MS Athena
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This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. (April 2009) |
_IMO_5383304;_in_Split,_2011-10-22_(2).jpg) Athena in her current livery docked at Split. |
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | 1948—1960: Stockholm 1960—1985: Völkerfreundschaft 1985—1986: Volker 1986—1993: Fridtjof Nansen 1993—1994: Italia I 1994—1998: Italia Prima 1998—2002: Valtur Prima 2002—2005: Caribe 2005—present: Athena |
| Owner: | 1948—1960: Swedish America Line 1960—1985: VEB Deutsche Seereederei 1985—1989: Neptunus Rex Enterprises 1989—1994: StarLauro 1994—2002: Nina Cia. di Navigazione 2002—2004: Festival Cruises 2004—present: Nina SpA[1] |
| Operator: | 1948—1960: Swedish America Line 1960—1966: VEB Deutsche Seereederei 1966—1985: VEB Deutsche Seereederei (summer seasons)/Stena Line (winter seasons) 1985—1994: laid up/rebuilt 1994—1995:Nina Cia. di Navigazione 1995—1998: Neckermann Seereisen 1998: laid up 1998—2001: Valtur Tourist 2001—2002: laid up 2002—2004: Festival Cruises 2004—2005: laid up 2005—present: Classic International Cruises[1] |
| Port of registry: | 1948—1960: Gothenburg,  Sweden1960—1985: Rostock,  East Germany1985—1989: Panama City,  Panama1989—2004: Naples,  Italy2004—present: Lisbon,  Portugal[1] |
| Ordered: | October 1944[2] |
| Builder: | Götaverken, Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Yard number: | 611[1] |
| Launched: | 9 September 1946[1] |
| Christened: | 9 September 1946[2] |
| Acquired: | 7 February 1948[1] |
| In service: | 21 February 1948[1] |
| Identification: | Swedish Official Number 8926 (1948)[3] Italian Official Number 1749 (1993)[3] IMO number: 5383304 |
| Status: | Awaiting permission to depart arrest in Marseille, France. |
| General characteristics (as built)[1] | |
| Type: | Ocean liner |
| Tonnage: | 12,165 GRT 4,700 DWT |
| Length: | 160.08 m (525 ft 2 in) |
| Beam: | 21.04 m (69 ft 0 in) |
| Draught: | 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in) |
| Installed power: | 2 × 8-cylinder Götaverken diesel engines 8,900 kW (12,000 hp) (combined) |
| Speed: | 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) |
| Capacity: | 390 passengers |
| General characteristics (currently)[1] | |
| Type: | Cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 15,614 GRT |
| Decks: | 8[citation needed] |
| Installed power: | 2 × Wärtsilä 16V32 10,700 kW (14,300 hp) (combined) |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Capacity: | 556 passengers |
MS Athena is a cruise ship owned and operated by Classic International Cruises. She was built in 1948 as the Stockholm by Götaverken in Gothenburg for the Swedish America Line. Since her career with SAL she has sailed under the names 'Völkerfreundschaft, Volker, Fridtjof Nansen, Italia I, Italia Prima, Valtur Prima and Caribe, before beginning service under her current name.
As Stockholm she was best known for colliding with the Andrea Doria in 1956, resulting in the sinking of the latter ship.
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Service history[edit]
At 525 feet (160.02 m) with a gross register tonnage of 12,165 register tons, Stockholm was the smallest passenger ship operating on the North Atlantic route at the time. However, she was the largest ship built in Sweden at the time. Originally designed to carry 395 people, a 1953 refit expanded Stockholm's capacity to 548 people.
Collision with Andrea Doria[edit]
On the night of July 25, 1956, at 11:10 PM, in heavy fog in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket, the Stockholm and the Andrea Doria of the Italian Line collided in what was to become one of history's most famous 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 the Andrea Doria's lifeboats were unusable. However, a number of ships responded and provided assistance, which averted a massive loss of life.
Five crewmembers on the Stockholm were killed instantly and several more were trapped in the wrecked bow. Despite its having sunk about three feet (0.9 m), the crippled Stockholm helped in the rescue and ended up carrying 327 passengers and 245 crewmembers from the 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. The crushed bow portion was repaired at a cost of US$1 million three months later.
History after the collision[edit]
On January 3, 1960, the Stockholm was sold to the East German government, who renamed the ship Völkerfreundschaft and operated her as an ocean liner until 1985. In 1985 she was transferred to a Panamanian company "Neptunas Rex Enterprises". Her name was reduced to Volker, and by the end of the year she was laid up in Southampton, England. She was later used as a barracks ship in Oslo for asylum seekers in Norway under the name Fridtjof Nansen.
The Stockholm was sold to Italian interests in 1989 and towed to Genoa, the Andrea Doria's home port. When she first arrived, the press called the Stockholm the "ship of death" (La nave della morte). She was rebuilt from the waterline up and given a modern cruise ship design. Named the Italia I, then Italia Prima, she later sailed as Valtur Prima primarily to Cuba, and was laid up there in 2001. Acquired by Festival Cruise Line in 2002 and renamed Caribe she continued to sail to Cuba. Since 2005, the Stockholm sails as the Athena and is registered in Portugal. She is now flagged out of Cyprus operating for Classic International Cruises.
On 3 December 2008, Athena was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. There were reported to be 29 pirate boats surrounding the ship at one stage until a US Navy P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft circled above which led to 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.[4]
On 17 September 2012 reports announced that she and her fellow ship Princess Danae were detained in Marseille, France for outstanding fuel bills, it was also announced the Arion was said to be detained in Montenegro for similar issues.[5]
In June 2013 she started cruise services with the name Astoria for Black Sea and Mediterranean cruises. The Royal Caravella Cruise Lines sold her to Ukrainian interests.
Statistics[edit]
| Public rooms | Capacity | Deck |
|---|---|---|
| Olissipo Restaurant | 520 | Atlantic |
| Lotus Pool Grill | 210 | Calypso |
| Calypso Show Lounge | 480 | Calypso |
| Sirene's Bar | 150 | Calypso |
| Muses Night Club | 80 | Promenade |
| Captain's Club | 30 | Calypso |
| Tychon Card Room | 40 | Calypso |
| Ithaca Library | 16 | Calypso |
| Cyclope's Auditorium | 260 | Promenade |
| Other leisure areas | Deck |
|---|---|
| Emporio Boutique | Calypso |
| Fitness Centre | Observation |
| Beauty Salon | Observation |
| Sauna | Observation |
| Photo Shop | Calypso |
| Circe's Casino | Calypso |
| Chapel | Mediterranean |
| Medical Centre | Pacific |
| Open leisure amenities | Deck |
|---|---|
| Swimmingpool | Calypso |
| Elpinor Bar | Calypso |
| Aeolos Bar | Navigators |
| Barbecue | Calypso |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Asklander, Micke. "M/S Stockholm (1948)". Fakta om Fartyg (in in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-02-27.
- ^ a b "SAL Timeline". A tribute to the Swedish American Line. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
- ^ a b "Search results for "5383304"". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ Langmaid, Aaron (2008-12-04). "Pirates attack luxury cruise ship bound for Australia". Herald sun. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- ^ http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/7877-cic-ships-arrested-.html
6.http://www.cruisingtalk.com/threads/ships-arrested.35054/page-11 7.http://archive.traveldaily.com.au/tdarchive/CW/2013/Mar13/cw280313.pdf
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Athena |
- Classic International Cruises' page on the Athena
- Goldberg, Mark H. (2002). Ship Profile - MS Caribe. CruisePage.com. Accessed June 6, 2005.
- Ljungström, Henrik. Stockholm. The Great Ocean Liners. Accessed June 6, 2005.
- SS Maritime page detailing the name changes with photos
- Presentation of the Athena, with picture
- "Athena" – review by Douglas Ward in The Daily Telegraph, London.
http://www.royalcaravella.umi.ru
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