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End of the line for fabled ship

 

The world's oldest cruise ship, and one with a storied and tragic history, will soon be scrapped.

The ship, which began its career as Stockholm, sailing for the Swedish-American Line in 1948 survived the 1956 collision at sea that sank the liner Andrea Doria. Its bow, strengthened to deflect icebergs, may have saved it in that collision.

Arriving in New York after the collision with Andrea Doria

After repairs, it returned to service, and in 1960 was sold to become East Germany's only cruise ship under the name Volkerfreundschaft, or People's Friendship. It's changed hands several times since then and has had various reconfigurations for cruising; since 2016, it's been Astoria for the British operator Cruise and Maritime Voyages, which closed during the pandemic.

The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectations

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