Ear: MV Astoria

Recently there was an article title posted on MaritimeMatters.com that was an eye-catcher: “ASTORIA And The Sea Of Cortez!” by Peter Knego.

Astoria turned out to be the MV Astoria, an old-fashioned 550-passenger cruise ship with an intriguing history. Originally named Stockholm, she was built in 1948 by the Swedish American Line. The Stockholm rose to fame (or infamy) when she hit and sank the Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria off Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, in 1956, killing 46 passengers.

Despite the run-in, she sailed on as the Stockholm until 1960. But, after six more name changes, she became the Astoria in 2015, and is now operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages (bit.ly/AstoriaCortez), who provided the photo. Of note: The Stockholm’s bell has been found in the Andrea Doria wreckage debris, and is back on the liner.

By the way, Astoria’s sister ship is the 600-passenger Astor. Knego believes they are both named after John Jacob Astor — as are so many other things, including, of course, our fair city. As Knego wryly observed: “Mr. Astor sure got around!”