Photographs © John H. Luxton 2006

Just four days after her younger and slightly larger sister called at Cóbh ASTORIA arrived on July 31, slightly earlier than scheduled catching your webmaster off guard and necessitating the arrival photos being taken from the hotel bedroom window! ASTORIA was built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft at Hamburg in 1981 as the ASTOR for Hadag Cruise Lines.  She passed to SAF Marine for a new Cape Town - Southampton Liner Service in 1984.  However, it was found that the ship's engines were not powerful enough to operate the Cape Town - Southampton schedule  and she was sold to the East German cruise company VEB Deutfracht Seereederie. Following refit she was renamed ARKONIA replacing the VOLKERFREUNDSCHAFT (now Classic International Cruises ATHENA) she is currently on charter from Astoria shipping to Transocean Tours as the ASTORIA.