Built as a passenger-cargo vessel under yard no 611 by Ab Götaverken, Göteborg, Sweden for A/B Svenska-Amerika Linien in Gothenburg.
09 September 1946 launched as the STOCKHOLM.
Tonnage 12,165 grt, 6,040 net, 4,700 dwt, dim. 160.08 x 21.04 x 7.90m. (draught).
Powered by two 8-cyl. GV diesel engines, 12,000 hp, speed 17 knots.
Capacity for 390 passengers.
October 1947 trials.
07 February 1948 delivered to owners.
21 February 1948 maiden voyage from Gothenburg to New York.
12 February 1954 rebuilt by AG Weser, Bremen. Among other things, the superstructure was rebuilt.
Tonnage 12,644 grt, 6,450 net, 4,800 dwt.
Passenger accommodation for 670 passengers.
25 July 1956 in collision with the Italian passenger liner ANDREA DORIA in position 40 30N 69 53W, the ANDREA DORIA sank with the loss of 47 persons and the STOCKHOLM damaged and lost 5 persons. The STOCKHOLM returned severely damaged to New York.
Wikipedia gives: Collision with ANDREA DORIA
26 July 1956: After colliding with ANDREA DORIA, STOCKHOLM with severely damaged bow, heads to New York.
On the night of July 25, 1956, at 11:10 pm, in heavy fog in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket, STOCKHOLM and ANDREA DORIA of the Italian Line collided in what was to become one of history's most notorious maritime disasters.
Although most passengers and crew survived the collision, the larger ANDREA DORIA luxury liner capsized and sank the following morning. Owing to the collision, 50% of ANDREA DORIA's lifeboats were unusable. However, a number of ships responded and provided assistance, which averted a massive loss of life.
Five members of STOCKHOLM's crew were killed instantly, and several more were trapped in the wrecked bow. Despite its having lost about 3 ft (0.9 m) of freeboard, the crippled STOCKHOLM helped in the rescue and ended up carrying 327 passengers and 245 crew members from ANDREA DORIA, in addition to her own passengers and crew. After ANDREA DORIA sank, STOCKHOLM sailed to New York City under her own power and arrived on July 27. There, the crushed bow portion was repaired at a cost of US$1 million three months later.
1956 Under repair by Bethlehem Steel in New York and returned to service on 05 November 1956.
15 May 1959 Sold to Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, Rostock, East Germany and registered VEB Deutsche Seereederei, Rostock.
03 January 1960 delivered to new owners and renamed VÖLKERFREUNDSCHAFT, used thereafter for cruises.
1966 – 1985 Chartered by the Stena Line for cruise voyages from Gothenburg to the Caribbean during the winter months.
April 1985 Sold to Neptunus Rex Enterprises, Panama and renamed in VOLKER.
11 December 1985 under tow arrived Southampton and “laid up”.
20 December 1986 renamed in FRIDTJOF NANSEN and towed to Oslo, to become a refugee center.
25 December 1986 arrived at Oslo.
May 1989 sold to Star Lauro Societeta per Anzoni, Naples, Italy.
06 May 1989 towed to Genoa.
27 May 1989 arrived at Genoa and laid up.
1992 Commenced modernization by the Varco Chiapella yard in Genoa.
1993 Renamed in ITALIA I, and transferred to Nina Cia di Navigazione SpA, Naples.
October 1994 Renamed in ITALIA PRIMA.
31 October 1994 commenced with the first cruises in the Mediterranean.
22 December 1995 chartered for five years by Neckermann Seereisen, and made her first cruise to the Caribbean.
06 January 1998 Neckermann Seereisen got in economic problems and the ITALIA PRIMa was laid up in Genoa.
1998 Chartered for five months as exhibition ship in Lisbon.
September 1998 chartered by Air Maritim Seereisen (Valtur Tourist) renamed in VALTUR PRIMA. Used in cruises to the Caribbean and Cuba.
2001 Laid up in Havana, Cuba.
December 2002 sold to Festival Crociere Spa, Naples and renamed in CARIBE. Plans were to use her for cruises between Havana – Mexico and Cayman Islands, but did never happen and she stayed at Havana laid up.
October 2004 laid up in Lisbon.
2004 Sold to Nina SpA, Lisbon.
07 January 2005 renamed in ATHENA.
2005 Owned by Classic International Cruises, Madeira, Portugal.
On 3 December 2008 ATHENA was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Reportedly, 29 pirate boats surrounded the ship at one stage until a US Navy P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft circled above which led some of the pirates to flee. The crew prevented the pirates from boarding by firing high-pressure water cannons at them. No one was injured and the ship escaped without damage, and continued on her voyage to Australia.
December 2008 Sold to First Quality Cruises Inc., Naples.
May 2009 Transferred to Portugal flag and registry, homeport Funchal, where after she was chartered by Phoenix Reisen.
Early in 2013 ATHENA was bought by the recently created Portuguese cruise company Portuscale Cruises and renamed AZORES. As soon as her acquisition was confirmed, she was taken to a shipyard in Marseille, where she was revamped before entering Portuscale Cruises service after completing a charter to Berlin-based Ambiente Kreuzfahrten, from whom she was chartered to Classic International to join her fleetmate PRINCESS DAPHNE. The charter began in March 2014 with a cruise from Lisbon, Portugal, to Bremerhaven, Germany, and concluded in November 2014 in Genoa, Italy.
In 2015 she entered service with Cruise & Maritime Voyages, operating her first voyage with the line from Avonmouth Docks to the Caribbean in January 2015. From May 2016 until March 2017, the ship is on charter to French tour operator Rivages Du Monde, renamed in ASTORIA. In June 2016, it was announced that ASTORIA would be leaving the CMV fleet after her final cruise on 27 April 2017 from London Tilbury. In a U-turn decision, it was announced, in February 2017, that ASTORIA would remain in the CMV fleet for a further season until 2018. She will offer a mini-season from London Tilbury, before being charted by Rivages Du Monde during the summer months.
After April 2018, CMV is advertising further cruises in Autumn 2018, and Spring and Autumn 2019.
Starting in December of 2019 she is scheduled to spend the winter cruising the Sea of Cortez from the port of Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) Mexico.
2019 In service, same name, owned by Island Cruise Transports, Lisbon and managed Cruise & Maritime Voyages, London. IMO No 5383304.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Astoria
Niger 3300F sgMS?, scott?