SS Stockholm
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There have been three ocean liners named Stockholm.
SS Stockholm
The first SS Stockholm was launched at Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany in 1899. First named SS Potsdam, the name was changed to SS Stockholm when it was sold to the Swedish America Line (SAL) in 1915. The ship was in the North Atlantic traffic for SAL until 1929, when the ship was sold to Norway and renamed Solglimt.
SS Stockholm (II)
The second SS Stockholm was launched at Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico shipyard in Italy in 1940. It was sold to the Italian government and never sailed for SAL.SS Stockholm (III)
The third SS Stockholm is an ocean liner launched in 1948 and once operated by the Swedish America Line. At 525 feet (160.4 m) with a gross tonnage of 12,165, Stockholm was the smallest passenger ship operating on the North Atlantic route. However, it 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.
This Stockholm is best known as the ship that collided with the SS Andrea Doria in 1956 (for a detailed account of that mishap, see also SS Andrea Doria).
Collision with the Andrea Doria
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. Due 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 like that suffered by the Titanic over 40 years earlier.
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 its own passengers and crew. After Andrea Doria sank, Stockholm sailed to New York City under its 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
On January 3, 1960, the Stockholm was sold to the East German government, who renamed the ship Völkerfreundschaft and operated it as an ocean liner until 1985. The ship was laid up in Southampton, though it was later used as a barracks ship for asylum seekers in Norway under the name Fridtjof Nansen.The Stockholm was sold to Italian interests in 1989. Ironically, it was given a refit in Genoa, the Andrea Doria's home port. When it first arrived, the press called the Stockholm the "ship of death." It was later gutted and given a new design resembling a modern cruise ship. Previously named the Italia I, Italia Prima, Valtur Prima and Caribe, the Stockholm currently sails as the Athena and is registered in Portugal.
References
- 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.
- [Presentation of the Athena, with picture]
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