History of MS Stockholm (1946) in Timeline
MS Stockholm was a Swedish transatlantic ocean liner, later converted into a cruise ship. It is primarily known for its collision with the Italian liner Andrea Doria in July 1956 off Nantucket. This accident led to the sinking of the Andrea Doria and the loss of 46 lives. The Stockholm, despite significant damage, remained afloat and was later repaired. The incident remains a notable maritime disaster.
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1941: Stockholm III Sold
In 1941, Stockholm III was sold to the Italians, the proceeds of which were later used to finance the construction of the ship after the 1941 Stockholm was sunk during the war.
1944: Ship Ordered
In 1944, the ship that would become the MS Stockholm was ordered.
September 1946: Launched as Stockholm
On 9 September 1946, the ship was launched as Stockholm by Götaverken in Gothenburg for the Swedish America Line (SAL).
February 1948: Maiden Voyage
In February 1948, the MS Stockholm made her maiden voyage under Captain Waldemar Jonsson, departing from Gothenburg and arriving in New York on March 1.
1952: Joined by MS Kungsholm
In 1952, the MS Stockholm was joined on the transatlantic route by the new MS Kungsholm (1952).
1953: Capacity Expanded
In 1953, a refit expanded Stockholm's capacity to 548 people by infilling the outdoor aft and forward end of "A" Deck with passenger cabins. Scheduled for occasional cruises starting in 1953 out of Morehead City, North Carolina cruising to Havana, Nassau, and Bermuda.
February 1955: Deportation of Arne Pettersen
In February 1955, the Stockholm was used to deport Arne Pettersen, the last person to go through Ellis Island, to Gothenburg, Sweden.
July 1956: Collision with Andrea Doria
In July 1956, the MS Stockholm collided with the Andrea Doria, an Italian liner, off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The collision resulted in the sinking of the Andrea Doria and 46 fatalities.
1956: Refit Added Cinema and Pool
In 1956, a refit added a cinema to the deck forward end of the main superstructure, and an outdoor pool aft.
1957: Arrival of MS Gripsholm
In 1957, with both MS Kungsholm and the new MS Gripsholm (1957) sailing, the smaller Stockholm was seen as too small and not meeting the current standards of the line.
May 1959: Ship Sold
In May 1959, the MS Stockholm was sold to an unidentified German company.
1959: Ship's Bell Recovered
In 1959, the Stockholm's damaged ship's bell was recovered from the Andrea Doria wreck site.
January 1960: Transferred to East German Government
On 3 January 1960, Stockholm was transferred to the East German government for 20 million Swedish krona, and renamed Völkerfreundschaft.
1960: Transferred to New Company
In 1960, the ship was transferred to the new company after finishing the year sailing with Swedish American Line to New York.
1961: Berlin Wall Impact on Sailing Routes
In 1961, when the Berlin Wall went up, all ports were restricted to communist countries only, greatly limiting Völkerfreundschaft's sailing routes.
1964: Management Under Trade Union Federation
In 1964, Völkerfreundschaft was put under the management of the Free German Trade Union Federation, but was chartered out to western European countries for a majority of the year.
1967: Chartered by Stena Line
In 1967, Stena Line chartered Völkerfreundschaft for Swedish passengers for half of the year, continuing annually until 1985.
1968: Collision with Bundesmarine Submarine Chaser
In 1968, the Bundesmarine submarine chaser Najade rammed Völkerfreundschaft during the rescue of East German defector Manfred Semmig.
1975: Losses Started Accumulating
Starting in 1975, Völkerfreundschaft started accumulating losses, which reached 70 million East German marks between 1975 and 1980.
1979: Appearance in Die Rache des Kapitäns Mitchell
In 1979, Völkerfreundschaft made an appearance as the luxury liner Astoria in the East German film "Die Rache des Kapitäns Mitchell [de]".
1980: Losses Reached 70 Million Marks
By 1980, Völkerfreundschaft's losses reached 70 million East German marks between 1975 and 1980.
January 1983: Collision with U-26 Submarine
On 21 January 1983, Völkerfreundschaft collided with West German Navy submarine U-26 in the Baltic Sea off the Fehmarn Belt.
1985: Sold Due to Age and Losses
In 1985, Völkerfreundschaft was sold due to its age and continued losses, which reached 70 million East German marks between 1975 and 1980.
1985: Transferred to Panamanian Company
In 1985, Völkerfreundschaft was transferred to a Panamanian company, Neptunas Rex Enterprises, and her name was reduced to Volker. By the end of the year, she was laid up in Southampton, England. The ship was also renamed Fridtjof Nansen and later used as a barracks ship in Oslo for asylum seekers in Norway.
1989: Sold to Star Lauro Lines
In 1989, ex-Stockholm was officially sold to the Italian Star Lauro Lines, who intended to convert the liner into a luxury cruise ship.
1993: Arrival in Genoa
In 1993, ex-Stockholm was towed to a shipyard in Genoa, Italy, Andrea Doria's home port. The press labeled her "the ship of death" (La nave della morte) due to the collision with Andrea Doria.
1994: Refit Completion and Renaming
Following the completion of the refit in 1994, the ship was named Italia I, then Italia Prima. She later sailed as Valtur Prima primarily to Cuba, and was laid up in Havana following the September 11 attacks.
2002: Chartered by Festival Cruises
In 2002, the ship was chartered by Festival Cruises for a five-year period and was renamed Caribe.
2004: Sold to Portuguese Operator
In 2004, though Festival Cruises intended to sail to Cuba, the plans fell through and the ship Caribe was sold to a Portuguese-based operator.
October 2006: Caught in Hurricanes
In October 2006, on a transatlantic cruise, the ship Athena was caught in two violent hurricanes, causing a fatality and passengers threatening mutiny.
December 3, 2008: Attacked by Pirates in Gulf of Aden
On December 3, 2008, Athena was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The crew prevented the pirates from boarding by firing high-pressure water cannons at them, and the ship escaped without damage.
2009: Chartered to Phoenix Reisen
In 2009, Athena was chartered to German cruise operator Phoenix Reisen and repainted in the company colors.
2013: Bought by Portuscale Cruises and Renamed Azores
Early in 2013 Athena was bought by the recently created Portuguese cruise company Portuscale Cruises and renamed Azores.
November 2014: Charter Concluded
In November 2014, Azores charter concluded in Genoa, Italy.
January 2015: First Voyage to Caribbean
In January 2015, Azores' first voyage was from Avonmouth Docks to the Caribbean.
April 2015: Blocked from Port
In April 2015, Azores was blocked from port due to unpaid debts, stranding passengers aboard until the issue was resolved.
March 2016: Renamed Astoria
In March 2016, the ship was renamed Astoria by Cruise & Maritime Voyages.
March 2016: Service as Astoria Begins
In March 2016, the vessel, formerly known by various names, began service as the Astoria.
May 2016: Subchartered to Rivages du Monde
From May 2016, the ship was subchartered to French tour operator Rivages du Monde.
June 2016: Departure from CMV Fleet Announced
In June 2016, CMV announced that Astoria would be leaving the CMV fleet after her final cruise on April 27, 2017, from London Tilbury.
February 2017: Decision to Remain in CMV Fleet
In February 2017, CMV announced that Astoria would remain in the CMV fleet until 2018, offering a mini-season from London Tilbury.
March 2017: End of Subcharter
The subcharter of the ship to Rivages du Monde ended in March 2017.
April 27, 2017: Final Cruise Date
The planned final cruise date for Astoria from London Tilbury was April 27, 2017, but it was later changed.
2018: Planned End of CMV Fleet Stay
In 2018, Astoria was planned to leave the CMV fleet but would be charted by Rivages du Monde during the summer months.
December 2019: Astoria's winter cruising begins
In December 2019, Astoria was scheduled to begin winter cruising the Sea of Cortez from Puerto Peñasco, Mexico.
January 2020: Astoria winter cruising ends
In January 2020, Astoria's winter cruising of the Sea of Cortez ended due to unspecified delays in dry dock.
June 2020: Crew hunger strike and vessel arrest
In mid-June 2020, 47 crew members of the Astoria began a hunger strike demanding unpaid wages and repatriation, after appeals to CMV were unsuccessful. Later in June 2020, the vessel was arrested by the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency, preventing it from leaving UK jurisdiction without repatriating foreign crew members stranded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
September 2020: Bow and Anchors Discovered
In September 2020, Atlantic Wreck Salvage announced the discovery of Stockholm's bow and anchors near Andrea Doria's final resting place.
December 2020: Astoria laid up in Rotterdam
In December 2020, the Astoria was towed to Rotterdam and laid up.
2020: Cruise & Maritime Voyages ceased operations
In 2020, Cruise & Maritime Voyages ceased operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting the Astoria.
March 2021: Astoria put up for auction
On March 1, 2021, Astoria was put up for auction with a minimum sale price of €10 million.
July 2021: Astoria purchased by The Roundtable LLC
In July 2021, Astoria was purchased by The Roundtable LLC, with intentions to return it to service.
July 2021: No offers received until July 2021
Until July 2021, the auction of Astoria received no offers and the ship remained in custody.
February 2022: Ship breaks loose from moorings
In February 2022, Astoria broke loose from her moorings and crashed into the container ship Seatrade Orange during a storm.
December 2022: Ship listed for sale on Yachtworld
By December 2022, Astoria was listed for sale on the online yacht sale platform Yachtworld, with a reduced price of $5 million.
January 2023: Attempts continue to sell for continued trading
In January 2023, Astoria's owner confirmed that they were continuing their attempts to make a sale for continued trading, despite rumours of a scrap sale.
June 2025: Sold for scrap
In June 2025, after being laid up for several years in Rotterdam, the historic vessel Astoria was finally sold for scrap.
June 2025: Ship auctioned and sold to Galloo
In June 2025, the Astoria, still laid up in Rotterdam, was auctioned again and sold for €200,000 to Galloo, a ship scrapping company.
July 2025: Towed for recycling
On 4 July 2025, Astoria was towed from Rotterdam to Ghent for recycling.
July 2025: Astoria towed to Ghent for recycling
On July 3, 2025, Astoria was towed from Rotterdam to Ghent for recycling, and arrived there the next day, bringing an end to her service.
2025: Bell Removed for Scrapping
In 2025, the ship's bell was removed when the ship arrived at Ghent for scrapping.
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