- Princess Diana’s Last Vacation Yacht Sinks off French Coast
- Cujo, Yacht Used by Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed, Submerges in Mediterranean
- Historic Yacht Cujo, Linked to Diana’s Summer Getaway, Sinks after Mayday Call
Cujo, which made international headlines in the summer of 1997 when Diana was entertained on board one year after her divorce from Prince Charles, sank in 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) of water.
A motor yacht used by Princess Diana and her lover Dodi Al-Fayed during their last summer vacation in the South of France before their deaths in a car accident in Paris has sunk.
On Saturday, the 19m (62ft) Cujo sank 21 miles (35km) off Beaulieu-sur-Mer after transmitting a mayday call.
The seven persons aboard the luxury vessel, which was taking on water, were rescued by teams from Antibes before the vessel sank to a depth of 2500m (8200ft) in the Mediterranean.
They were returned to the shore in safety.
As the boat submerged with 7,000 liters of diesel in its tanks, the area was monitored for pollution.
In the summer of 1997, Al-Fayed hosted Diana onboard Cujo, a year after her divorce from Prince Charles was finalized in August 1996. This event made headlines around the globe.
During that summer, Diana was also captured on Mohamed al Fayed’s yacht Sokar, which he owned at the time.
It was formerly known as Jonikal.
The Baglietto shipyard in Italy built Cujo in 1972 for industrialist John von Neumann, who wanted the fastest motor boat.
Two 18-cylinder engines provided her with a maximum speed of 42 miles.
Von Neumann then sold the vessel to the son of Saudi businessman and armaments dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who in turn sold the vessel to his cousin al Fayed.
Celebrities including Clint Eastwood, Tony Curtis, and Bruce Willis frequented St. Tropez on the French Riviera.
Cujo fell into disrepair after the deaths of Diana and Al-Fayed in the center of Paris on 31 August 1997.
She was decommissioned in 1999 and placed in storage for several years before being restored by new proprietors.
