MV Moonta
 A postcard of the Casino Le Lydia issued before 1974. | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: |
1931-1955: Moonta 1955-1966: Lydia 1967-Present: Casino Le Lydia |
| Operator: |
1931-1955: Adelaide Steamship Company 1955-1966: Hellenic Mediterranean 1967-1974: SEMETA 1974-1988: Unknown Japanese Group 1988-1997: Alain Ferrand 2000-Present: Partouche Group |
| Builder: | Burmeister & Wain |
| Launched: | June 1931 |
| Completed: | November 21, 1931 |
| In service: | 1931 |
| Out of service: | 1967 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 2,693 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length: | 298 feet |
| Beam: | 44 feet |
| Draught: | 15.10 feet |
| Propulsion: | B&W diesels |
| Speed: | 12.5 knots |
| Capacity: | 155 passengers |
| Notes: | [1] |
MV Moonta is a 1931 built Australian coastal passenger ship. Later in life she became the landlocked casino ship and tourist attraction Casino Le Lydia in Leucate, France. 42°49′38.92″N 3°2′28.34″E / 42.8274778°N 3.0412056°E
Service Years
The Moonta was launched in June 1931 Burmeister & Wain shipyard in Copenhagen, Denmark for the Adelaide Steamship Company. She began service with a six day itinerary, disembarking in Adelaide and ending in Port Lincoln, usually with four or five calls along the way. Moonta became well known and beloved for her excellent service and relaxing voyages, being called the perfect "romantic holiday" ship. After serving in World War II the ship continued her Australian coastal service until 1955, when Moonta was sold to the Greek Hellenic Mediterranean Lines for cruise service.[2] With this her new owners doubled her passenger capacity and renamed her Lydia. She remained in Greek cruise service until 1966, when Hellenic Mediterranean laid her up.
Leisure Complex Service
In 1967 SEMETA, a company based in the French resort towns of Leucate and Barcarès bought Lydia to be the maritime symbol of a new innovative hotel opening that year. The new Casino Le Lydia was taken to Marseilles, where her propellers and engines were removed. The ship was then landlocked onto a beach in Leucate, the first building in a planned tourism complex. In 1974 a Japanese company bought Casino Le Lydia and added several new features to her. In 1997 the ship ran into trouble when the [3] The complex's features include a casino, restaurant, bar, discotheque, a pool with a waterslide, a spa, as well as an exhibition center.[4]
