what happened to al mansur yacht

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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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Saddam Hussein's rusting yacht al-Mansur now serves as a picnic spot for Iraqi fishermen

Topic: Unrest, Conflict and War

Capsized in a river in southern Iraq, the rusting wreck of a yacht that had belonged to Saddam Hussein serves as a stark reminder of his iron-fisted rule that ended with the US-led invasion two decades ago.

Key points:

• The 121-metre al-Mansur was ordered in 2003, but was never boarded by Saddam Hussein
• It capsized when US forces targeted the yacht
• Some Iraqis say the wreck should be preserved, but its preservation has not been funded

The 121-metre al-Mansur — a symbol of Saddam's wealth and power when it was built in the 1980s — is today a destination for sightseers and fisherman who clamber aboard the wreck to picnic and drink tea.

"When it was owned by the former president, no one could come close to it," fisherman Hussein Sabahi said as he enjoys ending a long day on the river with a cup of tea aboard the wreck.

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

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

The Al-Mansur has been lying on the water bed for years in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, in Basra. ( Reuters: Mohammed Aty )

Fishermen now use the yacht as a picnic spot.  ( Reuters: Mohammed Aty )

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

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.

The yacht could accommodate up to 200 guests and was equipped with a helipad. ( Reuters: Mohammed Aty )

One of three yachts owned by Saddam, the al-Mansur could accommodate up to 200 guests and was equipped with a helipad.

In 2003, US officials estimated that Saddam and his family may have amassed up to $US40 billion ($60 billion) in ill-gotten funds.

The Al Mansur in 2003, after US forces targeted the yacht.  ( Reuters: STR New )

Another of his yachts has been turned into a hotel in Basra.

Although some Iraqis say the wreck should be preserved, successive governments have not allocated funds to recover it.

"This yacht is like a precious jewel, like a rare masterpiece you keep at home," Zahi Moussa, a naval captain who works at the Iraqi ministry of transport, said. 

"We feel sad that it looks like this."

ships registered

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.

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.

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.

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!

Sourced by superyachtcontent.com

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SADDAM HUSSEIN'S YACHT?

Sam Fortescue investigates the strange history of Saddam Hussein's 82-metre Basrah Breeze

ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; INSET CHIP HIRES/GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGES

The directors at the struggling Danish Helsingor Vaerft shipyard could hardly believe their eyes when the order from the Iraqi authorities came through.

Just two weeks earlier, the managing director of the shipyard had handed a brochure for his training ships to the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen. It was written in Arabic and the diplomatic staff had promised to forward it to Baghdad. The order, signed by Iraq’s Ministry of Defence, came back with unprecedented speed: “We want to buy such ship,” it read.

“But it would be naive to think that you could just come and get a ship contract,” Helsingor Vaerft managing director Esmann Olesen would later write in his memoirs. “It took a whole year and many trips to Iraq and also from Baghdad to Elsinore before we could put our signatures on the new contract” for the training ship.

“With its 82 metres, this motor yacht was among the largest of its kind in the world”

Nevertheless, the relationship with Saddam Hussein’s regime in the late 1970s kept the shipyard, based in the port town of Elsinore in eastern Denmark, afloat, and led to five further orders from the Middle Eastern country.

It was not without controversy, though. The next order was for three roll-on/roll-off ferries, but the Iraqi chief of staff was also demanding warships from the Danish yard. “That was completely out of the question for political reasons,” remembers Olesen. “The three Ro-Ro ships we built gave rise to a great deal of speculation and newspaper scandal, because journalists wrote that they could be used for the transport of equipment and troops.”

Then, in 1980, the head of the Iraqi fleet got in touch about adapting a research vessel design to build a presidential yacht. After lengthy negotiations involving visits to Iraq and delegations of tight-lipped admiralty staff from Baghdad, a deal was struck for a “ship of class” which went into the order books as number 423. “With its 82 metres, this motor yacht was among the largest of its kind in the world.”

STEPHANE DANNA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Top: Some time between 2003 and 2006, the yacht was refitted in Greece, and the swimming pool covered over and converted into a mess room. She is said to have plied the waters between North Africa and Europe as a kind of VIP ferry

Olesen does not record further details about the negotiations, but we can imagine that they would have been as tense and complex as those for the previous training ship. “Admiral Abdul Dairi and his staff came to Copenhagen to sign the contract which he and I had already agreed in Baghdad. He arrived, merrily declaring that he had been explicitly ordered by President Saddam Hussein not to sign anything, unless we would give an extra five per cent discount as well as 10 large buses and four Mercedes-Benz cars as a sign of goodwill.”

A number of fruitless meetings ensued, before the Admiral declared he would return home without a signature. “He often ordered his adjutant to immediately book a flight home to Baghdad, which meant the meeting was over.” Olesen reluctantly accepted the new terms over the phone, and a final meeting was convened the next morning in a Copenhagen hotel. “Of course, they did not get a five per cent price reduction, or 10 buses, or the four Mercedes, but they did include a modest amount for spare parts.”

The presidential suite had a barber's chair intended for keeping Saddam Hussein's moustache in tip-top condition

The actual price of the deal for the new presidential yacht was never disclosed, but the rumour circulating in Iraq is that the yacht cost $25 million (£11m at 1980 rates). What is sure, however, is that the shipyard made a thumping loss on the order, due in no small part to the constant interference from Iraqi officials. “They demanded unrealistic changes and improvements without extra [fees] or extensions to the deadlines,” says Tenna Bülow, archivist of the Elsinore Museum.

The specifications for Hussein’s yacht were lost when the yard pulled down the shutters for the last time in 1983, but we know it was sumptuously fitted out. There were 14 guest cabins accommodating up to 28, and quarters for a generous 35 crew. The key feature was undoubtedly the presidential suite, which occupied the full beam of the boat and included an office and a dedicated barber’s chair intended for keeping the president’s trademark moustache in tip-top condition. The centrepiece was a vast fairy-tale bed hung with curtains and a rich canopy. Silk carpets, gold leaf, elaborate panelling and Louis XV-style chairs completed an image of extraordinary ostentation.

The presidential suite’s bed that caused a diplomatic incident after an “infidel” shipyard employee dared to touch it

The bed was nearly the source of a diplomatic incident on delivery day. “It tempted one of the shipyard’s marine superintendents beyond his powers of resistance, and he sat down on [it],” says Bülow. “At the same time, one of the Iraqis walked through the door. The situation developed in a serious manner, not only because a shipyard employee had dared to touch the president’s bed, but because he was an infidel.”

The bedspread was removed and a replacement ordered from Paris at great expense. Amazingly, the superintendent was allowed to take the despoiled cover home, where he used it on his own bed for many years. It is now a star exhibit at the Elsinore Museum.

In view of the effort and treasure expended on Project 423, it is ironic that the Iraqi dictator never actually spent a night aboard. The yacht had by now been named Qadissiyat Saddam , referencing a mythical battle between Iraqi Arabs and the larger Persian army in the seventh century. It was a projection of power against the backdrop of the Iran-Iraq war, which had begun the year before, in 1980. At first the yacht was moored in Basrah, but when Iranian forces advanced along the lower Tigris in 1986, she was hurriedly sent to safety in the Saudi royal port of Jeddah on the Red Sea.

And there she remained until Saddam’s bloody regime was toppled by the American-led invasion in 2003. The yacht had apparently been well maintained alongside the Saudi royal fleet, with a permanent crew of 12. At some point during those 17 years, the Saudis began to consider the boat as their property and it was renamed al-Yamamah (“the dove”). Then, when Saddam was run to earth in 2006, the yacht was shifted to Aqaba, the only port of regional ally Jordan.

FROM LEFT, FRANCOIS LOCHON/GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGES, OLIVIER SANCHEZ/GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGES, EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK Despite the extensive negotiations and specifications, Hussein never slept on board Basrah Breeze .

The terms of the transfer appear murky – was it a gift or was the yacht lent? This question resurfaced in 2007, when she appeared for sale in Nice with a £17 million price tag. By now she was called Ocean Breeze and photos depicted the lavish interior, in particular the dead dictator’s opulent suite, but there was little interest from buyers.

The new Iraqi government was on the lookout for the billions of dollars that Saddam had plundered, so the ambassador to France raised the alarm when he read of the yacht being up for sale. “He called on me to deploy all necessary measures to obstruct this transfer and seize this vessel on behalf of the Republic of Iraq,” says Maître Amir-Aslani, the country’s lawyer in Europe. Nice’s commercial court duly ordered that the yacht should be seized on 31 January 2008, pending a hearing about ownership.

We now know that the yacht had been put up for sale by a Cayman Island entity. “Sudeley Capital was an offshore company, whose capital was held by another offshore company, whose ultimate economic beneficiary was the King of Jordan,” explains Amir-Aslani.

“Inside was a hidden room - you cannot see it unless you know where it is”

In early February 2008, police and a bailiff boarded the yacht to search for evidence of its true owner. They found an insurance document, issued by Lloyd’s of London, in the name of an Iraqi official. “Nobody disputed that the original owner was indeed Saddam Hussein and therefore the Iraqi state,” continues Amir-Aslani. “We did not provide proof of the ownership of this boat as such, but we did provide the Iraqi constitution which showed that the assets of the state could not be transferred to others. And in any case, the opposing party had no documents either.”

The court ruled in July that the yacht belonged to the Iraqi people, and Sudeley decided to take the issue no further. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh announced that the yacht, now called Basrah Breeze , would be smartened up and sold.

She steamed to Piraeus in Greece for a repaint and cosmetic work. While the idea may have been sound, the timing was not, and the global economic downturn intervened. Oil prices plummeted, credit dried up and, by spring 2009, the reported $30 million asking price looked optimistic. After sitting forlornly at anchor off Nice for a year, Basrah Breeze was recalled to Iraq in 2010 by the Ministry of Transport. “The Iraqi government’s decision to bring the yacht home will spare Baghdad the possibility of facing other claims and saves it docking and crew costs,” the ministry announced. The French sojourn had nevertheless cost $2 million in legal, crew and refit fees.

The boat is now in a poor state of repair, with estimates to fix up the hull alone far exceeding what is affordable at the University of Basrah, where it has been placed under care since 2014

That November, Iraqi transportation minister Amer Abdul-Jabbar boarded the yacht for its triumphant entry into Basrah. “The return of the yacht means that the people’s will is stronger than the tyrant’s,” he proclaimed to crowds from the deck. “Saddam Hussein built this yacht to be used for his own personal purposes, but here it is returned to the Iraqi people.”

However, those same Iraqi people were unsure what to make of their new toy, according to a report by local journalist Ali Abu. While some hoped the yacht could be used for weddings and banquets, and the minister was proposing a ferry service for well-heeled businessmen or pilgrims, many were more concerned with reliable access to water and electricity. Abu quotes a University of Basrah student saying: “Life here will still be the same with or without [the yacht].”

Ironically, Basrah Breeze was placed under the care of the university, where it has served since 2014 as an unlikely research vessel for the Marine Science Centre. I ask the former director of the centre, Ali Douabul, about its reported missile defence system and escape sub. “That is a bit of exaggeration,” he says. But the ship has yielded up some secrets. “We were sitting in the big mess room and one of my students pushed something – it opened a thick door in the panelling.

“We can only allow two people at a time to stay on board. That’s all that we can afford”

Inside was a room that was completely hidden – you cannot see it unless you know where it is. I slept in this room one night.” Douabul has also dared to sleep in the presidential bed – during its only scientific expedition to date, in 2015. “The bed had never been used,” he laughs. “Modestly, I like to say that I am the first guy to sleep in it. I should have taken my wife with me, but I went with a lot of passengers and scientists instead.” During the trip, he charged guests who wanted to try the bedroom $10, “just for a joke”.

The yacht is ill-suited to science work, as it showed during the 10-day expedition to explore parts of the Gulf where coral had been rediscovered.

“We took a smaller ship as our research vessel and used it for the divers, because the yacht is very high, so they can’t dive from it. We used the yacht as a kind of mothership.” Another problem is its running costs, which are far too expensive for a hard-pressed university in a country with only 58 kilometres of coastline. “Even when we go on a very short trip, like we did in 2015, it cost me a fortune,” laments Douabul. “Imagine that we went 50 to 60 kilometres and then came back – we spent something in the neighbourhood of 60 tonnes of fuel.”

Fresh water is just as precious, and the boat also requires costly maintenance. The MTU engines are said to be sound, but the hull is in dire need of a scrape-down and repaint, while the air-con is full of holes. “We can only allow two people at a time to stay on board,” says Douabul. “That’s all that we can afford.” According to a quote from a nearby Iranian shipyard, the hull work alone could cost $1.5 million – money that just isn’t available. There is nowhere in Iraqi waters with the capacity to lift an 82 metre yacht. Various schemes to make better use of the yacht have been floated over the years. In 2018, it was widely reported that she had been relegated to a mere hotel for river pilots. “Completely wrong!” retorts Douabul. “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.”

Now there are hopes that the yacht will become a floating exhibit at the Museum of Basrah, housed in Saddam’s former palace. Director Qahtan Alabeed is developing a section of the museum devoted to local boatbuilding. “We want to reactivate work to rebuild a number of types of boats that sailed in the river and marshes,” he says. “We already have around 16.”

The palace gardens run down to the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where Alabeed wants to see the yacht moored permanently. Again, funding may prove the stumbling block. Alabeed says he has the support of the governor of Basrah and can “request any budget”. Douabul is doubtful. “Unfortunately, the main conclusion is: look at this criminal bloody Saddam who spent so much money on this yacht. If only he [used the money] to build 100 factories and provided work for people.

“If you ask me, the government has been misled to take this yacht, because they don’t have the ability to use it properly or commercially,” continues Douabul. “They thought it might be worth $200 million – I don’t know where they got their figures from.”

Now he believes that the only solution lies outside Iraq. “Perhaps an international organisation like the International Maritime Organization should take care of it, because Iraqis will not. Then it becomes world heritage.”

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

THE REST OF SADDAM'S FLEET

Saddam Hussein got better use from al-Mansur , built in 1983 by Finland’s Wärtsilä. The 121.1-metre yacht (pictured, top) was designed by Knude Hansen and had a 10-metre-high glass-domed atrium, a banqueting room to seat 200, a garage containing limos and a helipad and hangar.

Twin 12,000hp engines could propel the 7,539-tonne yacht to 20 knots. With a crew of 60 to look after 20 guests in 10 cabins, she was designed to project the dictator’s power. She was bombed in 2003 by the US Air Force, but in testament to her build, she didn’t sink. The burnt-out hulk was finally scuttled three years later, and the wreck chokes the Shatt al-Arab waterway to this day.

A smaller 60-metre river yacht was also built at Helsingor Vaerft for use on the Tigris in Baghdad itself. Described as “not beautiful” by yard MD Esmann Olesen, it was nevertheless finished to a luxurious level and had 58mm-thick polycarbonate windows to protect from snipers. Its fate is unknown.

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Saddam Hussein’s rusting superyacht is now a picnic spot for Iraqi fishermen

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It was once the height of luxury and a demonstration of power by the man who ruled Iraq with an iron fist for more than 20 years.

But now two decades later, the ‘al-Mansur’ superyacht previously belonging to Saddam Hussein is slowly rusting away in the Shatt al-Arab river in the south of the country.

And fishermen and sightseers use it as a relaxing spot to have a cup of tea or enjoy a picnic.

‘When it was owned by the former president, no one could come close to it,’ said fisherman Hussein Sabahi.

‘We were dreaming of seeing it. And now the days have passed and the world has changed and now it’s capsized.

‘I can’t believe that this belonged to Saddam and now I’m the one moving around it.’

He said fishermen use the abandoned vessel as a place to rest and to hook their things to it.

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Video: Saddam Hussein's rusting superyacht now a picnic spot for Iraqi fishermen

The 121-metre "al-mansur", a symbol of saddam's wealth and power when it was built in the 1980s, is today a destination for sightseers and fisherman who clamber aboard the wreck to picnic and drink tea. 'when it was owned by the former president, no one could come close to it,' said fisherman hussein sabahi, who enjoys ending a long day on the river with a cup of tea aboard the wreck..

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‘We sometimes submerge our fishing cages and some people fish from atop the ship,’ the fisherman said. ‘Other people come to take photos.

‘It would be better if they could turn it into a museum, or they should just move it out of here and keep it as state property.’

The US-led invasion on March 20, 2003, targeted the 400ft yacht and it was capsized where it lies now.

He had never actually stepped foot on the yacht, but had issued orders for it to be moved from its mooring at Umm Qasr to Basra for safekeeping – but it never made it.

In the chaos of Saddam’s downfall it was looted and stripped bare of everything including chandeliers and furniture.

It was one of three yachts owned by the fifth Iraqi president, which could accommodate up to 200 guests and even had its own helipad.

It is thought Saddam and his family may have amassed up to $40 billion in ill-gotten funds.

Many argue the wreck should be preserved, but governments have never allocated funds to do this.

Zahi Moussa, a naval captain who works at the Iraqi ministry of transport, said: ‘This yacht is like a precious jewel, like a rare masterpiece you keep at home.

‘We feel sad that it looks like this.’

Another of Saddam’s yachts has been turned into a hotel in Basra.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

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Saddam Hussein’s former superyacht becomes unlikely picnic spot

Wednesday, June 28th, 2023

Written by: Marine Industry News

The 121-metre superyacht al-Mansur , commissioned by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, has been lying capsized in a river in southern Iraq for years.

While the wreck serves as a reminder of the dictator’s rule, which ended after the controversial US-led invasion two decades ago, it has also become a popular spot for sightseers and even fishermen, who use the rusting hulk as a spot to enjoy picnics and drink tea.

al-Mansur , one of three yachts owned by Saddam, was built by the former Wärtsila shipyard in Finland and was delivered in 1983, becoming one of the largest yachts of its kind in the world when delivered.

Capable of hosting up to 20 guests in 10 cabins, with a crew of 60, it also boasted a helipad as well as a mini-submarine rescue pod. When the US-led invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003, Saddam issued orders for the yacht to leave its mooring at the Umm Qasr port for safekeeping.

Despite being targeted and destroyed by American planes later the same year, al-Mansur didn’t immediately sink, and was eventually scuttled some three years later. It has been lying on its side — capsized in the Shatt Al Arab waterway outside the southern city of Basra — ever since.

Saddam Hussein’s former 121m super yacht 'Al-Mansur' still sitting unrecovered in a waterway in Basra. pic.twitter.com/W9qVPwRorN — Dane (@UltraDane) March 29, 2023

“This yacht is like a precious jewel, like a rare masterpiece you keep at home,” Zahi Moussa, a naval captain who works at the Iraqi ministry of transport, told Australia’s ABC .

“We feel sad that it looks like this.”

The vessel was swiftly looted for anything valuable that could be stripped — from furniture and chandeliers to elements of the metal structure — and is now little more than a rusting hull. However, in recent years, the shell of al-Mansur has evolved into an unlikely destination for sightseers and fishers, who clamber aboard the structure to eat, drink and relax.

Saddam Hussein's presidential yacht,the Al-Mansur,was destroyed by F-14A fighters (2x500lb Mk82 bombs)during the 2003 war.The sister yacht is now known as BASRAH BREEZE and serves the Iraqi government as a research vessel collecting data on marine science. #yacht #gulfwar #USNavy pic.twitter.com/9j1KG0CZJb — BoxShipCaptain (@boxshipcaptain) October 1, 2019

“When it was owned by the former president, no one could come close to it,” fisherman Hussein Sabahi, who enjoys ending a long day on the river with a cup of tea aboard the wreck, told Reuters in March 2023.

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

In 2003, US officials estimated that Saddam and his family had amassed up to $US40 billion in ill-gotten funds. Saddam had two other superyachts — al Mansur ‘s sister ship Basrah Breeze , a four-storey megayacht — ended up becoming a sailors’ hotel in Basra, Reuters uncovered in 2018.

Capsized hull of the Al Mansur, a private yacht of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, in the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra, Iraq. It capsized 20 years ago after it was struck during the 2003 US-led invasion that ended Saddam’s rule. Photo: Hussein Faleh/AFP/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/kiJoaRnCYr — Christian Guthier (@oxford_guthier) March 30, 2023

Meanwhile, the Danish-built Ocean Breeze, which Saddam ordered in 1981 but was never delivered to the president, ended up in the hands of Saudi Arabia’s royal family. It ultimately became the subject of legal wrangling between Iraq and Jordan, who claimed ownership of the vessel, and has since been sold numerous times to private buyers.

While some Iraqis have called for the government to preserve the wreck, funds have never been allocated to raising al-Mansur from the riverbed. It therefore seems destined to remain there, offering a perch for weary fishermen, for the foreseeable future.

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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.

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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.

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When U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats attacked Saddam Hussein’s presidential yacht

“We dropped both of our bombs in the same attack, one hitting the hull just above the waterline and the other disappearing amongst the yacht’s superstructure. When we left the target the ship was on fire,” Pat Baker, former F-14 Tomcat RIO

Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) was a huge success for the F-14 squadrons committed to the action. Tomcat pilots and radar intercept officers (RIOs) flew myriad missions in their 52 jets, performing air defence, forward air controlling (airborne), strike coordination, reconnaissance and photo-reconnaissance missions and precision bombing across Iraq.

As told by Tony Holmes in his book U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom , the dropping of ‘dumb’ bombs from an F-14 was instead a rare occurrence in OIF, although two crews from VF-2 “Bounty Hunters” enjoyed spectacular results with four 500-lb Mk 82 ‘slicks’ on Mar. 27, 2003. The RIO in one of the jets was Lt(jg) Pat Baker;

“We had been conducting a standard TARPS mission along the Euphrates River, looking at two or three air defence sites, as well as a possible command and control facility that our intelligence folks thought was in the area. They needed photos of the latter in order to confirm its purpose for target assignment. What was different for us that day was the fact that the ATO gave us two jets armed with a pair of Mk 82 bombs apiece . This was the first time VF-2 had carried such a mixed load, featuring both bombs and a TARPS pod. This allowed us to act as a stop gap bomber should anyone need immediate on-call support while we were over southern Iraq.

“I was in the back seat of the Dash 2 jet, leaving the RIO in the lead aircraft to run the flight in terms of coordinating the navigation for all the photo-run targets. My job was to work the radios for my pilot, Lt Sean Mathieson, checking with AWACS controllers and FACs on the ground as to whether anyone needed our bombs. Having bounced around through a series of different nets on various frequencies, I ended up talking to a British Army FAC near Basra. He wanted us to head down the Shatt al-Arab waterway and attack Saddam’s presidential yacht, which had been hit by a Maverick fired from an S-3B two days earlier and then missed by two LGB-toting F/A-18s. By the time I contacted the FAC, we had finished our reconnaissance runs and were about to head south over the NAG to hit the tanker and then head back to the carrier.”

Named Al Mansur (The Victor), Saddam Hussein’s presidential yacht had been one of the world’s largest and most impressive vessels of its kind prior to it appearing on the CAOC’s ATO. Eight decks high and 350 feet long, the Finnish-built ship weighed 7359 tons and looked more like a cross-channel ferry than a private boat. It boasted five expansive state cabins for Saddam and his family, and there was even a secret escape route leading from the president’s room to a submarine pod. Launched in 1982, it was the largest vessel in the Iraqi Navy, but it had no military use. The ship was designed to Saddam’s specifications and decorated in marble and exotic woods with silver and gold fittings. Permanently staffed by 120 Special Republican Guard troops, the vessel was moved from the port of Umm Qasr to Basra just days before the war began in an effort to afford it better protection – the order for the move was issued directly by Saddam himself. The Al Mansur had been targeted for destruction because the CAOC had received reports that the vessel’s extensive radio suite was being used for battlefield communications.

Baker continues: “The FAC was not actually near the yacht, so he was relaying information that he had recently received to us when he was describing where the vessel was situated. We were at high altitude, scouring the port facility through binoculars looking for the yacht. We spotted the burnt-out warehouses that had been hit in error by the F/A- 18s the previous day, and these served as a marker for the yacht. It was moored between two freighters, with a third half-sunken vessel nearby. The Maverick damage was clearly visible, with smoke rising from the vessel’s superstructure.

“The lead jet, flown by Lt Mark Callari and Lt(jg) Jeff Sims (RIO), rolled in first, while we provided high cover for it — we were not sure of the AAA or SAM threats in the area. Their first bomb hit the bow, and having been unopposed in the attack, they came in and dropped the second, which struck the vessel just forward of amidships.

`The lead jet then swapped places with us, Lt Mathieson (Baker’s pilot) following his CCIP (Continuously Computed Impact Point) crosshairs in the HUD, which were centred on the vessel. We dropped both of our bombs in the same attack, one hitting the hull just above the waterline and the other disappearing amongst the yacht’s superstructure. When we left the target the ship was on fire, although we knew we had not inflicted sufficient damage to sink it as we were carrying the wrong type of ordnance. Assuming that we were going to be supporting ground troops, we had had our Mk 82s fitted with instantaneous fuses. Therefore, the weapons exploded as soon as they came into contact with the ship, rather than burying themselves into the heart of the vessel before detonating.

“I never got to see my bombs hitting home in all the LGB and JDAM missions that we flew in OIF. However, on this occasion, thanks to the diving, rolling and pulling off of the target that we had had to do in order to accurately deliver our Mk 82s, I was able to see the two little grey ‘blurs’ that were our bombs hitting the ship as I peered back over my shoulder at the target.”

Photo credit: Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Daniel J. McLain / U.S. Navy

U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here .

Artwork courtesy of  AircraftProfilePrints.com

Dario Leone

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

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.

"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.

- 'Wasteful' -

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.

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.

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."

- 'Costly and difficult' -

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.

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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Ownership dispute clouds sale of Saddam yacht

A palatial pleasure yacht fitted with swimming pools, salons and, should the winds of war blow, a secret passage and a rocket launching system is up for sale — unless Iraq can prove the vessel built for Saddam Hussein still belongs to the toppled dictator's entourage.

The 269-foot sea palace, docked at Nice on the French Riviera, was seized by French authorities Jan. 31 ahead of a court hearing expected to be held in March to determine who owns the vessel, originally built for Saddam when he ruled Iraq.

The government in Baghdad suspects the yacht is an Iraqi asset. But the posh yacht brokerage firm Nigel Burgess says that other owners, whom it will not name, have asked it to sell the vessel.

The company offers a brief photo tour of the vessel on its Internet site. The decor is sumptuous. The sale price is officially unannounced but reportedly set at 24 million euro (about $35 million U.S.).

A desert fox more than a sailor, Saddam never used the boat he had built in 1981, according to the lawyer representing the Iraqi government in the matter, Ardavan Amir-Aslani.

In fact, it barely spent time in Iraqi waters. As war with Iran raged, the yacht, originally called "Qadisiyah Saddam," was moved to the safety of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Jedda in 1986, where it reportedly stayed until last fall.

Renamed yacht ties up in Nice It showed up in Nice in late 2007 with a new name, Ocean Breeze, embossed on its streamlined white hull. Its ownership is now as uncertain as the shifting sands, shrouded in mystery, and perhaps intrigue. A cohort of Saddam? A Saudi royal? Or a wealthy jetsetter hiding behind a shell company?

"The yacht was ordered and paid for by the Iraqi government at the beginning. That is certain," the lawyer said in a telephone interview. Now, the Iraqis believe the vessel "may belong to Saddam's entourage."

"Iraq is basically trying to recover the money of the Iraqi people that was unlawfully transferred abroad," Amir-Aslani said.

However, the vessel has a Caribbean connection. A "legal entity" incorporated in the Cayman Islands claims to own the boat, the attorney said, but it is hiding the "beneficial owner," whose identity "is what we need to discover."

This is not the first time Iraq has sought the return of Saddam's overseas treasures in France. Just months ago, it successfully reclaimed a villa in Cannes, near Nice, Amir-Aslani said. He said other cases are pending, but he refused to elaborate.

When it hears of assets that may belong to Saddam Hussein or his entourage, "Iraq immediately reacts."

An ‘extremely luxurious’ gem The vessel now bobs majestically in the port of Nice, an "extremely luxurious" gem, said Amir-Aslani, who paid a visit.

Viewing is strictly forbidden, but several photos of the interior shown on the Internet site of Nigel Burgess show an opulent Middle East-style decor in blue and gold hues that match the azure sea at sunset.

According to an account of the interior in the French daily Le Figaro, corroborated by Amir-Aslani, the Ocean Breeze, made for a 35-member crew, has about 10 rooms, several salons with large-screen TVs, pools, saunas, gold plumbing fixtures, a prayer room and a portable helicopter pad. In short, it is a floating version of the splendors of "The 1001 Nights."

Less glamorous but more telling of Saddam's real-world concerns are the bulletproof windows, a missile-launching system — disarmed — and a secret passage leading to a mini escape submarine.

This is not the first floating pleasure fortress, though it may be among the most elaborate. A yacht that belonged to the late East German dictator Erich Honecker was built to withstand poison gas attacks.

"We understand the attraction of the history behind this vessel," said Alev Karagulle of Nigel Burgess Yachts, which is representing the "Ocean Breeze" for sale. But its owners have ordered that "absolutely no information" be given to the media, she said by telephone.

Owners ‘haven't commented’ Asked whether the owners contest the Iraqi government claim, she said, "I don't really know. They haven't commented on the situation."

"There have been some (yachts) in the last few decades that have attracted interest, but by and large not a lot of yachts garner this much media attention because of their interesting histories."

Superyachts, as monster luxury yachts are called, are the "ultimate status symbol for billionaires," said Phil Draper, editor of the British quarterly Superyacht Business. There are only about 30 in the world of this size or larger, he said.

Saddam actually had a larger yacht than the one in Nice, the Al-Mansur, named after the caliph who founded Baghdad, but it was bombed into a floating scrap heap by U.S. warplanes in 2003, the year Saddam's regime was toppled. The dictator was hanged in December 2006.

Iraq wants this one back — or the documents proving that someone else owns it.

Some unconfirmed reports claim the yacht was given to the king of Saudi Arabia and renamed Al-Yamamah then passed on to the Jordanian monarch.

Hearing expected in March The Iraqi government attorney said the Nice commercial court was expected to convene in March, though a date has not been set.

If another owner, or his legal representative, does not show up, "it will make our job easier ... the court will only hear our arguments," the attorney said.

Karagulle said she felt "sure" the owners' representatives would attend.

The yacht's eventual sale should not be too tough if the market is any indication.

The market for superyachts "has gone absolutely crazy" over the last 15 years, said Draper, the expert, and "really accelerated" in the Middle East.

Still, the Gulf region "is a very aggressive environment for a boat" so costly refitting might be needed. But it's a bargain nevertheless. Building the vessel today from scratch could cost upward of 100 million euros (about $146 million), Draper said.

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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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What Happened To The Al Mansur Yacht?

Saddam Hussein’s 82-meter superyacht Basrah Breeze, built in 1983 by Finland’s Wärtsilä, was a symbol of his wealth and power. However, it was never boarded and was later targeted by US-led forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The 121-meter al-Mansur, a symbol of Saddam’s iron-fisted rule, was later capsized in the Shatt al-Arab waterway as it fell into decay.

The Al-Mansur, designed by Knude Hansen, was a multimillion-dollar yacht that served as a banqueting venue for Saddam Hussein. It featured a 10-meter-high glass-domed atrium and gold trimming. Two jets featured in the iconic Top-Gun movie were able to inflict significant damage on the Al-Mansur within seconds.

Saddam Hussein’s 121-meter yacht, Al-Mansur (Victorious), was moored adjacent to the Qadissiyat Saddam, named after the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah in 636 CE. The yacht was destroyed by troops during the invasion, leaving it to sink in the Shatt al-Arab waterway.

The Al-Mansur, which was an ode to the second Abbasid caliph who reigned from 754-75 AD and founded Baghdad, is now a destination for sightseers and fisherman. The rusted wreck of the Al-Mansur serves as a stark reminder of Saddam’s iron-fisted rule and the impact of the US-led invasion on his yachts.

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Debbie Green

I am a school teacher who was bitten by the travel bug many decades ago. My husband Billy has come along for the ride and now shares my dream to travel the world with our three children.The kids Pollyanna, 13, Cooper, 12 and Tommy 9 are in love with plane trips (thank goodness) and discovering new places, experiences and of course Disneyland.

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Tip of the day!

Can You Ride Single In A Double Kayak?