Photographs © John H. Luxton 2007

The veteran 1948 ATHENA (ex Swedish America Line STOCKHOLM) is seen at County Wharf, Falmouth on August 25 awaiting passengers for the Ultimate Pelagics [www.ultimatepelagics.com] wildlife cruise to the Bay of Biscay and the Celtic Sea.  Despite her well known encounter with the Italian Line's ANDREA DORIA the ship has had a charmed life. Many ships a fraction of her age have long gone to the scrap yard though she survived the collision with the ANDREA DORIA it appears that she could finally meet her end as a consequence of SOLAS 2010. She is one of the "classic" passenger ships which may not survive the new requirements to to be implemented in in October of 2010.

STOCKHOLM was sold by Swedish America Line in 1960 to the East German Government for use as a trade union cruise ship VOLKERFREUNDSCHAFT and operated until 1985. ATHENA then had a somewhat chequered career which included use as an asylum seeker's refuge in Oslo. Following several ownership changes she was extensively refitted and chartered to Classic International Cruises on for ten years in 2004.