History of MS Stockholm (1946) in Timeline

MS Stockholm was a Swedish American Line transatlantic ocean liner, later converted to a cruise ship, most notably remembered for its collision with the Andrea Doria in July 1956. The accident led to the sinking of the Andrea Doria near Nantucket, Massachusetts, and resulted in 46 deaths. The Stockholm, despite significant damage, remained afloat and was repaired. The incident remains a significant maritime disaster and subject of much analysis and discussion in naval history.

1941: Stockholm sunk during the war

The proceeds from the sale of Stockholm III to the Italians were used to finance the construction of the ship after the 1941 Stockholm was sunk during the war.

1944: Ship ordered

In 1944, the ship was ordered.

September 1946: Ship launched as Stockholm

On September 9, 1946, the ship was launched as the Stockholm by Götaverken in Gothenburg for the Swedish America Line (SAL).

February 1948: Maiden voyage

On February 21, 1948, the Stockholm made her maiden voyage from Gothenburg, arriving in New York on March 1.

1952: Joined by MS Kungsholm

In 1952, the Stockholm was joined on the transatlantic route by the new MS Kungsholm.

1953: Capacity Expanded by refit

In 1953, a refit expanded the Stockholm's capacity to 548 people by infilling the outdoor aft and forward end of 'A' Deck with passenger cabins.

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 Stockholm collided with the Andrea Doria off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, resulting in the sinking of the Italian liner and 46 fatalities.

1956: Refit

A later refit in 1956-57 added a cinema to the deck forward end of the main superstructure, and an outdoor pool aft.

1957: Sailing with MS Gripsholm

In 1957, with both MS Kungsholm and the new MS Gripsholm sailing, the smaller Stockholm was started to be seen as too small and not meeting the current standards of the line.

May 1959: Ship sold to German company

In May 1959, the 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 January 3, 1960, the Stockholm was transferred to the East German government and renamed Völkerfreundschaft.

February 1960: New maiden voyage

On February 23, 1960, Völkerfreundschaft made her new maiden voyage and was home-ported in Rostock, Germany.

1960: Transferred to new company

In 1960, the ship was transferred to the new German company.

1961: Ports Restricted

When the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, all ports were restricted to communist countries only, which greatly limited sailing routes.

1964: Management by the Free German Trade Union Federation

In 1964, the ship was put under the management of the Free German Trade Union Federation, and would be chartered out to western European countries for a majority of the year.

1967: Chartered by Stena Line

In 1967, Stena Line chartered the ship for Swedish passengers for half of the year. The ship would do this annually until sold in 1985.

1968: Collision with Bundesmarine submarine chaser

In 1968, the Bundesmarine submarine chaser Najade rammed the Völkerfreundschaft during its rescue of East German defector Manfred Semmig.

1970: Defection near Florida Keys

In 1970, a machinist and three medical researchers leapt off the Cuba-bound ship near the Florida Keys and were rescued.

1975: Losses

The ship saw continued losses, which reached 70 million East German marks between 1975 and 1980.

1979: Appearance in film

In 1979, the Völkerfreundschaft appeared as the luxury liner Astoria in the East German film Die Rache des Kapitäns Mitchell.

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1980: Losses

The ship saw continued losses, which reached 70 million East German marks between 1975 and 1980.

January 1983: Collision with submarine U-26

On January 21, 1983, the ship collided with West German Navy submarine U-26 in the Baltic Sea off the Fehmarn Belt.

1985: Ship sold due to age and losses

In 1985 the ship was sold due to its age and continued losses, which reached 70 million East German marks between 1975 and 1980.

1985: Transfer to Panamanian company and renaming

In 1985, the ship 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 was later used as a barracks ship in Oslo for asylum seekers in Norway.

1989: Sold to Star Lauro Lines

In 1989, the ex-Stockholm was officially sold to the Italian Star Lauro Lines, who intended to convert the liner into a luxury cruise ship.

1993: Towed to Genoa

In 1993, the ex-Stockholm was towed to a shipyard in Genoa, Italy, Andrea Doria's home port.

1994: Refit Completed

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, after Festival Cruises' plans fell through, the ship was sold to a Portuguese-based operator.

2005: Renamed Athena

In 2005, the Caribe was renamed Athena and registered in Portugal.

October 2006: Caught in Hurricanes

In October 2006, on a transatlantic cruise, the Athena was caught in two violent hurricanes, causing a fatality and a near mutiny.

December 3, 2008: Attack by pirates

On December 3, 2008, the Athena was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, but the crew repelled them with water cannons.

2009: Chartered to Phoenix Reisen

In 2009, the ship was chartered to German cruise operator Phoenix Reisen and repainted in the company colors.

September 2012: Detained in Marseille

On September 17, 2012, reports announced that the Athena and Princess Danae were detained in Marseille, France, for unpaid fuel bills.

2013: Bought by Portuscale Cruises

Early in 2013, the Athena was bought by Portuscale Cruises and renamed Azores and revamped in Marseille.

March 2014: Charter Begins

In March 2014, the charter began with a cruise from Lisbon, Portugal, to Bremerhaven, Germany.

November 2014: Charter Ends

In November 2014, the charter concluded in Genoa, Italy.

January 2015: Voyage from Avonmouth Docks

Her first voyage for Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) was from Avonmouth Docks to the Caribbean in January 2015.

April 2015: Blocked from Port

In April 2015, the ship was blocked from port due to unpaid debts, stranding passengers aboard until the issue was resolved.

March 2016: Service as Astoria begins

In March 2016, the ship began service as the Astoria under Cruise & Maritime Voyages.

March 2016: Renamed Astoria

In March 2016, the ship was renamed Astoria by Cruise & Maritime Voyages.

May 2016: Subchartered to Rivages du Monde

From May 2016 until March 2017, the Astoria 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: Astoria to remain in CMV fleet

In February 2017, CMV announced that Astoria would remain in the CMV fleet until 2018.

March 2017: End of subcharter

From May 2016 until March 2017, the Astoria was subchartered to French tour operator Rivages du Monde.

April 27, 2017: Final cruise

In June 2016, CMV announced that Astoria would be leaving the CMV fleet after her final cruise on April 27, 2017, from London Tilbury.

2018: Planned departure from CMV fleet

In February 2017, CMV announced that Astoria would remain in the CMV fleet until 2018.

December 2019: Winter cruising of the Sea of Cortez scheduled

In December 2019, Astoria was scheduled to begin winter cruising the Sea of Cortez from Puerto Peñasco, Mexico.

January 2020: Winter cruising ends due to delays

In January 2020, winter cruising ended due to unspecified delays in dry dock.

June 2020: Crew hunger strike and vessel arrest

In June 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and CMV's bankruptcy, 47 Astoria crew members began a hunger strike, demanding unpaid wages and repatriation. The vessel was subsequently arrested by UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency officers in June 2020, preventing it from leaving UK jurisdiction without repatriating stranded foreign crew members.

September 2020: Bow and anchors discovered

In September 2020, Atlantic Wreck Salvage discovered the Stockholm's bow and anchors near the Andrea Doria's final resting place.

December 2020: Astoria towed to Rotterdam

In December 2020, Astoria was towed to Rotterdam and laid up.

2020: Company ceased operations

In 2020, Cruise & Maritime Voyages ceased operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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, The Roundtable LLC purchased the ship with the intent to return Astoria to service.

February 2022: Ship breaks loose and crashes

In February 2022, the ship 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, the ship was listed for sale on the online yacht sale platform Yachtworld, reduced to $5 million.

January 2023: Owner confirms attempts to sell

In January 2023, Astoria's owner confirmed they were continuing their attempts to make a sale for continued trading.

June 2025: Sold for scrap

In June 2025, after being laid up for several years in Rotterdam, the Astoria was sold for scrap.

June 2025: Auction and sale to Galloo

In June 2025, the ship, still laid up in Rotterdam, was again auctioned and sold for €200,000 to the sole bidder, the ship scrapping company Galloo, based at Ghent, Belgium.