Any One Sail the 'Ship Killer' MS Athena/Valtur Prima/Italia Prima etc.??

[woodofpine]

I've not but his ship has an amazing history.

 

Built in '46 as the MS Stockholm, she was the collision killer of the Andrea Doria in '56. After conversions she was run by the East Gremans as a Red cruise ship, then was in the Cuban cruise market several years ago, then as Athena survived a vigorous pirate attach off Somalia in '08... I think she cruises the Aussie Far East market today...?

 

Anyone been on her and can comment?

[Conte Di Savoia]

Anyone been on her and can comment?

 

We made a Caribbean cruise on her in March of 2001 when she was Valtur Prima. The passengers were mostly European but there were a fair number of North Americans as well.

 

There is little of Swedish-American Line's Stockholm to be found aboard the ship. The Italians bought her and stripped her down to the hull which of course retains it prominent shear. The dining room still had the original configuration of a double row of portholes, i.e. one over one. At that time the menu was mostly Italian since many of the passengers were from Italy. Valtur is a kind of Club Med for Italians and they had chartered the ship. The public rooms were all in a contemporary style, lots of brass. The entertainment was international in character, not the splashy shows that are seen on large modern ships. The staterooms were very comfortable, nicely decorated although of small size. The tubs in all the bathrooms were powered with jet whirlpools.

 

I think the average American cruiser would not appreciate her but I, as an ocean liner fanatic, thought it was lots of fun to be aboard her and stare at that hull which sliced into Andrea Doria back in July of 1956.

 

Here is a picture of her from our trip.

[woodofpine]

Thanks for the reply and picture! Ship history is fascinating and this one's must rank near the top. She must be one of the oldest passenger ships out there, although she looks fresh and well maintained in your picture. Thanks again.

[janneke]

Woodofpine

as you said "she looks fine and well maintained"

I WAS on her for a 15 day cruise to the Azores, and i can tell you she does not look that fine at all.

I saw many rusty spots , especially round the anker holes and around the portholes, saw leaky ceilings, rotten teak deckplanks that squirt rusty water out when you step on them, soot in the morning, repaired carpeting, etc.

She is also not very stable and keeps rocking and rolling constantly, requiring a few "touristil" pills to keep the stomach under control. And the sea wasn't even rough! I compare her with the HAL Rotterdam who ploughs through the waves without a blink. In this case size matters.

Also she is not very cheap for a three star ship. I paid 2660 eur pp for a 15 day cruise with the Ath. In july i paid 2200 eur pp on a HAL ship for a 13 day Baltic cruise. Not much of a difference, huh? The food is very simple and the wine list is short.

In my opinion she deserves a one way ticket to Alang in India for recycling.

JP

Edited October 12, 2011 by janneke

[leonardofan]

Remarkably, Classic International Cruises has done what they said and

brought the whole fleet up to current SOLAS regulations.

 

Athena is scheduled for a full season from November to April from Fremantle.

[ISS]

Just been for a short cruise on this interesting old ship which has been doing several cruises out of the UK for the British coach holiday company Shearings.

 

Very nice old ship, very well maintained too for her age.

 

Crew were excellent infact they were very attentive. I am a bit of a Fred Olsen fan but would rate crew performance as better than Fred.

 

Click here for views posted on my web site:

 

http://www.irishseashipping.com/photofeatures/shipco/cic/athena_ob/athena_ob.htm

[Conte Di Savoia]

Thanks for posting the pictures taken on your recent cruise. She looks pretty much as she did when we were on her in 2001. It's good to see that the old girl is still out there cruising, especially since more and more of the older ships are rapidly disappearing in Alang or China....I'm thinking Oceanic.

[ISS]

Thanks for posting the pictures taken on your recent cruise. She looks pretty much as she did when we were on her in 2001. It's good to see that the old girl is still out there cruising, especially since more and more of the older ships are rapidly disappearing in Alang or China....I'm thinking Oceanic.

 

ATHENA will be operating several trips for Shearings again next year in the UK - in September.

 

Glad I got my trip in this year as I don't have any time off in September.

 

However, if anyone wants a trip on a real ship rather than a floating holiday camp give ATHENA a go.

[umtali]

Currently the whole fleet of Classic International are held under arrest pending the company going into receivership for unpaid bills, (wages,fuel etc..), "Athena" is at Marseilles(?) I think.

 

Re the first post on this blog, the pirate attack offf Somalia was, according to the Master of "Athena", and the spin doctors of the company nothing but..."friendly fisherman waving at the ship as it went by".

 

As an eyewitness to the event, they were not fisherman, but there was no concerted effort by them to board the ship. Which was just as well, as the hoses that had been deployed had enough pressure to possibly dampen a small fire in an even smaller dustbin. Pathetic. It was exciting though and a hell of a story to relate.

[seal13il]

Howdy All,

 

Came across this thread by mistake....but I was the Chief Security Officer for the Italia Prima for a nearly amazing year back in the 90s....