Half submerged in a river in southern Iraq, the rusting hull of Saddam Hussein’s once-luxury yacht remains a reminder of the man who ruled the country with an iron fist for decades. Iraqbefore tipping over and meeting a gruesome death.

Al-Mansour, 121 meters long, once a symbol of Saddam’s power and wealth, is now a tourist attraction for passers-by and a haven for local fishermen who climb it for picnics or tea.

“When he was with the former president, no one could get close to him,” says Hussein Sabahi, a local fisherman who ends his day sipping tea on a steel frame. “I can’t believe it once belonged to Saddam and today I’m walking on it,” he says.

A few weeks before the invasion of Iraq by the Americans and their allies, the Al-Mansur docked in the Persian Gulf. However, Saddam asked to be transferred to Saat al-Arab “to protect him from American air raids,” explains naval engineer Ali Mohammed.

“It turned out to be a complete failure,” he adds.

In the very first days of the war in Iraq, which began exactly twenty years ago, Al-Mansour was bombed by British troops.

However, it remained on the surface of the river, only to be targeted again by the locals, who looted everything of value that could be transported, from furniture and chandeliers to the steel parts of its framework.

Built in the 1980s, this 396-foot Al Mansour yacht was owned by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Now it serves as a picnic spot for local fishermen. pic.twitter.com/CwrGOspVaK

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 17, 2023

And so, on June 12, 2003, after two months of hard work, a luxury barge that could accommodate 200 guests half-sank in the Saat al-Arab River in Basra.

The yacht has been bombed for several days, according to the former head of the cultural heritage department of Basra, Qatan al-Obeid. “It was bombed at least three times, but it never sank,” he says.

On the contrary, the yacht began to take on water and therefore to list, “when her engines were stolen. This caused cracks and as a result it began to seep and lean,” says Obeid.

It was one of three yachts owned by Saddam, one of which was turned into a hotel, also in Basra.

The governments that passed through Iraq did not decide to allocate funds for the removal of the half-sunk ship. However, few Iraqis prefer it.

“This yacht is like a precious stone, a rare piece of art that can be kept at home. We regret his condition,” said Zahi Musa, a captain in the Iraqi Ministry of Transport.

In a country torn apart by decades of war, authorities have begun a campaign to remove the wreckage of small boats that sank in the Shatt al-Arab.

But Al-Mansur was to remain there, as a reminder of a bygone era. “It was a very large ship that needed to be dismantled and then transported – a complex and costly process,” concludes Obeid.

US officials estimate that Saddam and his family were worth more than $40 billion in ill-gotten gains in 2003.

Source: CNN/AFP.