The tragedy of an American ship in Kuwait

Kuwait Times

2 days ago

Seeing a hotel ship grounded on land was unlike anything Dr Roland Schregle had witnessed before. 'It's not something you see every day,' he said, referring to Kuwait's once-popular floating hotel - the Kuwait Marriott Hotel, later renamed Ramada Al Salam. When he first came across the ship during a summer break visiting his parents - who worked at the German embassy in Kuwait from 1994 to 1997 - it was already damaged and worn. 'Even in that state, some of Santa Paula's former glory still shone through,' he added, referring to the ship's original name. The sight was compelling enough for him to photograph the site whenever he passed by the area where it was docked in Shuwaikh.
Like many cherished landmarks from that era, the ship was heavily damaged by Iraqi forces during the invasion and never fully recovered. But the scenery was even much more depressing for Tony Coelho, an Indian resident of Kuwait, who saw the ship in its prime. When he returned to the country in 1992 after the invasion, he passed by what was left of it — and was stunned by the sight. 'It was all black,' he recalled. 'Like a bomb had hit the ship.'
It was hard to believe this was the same place where he had danced beneath chandeliers until 1 am at a friend's wedding in the late '80s — a place that was once filled with light, laughter, and music. Coelho vividly remembered his first time aboard. 'My wife and I had never seen anything like it before — a ship that looked like a five-star hotel,' he said. He wasn't the only one who fondly remembered the place. Ghada Abu Jbara, a Palestinian resident of Kuwait, recalled attending a wedding celebration there. 'Forty years later, and I still remember that day — it truly felt like a journey abroad,' she said.
Photo of the hotel before destruction by Claudia Al-Rashoud.
Photo of the hotel before destruction by Claudia Al-Rashoud.
Photo of the hotel post destruvtion by Claudia Al Rashoud.
'We've traveled to Spain and Egypt, eaten at countless buffets — but we've never come across food like that. Especially the grilled shrimp — it was unforgettable.' Even though it was a five-star hotel, she said, 'the food and service felt like ten.' 'It was the first and last ocean liner hotel in Kuwait,' said Claudia Al-Rashoud, a Kuwait-based photojournalist who visited the ship before it was destroyed. She still remembers the beautiful view from the hotel's windows — overlooking the shipping lanes, with huge ships passing by regularly. One of her favorite spots was a small lounge in the ship's bow. 'I used to take my boys there for ice cream,' she said.
Al-Rashoud believes the hotel still holds a place in many people's memories. 'A lot of the older generation remember it well,' she said. What many may not realize, however, is just how far the ship had traveled before arriving in Kuwait. According to Dr. Reuben Goossens, a maritime historian and expert on classic ocean liners, the ship was originally built in 1957 in the United States by Newport News Shipbuilding and began its life as the SS Santa Paula, a luxury ocean liner and cruise ship. She had a sister ship, the SS Santa Rosa, and both replaced earlier vessels with the same names.
Designed by the naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox, the Santa Paula was modern for its time — with aluminum interiors for fire safety, spacious lounges, and outside cabins with private bathrooms. The ship sailed routes from New York to Central and South America and the Caribbean, serving both as a passenger liner and a cruise ship.
By the early 1970s, both ships were retired. But Santa Paula's story didn't end there. In 1976, the Marriott Group, along with four Kuwaiti partners, purchased the ship and converted it into a floating hotel. It arrived in Kuwait in 1978 and was permanently docked. In February 1980, it opened as the Kuwait Marriott Hotel. The ship was renamed Ramada Al Salam about ten years later, but her time was cut short during the 1990 Iraqi invasion, when the ship was bombed and set on fire. The damage was too extensive, and the ship was declared a total loss. It was later sold as scrap.
Some of its parts, however, were salvaged and used in the refitting of her sister ship, Santa Rosa, which continued sailing for some time under the name SS The Emerald. 'It had everything — spas, tennis courts, a full hotel service. Of course, the rooms were smaller than usual, because it was a ship,' said Abdullatif, a 70-year-old Palestinian expat. 'But it was really fun. Everyone wanted to go there.' A Kuwaiti woman who used to frequent the hotel described it as 'very decent and classy — the first of its kind in Kuwait. 'I used to go there to do my hair,' she said.
Another Lebanese resident Aisha Dabbous remembered the shock of returning to find the hotel destroyed. 'It was burned by the Iraqis. I always thought maybe they could renovate it... but I guess it was damaged beyond repair.' She had gone several times, but a special visit stood out: breakfast with her family, after her brother passed an important exam. When Schregle later learned from Kuwaiti friends that the ship had been dismantled in the early 2000s, he was deeply saddened. 'To me, it was the most poignant reminder of the Gulf War still visible during my time there. Even though it was an eyesore, hearing that the ship was broken up marked the loss of another landmark from Kuwait's golden age — gone forever.'