The 'Cannibal Rat-Infested Ghost Ship' meme stems from the 2013-2014 media frenzy surrounding the MV Lyubov Orlova, a derelict Russian cruise ship lost at sea. Sensationalist headlines claimed the vessel was drifting toward the UK, populated only by starving rats forced to eat each other to survive. This morbidly absurd scenario captured the internet's imagination, evolving into a metaphor for unstoppable, chaotic disasters or a personification of the 'worst-case scenario.' On social media, it is often used to describe overwhelming bad luck, impending global catastrophes, or simply to mock sensationalist tabloid journalism through dark humor.