finest in marble, exotic woods, and precious metal fittings.

Last of all, a secret escape route directly from the master cabin leading to a submarine pool allowed the great dictator to vacate the yacht quickly in the event of hostile boarding by a US Navy SEAL team.

A post shared by Edward Thomas (@edi608) on Aug 2, 2017 at 3:50am PDT

Going out with a Bang…

So what happened to her? Well, during preparations for the pending US invasion in 2003 Saddam decided to move his beloved yacht to the relative safety of Basrah, where she would supposedly be granted better protection under the watch of the Republican Guard.

This, however, was not enough to stop the US/UK Combined Air Operations Command Centre who (according to The Aviationist blog ) had intercepted Iraqi military radio traffic coming from equipment on board AL MANSUR.

You can probably guess what happened next, but just in case you can’t, take a look at the photo below before reading on.

Yep, that’s a US Air Force F-14A Tomcat warplane, fitted with 2 powerful 500lb Mk 82 slick bombs primed to detonate on immediate impact with a target.

Two of these jets, which featured in the iconic Top-Gun movie, were able to inflict significant damage on AL MANSUR within a matter of seconds, following the tip off from a British military forward command post. Flown by expert Air Force pilots Lt Mark Callari and Lt Jeff Sims, the bombs they released did most of their damage to the yacht’s hull just above the waterline, even though they exploded before hitting the vessel.

The two fighter pilots returned to USS Constellation in the Gulf, leaving the presidential yacht burning brightly in the water. Way to go Goose!

An unexpected Legacy

Interestingly, this was not the Iraqi Dictator’s only yacht. AL MANSUR had a sister ship named QADISSIYAT SADDAM which spent most of its time in the Mediterranean and was often spotted in port in Nice until it was towed away by the State of Iraq in 2010, following a long legal battle over her ownership. The yacht is now known as BASRAH BREEZE and serves the Iraqi government as a research vessel collecting data on marine science .

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The luxurious yacht was built for Saddam Hussein in a style the Wall Street Journal called "Liberace Babylon." It features staterooms, gilt furniture, and a secret escape hatch.

Saddam Hussein’s Yacht Is Sailing Again With a New Mission

It’s weathered changes in ownership and a difficult legal battle, but one of the world’s most elaborate yachts has found a fresh purpose.

BASRA, Iraq — After three decades of being passed around by Middle Eastern monarchs, Saddam Hussein’s yacht is now in the hands of Iraqi marine researchers.  

Built for the then-president’s personal use in 1980, the 270-foot-long (82 meter) vessel boasts four decks, a bevy of gilt and mahogany furniture, and a secret bedroom with an escape hatch, dwarfing the two smaller boats that make up the rest of Iraq’s research fleet.

“It cost $25 million when it was commissioned,” Captain Hussein Ghazi   Khalifa said on a recent tour of the yacht that went from the cavernous engine room to the helicopter pad. “Now it would cost four times that.”  

The ship’s luxurious dining, sleeping, and sitting areas have been converted to accommodate scientists, but much of the décor is still intact. Its period smoked glass, clunky Panasonic televisions, and rococo china cabinet, all built in a style one commentator called “Liberace Babylon,” remain as the recently-rechristened   Basrah   Breeze   explores the Persian Gulf’s changing biology and chemistry for the University of   Basrah’s   Marine Science Center.

It must be the world’s most extravagantly appointed research vessel. And it took an odd combination of geopolitics, economics, and happenstance to land the   Basrah   Breeze   in its namesake port.  

A Middle Eastern White Elephant

Even though he had it custom made for his own use, with a dozen bedrooms for guests, marble-tiled bathrooms, and a presidential suite that includes an office and a hair salon, Saddam Hussein never set foot on the yacht.

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Originally called   Qadissiyat   Saddam   (the name is a reference to a 7th   century battle in which Arabs triumphed over Persia), the boat was built in Denmark at a time when Iraq—then an ally of the U.S.—was locked in a bloody fight with Iran. The boat couldn’t be safely delivered, and it ended up moored in Oman for years as the war dragged on.  

A salon is among the many luxurious rooms featured on the yacht. While some modifications have been made to accomodate researchers, much of the boat's décor remains intact. 

In the mid-1980s, Hussein gave the boat as a gift to King Fahd bin   Abdulaziz   Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, who   Khalifa   says gave it the alluring name   al-Yamamah , which he translated as Woman with Big Eyes. But the boat also has a big appetite. To power its two 3,000 horsepower engines and four generators on long journeys, the ship’s fuel tanks were built to hold 200 tons of diesel. At current prices, it would cost more than $100,000 to fill it up.

Even to an oil-rich ruler like   Fahid, it must’ve seemed like a white elephant. He passed the ship to Jordan’s King Hussein. When the king died in 1999, his successor, Abdullah II, sent the ship to the south of France under ownership of a company based in the Cayman Islands but reportedly controlled by Jordan.

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Then came the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which resulted in Hussein’s capture. He was executed three years later. In 2007, when the Cayman Islands company tried to sell the ship, the Iraqi government claimed ownership. Khalifa   estimates the Iraqi government spent $1 million to secure clear title to the yacht, which a French court granted in 2008 after documents were found in the ship confirming it was still legally an Iraqi vessel.  

A Ruler's Folly Proves Research Boon

Attempts to sell the vessel foundered, and Iraqi officials had no choice but to bring it home. In 2010, the ship arrived in Basra with its current name and much fanfare.  

“The return of the yacht means that the people's will is stronger than the tyrant's,” said then-Minister of Transportation   Amer   Abdul   Jabbar   at the celebration. “Saddam Hussein built this yacht to be used to his own personal purposes, but here it is returned to Iraqi people.”  

But the boat didn’t get much use at first. Plans to turn it into a museum of Hussein’s excess—or a hotel that made use of the large staterooms, each with a different color scheme—were floated, but nothing came of them. The ship slowly rusted in the brackish waters of the Shatt-al-Arab on the Basra waterfront until 2014, when, according to   Khalifa, well-connected professors from the University of Basra convinced the government to turn it over to them. At the time, Iraq’s modest research fleet had already made some important discoveries, such as the recent find that a coral reef is growing off the Iraqi coast. That’s a sign of increasingly clear and saline water at the head of the Persian Gulf, rather than the fresh and muddy outflow of the past, and it spells ill for the nation’s water supply and ecosystems.  

In early 2015, the newest member of the Iraqi research fleet went on its inaugural research mission, carrying 75 Iranian, Kuwaiti, and Iraqi researchers into the Persian Gulf to study water quality and sea life. Two additional voyages have been made since. Although the decks show signs of weathering and the engine control room still uses early 1980s technology, the vessel appears surprisingly shipshape.

The bedroom built for Saddam Hussein is in the bow of the ship. The vessel has many additional bedrooms for guests, but they're now being used by marine researchers. 

Ali   Douabul, a marine chemist at the Marine Research Center, said he hopes to use the   Basrah   Breeze   for further studies of the coral reef and to survey the northwestern Persian Gulf. But the pockets of an Iraqi university can’t match those of an Arab monarch, even though researchers only use a small portion of the massive fuel tank for each mission.  

“We want to sail in 2016, but the financial crisis prevents us,”   Khalifa   said. The captain added that he hope that international cooperation with wealthier countries along the Persian Gulf could help by splitting the fuel bill.  

Sitting at the helm, looking across the sprawling city below, he sighed and looked wistful. “I love the sea,” he said. “It’s so much better on the open water. You are free from all the problems of the Earth.”  

He just needs someone to help fill the tank.

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• FROM AFP NEWS

In Iraq, Saddam's Ageing Superyachts A Legacy Of Excess, War

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This file photo from April 10, 2003 shows former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's luxury yacht the Al-Mansur after it was bombed during the US-led invasion of Iraq

CORRECTS para 5 to clarify how the maritime science centre now uses the yacht

Frozen in time for 20 years, two superyachts lie at the confluence of Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates rivers, bearing witness to the false glories of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Just a few hundred metres separate the grandiose vessels on the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Iraq's southern city of Basra but, despite their proximity, they have met very different fates.

The Al-Mansur (Victorious) now lays on its side, having capsized after it was struck during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that ended Saddam's decades of iron-fisted rule.

Moored at a nearby quay, the Basrah Breeze -- equipped with swimming pools and at one time a missile launcher -- is by contrast partially open to curious spectators eager to board this relic of the war-scarred country's past.

Moored at a quay on the Shatt al-Arab waterway, the Basrah Breeze is partially open to curious spectators

"Everyone who comes is amazed by the luxury of the yacht," said Sajjad Kadhim, an instructor at the University of Basra's maritime science centre which now has jurisdiction over the boat and uses it as a base for its research projects.

But to the surprise of many visitors, Saddam never sailed aboard the Basrah Breeze, which at a length of 82 metres (90 yards) was just one example of the former ruler's extravagance.

The interior of the vessel is like a time capsule, bearing all the gilded trimmings typical of the late strongman's vast collection of properties.

The yacht's presidential suite is decorated in golden and cream tones with a king-sized canopy bed and plush, 18th-century style armchairs, while the vast bathrooms are embellished with golden faucets.

During his nearly 24 years in power, Saddam was not known to spare any expense, and the Basrah Breeze, delivered in 1981, was no exception.

The interior of the vessel is like a time capsule, bearing all the gilded trimmings typical of the late strongman's vast collection of properties

With a capacity to board nearly 30 passengers and 35 crew, the boat has 13 rooms, three lounge areas and a helipad.

Perhaps most impressive is a secret corridor leading to a submarine, offering an escape from any imminent threats, as noted on an information panel on the boat.

"While the Iraqi people were living through the horrors of war and an embargo, Saddam owned such a ship," said Kadhim, 48, decrying the "wastefulness of the former regime".

Fearing the repercussions of the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s, Saddam had given the boat to Saudi Arabia, before it travelled on to Jordan, Kadhim explained.

By 2007, the vessel had come to be moored in Nice, France, where a year later it became the centre of a protracted legal dispute.

The Basrah Breeze is currently under the jurisdiction of the University of Basra's maritime science centre, which is conducting research on it

Iraqi authorities had claimed ownership over the Basrah Breeze after having discovered plans to sell it for nearly $35 million by a company registered in the Cayman Islands.

With its claim to the boat finally recognised, the Iraqi government in 2009 decided to moor the boat in Basra, having been unable to sell it.

"What I like is the old equipment, the fax and the old telephones in the cockpit," university professor Abbas al-Maliki told AFP. "It reminds me of the pre-internet era."

The state of the Basrah Breeze is a far cry from the Al-Mansur, half-submerged, its rusty carcass protruding from the waters of Shatt al-Arab.

Measuring 120 metres in length and weighing more than 7,000 tonnes, the former presidential yacht had been assembled in Finland and delivered to Iraq in 1983, according to the website of Danish designer Knud E. Hansen.

The Al-Mansur lies half-submerged, its rusty carcass protruding from the waters of Shatt al-Arab

It has a capacity of 32 passengers and 65 crew members.

In the period just before the US-led invasion two decades ago, the Al-Mansur had been moored in the Gulf.

But Saddam would later send it up along the Shatt al-Arab "to protect it from bombardment by American planes", according to maritime engineer Ali Mohamed.

"This was a failure," he added.

According to Basra's former chief of heritage Qahtan al-Obeid, in March 2003 "several raids were launched on the yacht over a number of days.

"It was bombed at least three times, but it never sank," he said.

In pictures taken by an AFP photographer in 2003, Al-Mansur can be seen still floating on the water, its top floors charred from a fire that erupted due to the bombing.

But by June of that year, the boat was already tipping precariously.

It tilted heavily "when the motors were stolen. This created openings and the water rushed in, causing it to lose balance," Obeid said.

In a country wracked by decades of war, the authorities launched a campaign to clear the flotsam of smaller boats stranded in Shatt al-Arab.

But Al-Mansur "is a very big boat, it has to be dismantled then removed," said Obeid, a process that would be "costly and difficult".

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In iraq, saddam's ageing superyachts a legacy of excess, war.

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Inside Saddam Hussein’s abandoned gold-encrusted superyacht with missile launcher and secret passage to mini-sub

• Olivia Burke
• Published : 9:24 ET, Mar 14 2023
• Published : Invalid Date,

SADDAM Hussein gave Bond villains a run for their money when it came to his gold-encrusted superyacht.

The Basrah Breeze is kitted out with every amenity an Iraqi tyrant would need - including swimming pools, a mosque and a missile launcher.

Despite being busy running a dictatorship, Hussein made sure the 270ft vessel was well-equipped in case of a last-minute trip.

It even has a dressing room with a dedicated barber's chair for the former president to get his trademark moustache trimmed to perfection.

The extraordinary superyacht was built by a Danish shipyard for Hussein in 1981, a year after the Iraq- Iran war began.

The managing director of the Helsingor Vaerft shipyard, Esmann Oleson, claimed in his memoir that Hussein's henchmen demanded a five per cent discount, ten large buses and four Mercedes-Benz cars "as a sign of goodwill".

Although its price tag has never been disclosed, it's fair to assume the Basrah Breeze cost millions to create.

Rigged out with rocket launchers and a secret passage leading to a small submarine, Hussein pulled out all the stops to fortify his ocean refuge.

The yacht also boasts a landing for a helicopter and an operating theatre in case of emergency.

Inside is a presidential suite, composed of the dictator's private quarters, dining rooms and bedrooms, as well as 17 smaller guest rooms, 18 cabins for crew and a clinic.

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Hussein brought in a stunning fairy-tale bed, draped with a rich canopy - while silk curtains and elaborate panelling added further opulence to the suite.

Mahogany carvings adorn the walls, brightly-coloured deep-pile carpets run through the rooms and gold finishings are plentiful on this uber-luxury yacht.

But ironically, after painstakingly designing his floating palace and shipping it across the world - Hussein never stepped foot onboard.

Instead, it was considered a statement of power amid the raging war with Iran - which inevitably made it a target.

The Basrah Breeze was sent to the safety of Saudi Arabia , then a Saddam ally, to protect it from air strikes on Basra.

The kingdom, which fell out with Saddam after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, then handed the vessel over to Jordan.

Its subsequent movements were unclear until Iraq tracked it down in the French resort of Nice , where a court seized it and sent it home.

While the superyacht survived the turmoil of Saddam's decline and demise, its sister ship "al-Mansur" - which he also never boarded - suffered a different fate.

It sank in the Shatt al-Arab waterway that passes through Basra after it was hit by US planes and then stripped bare in the chaotic aftermath of his overthrow.

Saddam had ordered it in 2003 to leave Umm Qasr, Iraq's biggest port outside Basra, where it had been moored, to Basra in a vain attempt to avoid air strikes.

"I told the captain of the yacht, who was a brigadier, to get rid of the military uniforms of the crew, weapons and munitions and pose as civilian ship in case it is caught by the American warships," said Ali Hussein, a port pilot who guided the yacht at the time.

FIT FOR A DICTATOR

In common with other treasures left by Saddam, toppled in 2003 during the US-led invasion of Iraq and hanged three years later for crimes against humanity, the governments that succeeded him have been struggling to find a use for the ship.

Since it was returned to the country in 2010 following a court battle and a three-decade odyssey abroad, it has mostly been moored in Basra as the Government failed to find a buyer.

It has instead proved useful to students at the southern city's university, as the superyacht has hosted researchers on trips to study marine life.

Despite only clocking up a few miles over more than four decades, the Basrah Breeze is said to still be in full working order.

The ship's captain Abdul-Zahra Abdul-Mahdi Saleh said: "The presidential yacht is in a very good condition.

"Its two engines and generators are functioning. It only needs periodic maintenance."

Authorities then decided to moor it permanently as a hotel and recreation facility for the southern port's pilots, many of whom live in distant cities.

"The port needs the boat to be a station where sea pilots can rest," said Basra port spokesman Anmar al-Safi.

But the Basra museum are still vying for the superyacht to be docked next to one of Hussein's former palaces overlooking the Shatt al-Arab.

They want to persuade the port to transform the four-storey ship into an exhibition, documenting the wealth of one of the world's most notorious tyrants.

"Future generations could see how a dictator lived," said Jawad Abdul Kadhim, the museum's deputy director.

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We previously took a look inside the abandoned Babylon built by Hussein , who called himself the "son of King Nebuchadnezzar."

Pictures show the dead despot's vision for the ancient city after becoming obsessed with the Babylonian ruler during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.

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Monday, November 03, 2008

Saddam hussein's yacht (photos).

Saddam Hussein's luxury yacht is being auctioned. The previous ruler of Iraq's massive, 269-foot long yacht was seized when it docked in Nice, France, after ownership disputes between the current Iraqi government and a Jordanian company, Sudeley Limited, owned in part by King Abdullah. The "Ocean Breeze", which is valued at $35 million, comes complete with swimming pool, secret passageways, mini-submarine, and even a ground-to-air missile system, which will not be included.

Built in 1981 by Elsinore, a Danish shipyard, Saddam Hussein's yacht, owned for the moment by the Iraqi government, was not frequented often by the deposed dictator. Despite its "Arabesque arches, dark wood carvings, deep pile carpets in lurid colours, rugs woven with views of holy cities, and gold taps", the mega-yacht, which has been renamed "Basra Breeze", will reportedly need a massive overhaul to make it suitable for modern buyers. The current economic recession is another factor that is affecting even wealthy prospects.

The "Basra Breeze" was anchored off St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat during the legal dispute, but is now docked near the Greek coast. Yacht brokers throughout Europe are now feverishly trying to find buyers.

Saddam Hussein's Yacht Photos

Saddam Hussein's Yacht: "The Ocean Breeze""

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