EERIE images show a luxurious passenger cruise ship slowly decaying after being beached more than 45 years ago.
The TSS Duke of Lancaster offered luxury trips to punters during its glory years throughout the 1950s and 60s.
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A massive 350ft cruise liner, the Duke of Lancaster transported passengers on exciting cruises in luxurious first class quarters.
Silver service trips were offered to Ireland and Scotland while other destinations included Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain.
Weighing in at a whopping 4450 tonnes the massive vessel was built by ship makers Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Ireland in 1956.
It was repurposed in the 1970s and turned into a car ferry with its deck rebuilt to hold 105 motors, 1,200 passengers and cabin accommodation for 400 people.
Later, in 1979 the vessel was retired from service completely and dry beached.
It was hoped it could be turned into a tourist attraction at Llannerch-y-Mor Wharf on the River Dee in North Wales.
The boat then took on a new life when it was transformed into a retail complex branded “the FunShip.”
It now offered an arcade, restaurants, and a top deck bar, but sadly it never flourished.
John Rowley, the owner of the TSS Duke of Lancaster walked away following an alleged legal battle with the local council.
By the mid-1980s the ship had closed for good.
It has been used as a warehouse and occasional art installation site ever since.
It now sits dormant in the same spot, the insides untouched, but rusting after being reclaimed by nature.
In 2021 owner John and his son Antony put forward plans to raise cash and restore the once esteemed cruise liner’s top decks into a working bar and restaurant for tourists but nothing came of it.
The ship is still owned by John but also the The Duke of Lancaster Appreciation Society.
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Ashley Gardner, 60, who does admin for the society said: “It was a very successful ship on and off the water.
“But it came with its problems, especially when it was transformed into The Fun Ship.
“It was attacked by the local council having many legal challenges put up against it forcing John to close it on his terms in 1984.
“The vessel has sat idle ever since and hasn’t been given its identity back which is no fault of the owner.
“We don’t want to lose it as it has such historical value, for instance it was built in the same place as the Titanic.”
The boat will be in use this Halloween for a scare fest between October 22 and November 1.
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Eerie tale of abandoned cruise ship ‘Gambling Boat’
By Sayan Bose
THIS is the eerie tale of an abandoned cruise ship whose owner was murdered by mafia-style thugs after he turned the boat into a gambling hub.
The once luxurious Blue Horizon was kitted out with full-blown casinos and took wealthy passengers into international waters so that they could gamble without the restriction of Florida laws.
Incredible images show the inside of the vessel with poker chips still lying intact across the tables.
One picture shows the casino machines in extremely good condition as if the slots were played yesterday.
Another one shows an empty bar where once gambling millionaires sat and boasted about their wagers out loud.
Some of the gambling games are still set up and ready to play.
The cruise ship now sits abandoned in port in Florida, USA.
Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis, the millionaire owner of Blue Horizoin was once invited to a Las Vegas-style gambling ship for a party.
This experience inspired him to purchase the “Sir Winston” for $2 million only a few days later, a 100-foot cruise ship that he rapidly converted into a casino ship.
It gave him his start in the gambling cruise industry as he went on to create “Cruises to Nowhere” which took people just three minutes outside of Florida to international waters where gambling restrictions did not apply.
Boulis became one of the biggest names in gambling cruise ships and his profits made him a very wealthy man.
