When you visit the scrap yard in Ann Arbor, chances are that you are thinking neither of romance nor high seas voyages. However, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the scrap yard may be the final destination for “The Love Boat.” The Pacific Princess is slated to be recycled for her precious metals by the Turkish company that bought the ship for over $3 million.
Anyone who grew up in the 1970s is sure to remember Captain Stubing manning the helm of the Pacific Princess which appeared in the opening credits of ABC’s hit show “The Love Boat.” Though most episodes were actually filmed on set in California, the actual ship was used in the opening and several early TV movies. The nine-year run of the show that featured romantic adventures of passengers each week meant that the Pacific Princess sailed into our homes for quite some time.
But, according to La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, the Pacific Princess has sat idle for over a year in a Genoan port. The Turkish company that purchased the ship after her owners defaulted on payments for renovations and asbestos removal specializes in demolishing ships, meaning that it appears as though the only adventure awaiting The Love Boat now is recycling at the scrap yard.
Those who followed the antics of Gopher, Doc, Julie, and Isaac each week may feel a twinge of grief in thinking of that great cruise liner in the scrap yard; however, considering that the ship was built in 1971 and last sailed for Princess Cruise Lines in 2002, the scrap yard is probably the best place for her. When one imagines the amount of metal that can be mined from the ship and put to good use, it makes much more sense than leaving her to sit uselessly in port.
In fact, the scrap yard makes sense for all major sources of metal that have outlived their initial usefulness. When metal ends up in the scrap yard, it can be recycled so that it can be put to good use again. In addition, the recycling of such metal means that more ore does not need to be mined from the earth, nor is the excessive amount of energy that is required to manufacture that ore into usable metal used up.
So, if you have scrap metal that can be recycled, make a trip to your scrap yard in Ann Arbor. Just think, when you do, that old auto part that has been sitting in your garage or that washing machine that can no longer be repaired will have something in common with The Love Boat.
