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Inside Saddam Hussein’s four-story, 18-room mega-yacht, never used by the tyrant, which has now been converted into a scientific research ship.
- The yacht ‘Basra Breeze’ is now used as the Scientific Research Center for marine sciences at the University of Basra
- It was built in 1980 in Denmark, but was never used by Iraq’s fifth president, Saddam Hussein, before his death.
- The images offer a peek inside the yacht, including the dictator’s private quarters, a dining room and views of the sea.
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Stunning footage shows the inside of Saddam Hussein’s megayacht, which has now been converted into a scientific research ship.
The 82-meter (270-foot) yacht was nicknamed ‘Basra Breeze’ and is now used as the Scientific Research Center of Basra University’s Institution of Marine Sciences.
A look inside the yacht shows the dictator’s private quarters, a king-size bedroom with silk curtains and a gold-accented bathroom in photos taken on January 17.
There’s even a hair salon, a dry cleaner, and a first aid room spread over the four floors.
Stunning footage shows the inside of Saddam Hussein’s mega-yacht, which has now been converted into a scientific research ship (pictured January 17)
The ship is equipped with a presidential suite comprising Saddam’s private quarters, dining rooms and bedrooms.
The new images offer a glimpse of the ship designed for Saddam Hussein, though he never set foot on board.
The deputy director of the Basra museum previously said the yacht is an opportunity for “future generations to see how a dictator lived.”
Construction of the yacht, which Saddam Hussein never set foot on, began in Denmark in 1980 and was completed a year later.
Iraqi President Saddam was overthrown in 2003 during the US-led invasion of Iraq and hanged three years later for crimes against humanity.
Successive governments struggled to find a use for the ship, but it has now been converted into a scientific research ship.
In 2018 it was put on the market for 30 million dollars but the government never found a buyer.
The sister ship of the Basra Breeze, al-Mansur, which Hussein also never boarded, sank in the Shatt al-Arab canal in Basra after it was attacked by US planes.
Visitors to the yacht took photos of the long dining table, which seats more than 30 guests, in a room with low ceilings and views of the sea.
The 82-meter (270-foot) yacht is nicknamed the ‘Basra Breeze’ and is now used as the Scientific Research Center of the Basra University Marine Science Institution.
The yacht has 18 rooms, including those that were intended to be the dictator’s private quarters.
Construction of the yacht, which Saddam Hussein never set foot on, began in Denmark in 1980 and was completed a year later.
A second bedroom has dark blue accents in the bedding and drapes, as well as an old-fashioned television.
The ship has been converted into a scientific research vessel after going up for sale for $30 million but did not sell.