The world's oldest cruise survived pirate siege and crash, but STILL operated for 70 years before disaster ended it
THE world's oldest cruise ship survived a pirate siege but was scrapped after 75 years of service.
MV Astoria with an incredible and rich history left its glory days behind as it headed for its final journey.
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From transporting the German Communist Party to serving as a barracks for asylum seekers, this beautiful floating palace had seen several owners change over the decades.
The ship was launched in 1946 for the Swedish America Line and was designed to carry 395 passengers and 3,000 tons of cargo.
The passenger ferry had begun its maiden voyage in 1948, crossing the transatlantic route to New York.
Ten years later, the cruise would be upgraded with a newly installed outdoor pool and cinema.
But shortly afterwards the ship collided with another liner, which would become one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history.
In 1956 the ship crashed into the Italian liner Andrea Dorea.
Cruise ships rotting
THE world is full of wrecks of enormous ocean liners, many left to rot in their watery graves, others simply abandoned in their old age.
The MS Astor
Before its demise, this enormous cruise ship was the epitome of luxury, traveling the world with its state-of-the-art facilities.
Now it has been left to crumble and Haunting photos show the inside of the spookybut impressive abandoned ship.
The galaxy
Located deep in the jungle on an idyllic island Bali sits a floating abandoned hotel with a dark and tragic past.
The Galaxy Hotel is one renovated seven-story cruise ship which was suddenly and mysteriously shut down and left to rot.
Aliağa Shipyard
Turkey is home to one of the the world's largest ship cemeterieswhere more than 670 abandoned boats have perished, including huge cruise ships such as the MS Astor.
The Aliağa Shipyard (pictured above) is where ships are torn apart, stripped of all their value and left to rot.
Aurora
A ship once considered the 'jewel of Germany' remained in disrepair for decades The brave man decided to save it.
Christopher Willson bought the cruise ship — complete with 85 cabins — on Craigslist more than 14 years ago — and the painstaking renovations are only half complete.
The ship also had a short career Hollywood after it was a filming location for the 1963 James Bond film 'From Russia with Love'.
Although the MV Astoria survived the wreck, the other ship suffered an even more devastating fate: it capsized and was sunk the next morning.
The wreck had earned it the nickname “La nave della morte”, which translates to the ship of death.
Fortunately, the loss of life was averted thanks to the nearby ships that provided timely assistance.
Despite having a crippled bow, Astoria ultimately rescued and transported 327 passengers and 245 crew from the other cruise ship.
But Astoria's incredible journey continued, after witnessing the founding of the Berlin Wall and passed into the hands of the German Communist Party.
The liner also found itself in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis while en route to Havana and had to be closely monitored by US military airplanes.
After another transfer of ownership, the ship was converted into a reception center for asylum seekers in Oslo in 1985.
But the liner's fascinating story didn't end there: Astoria survived another dramatic turn of events.
In 2008, the cruise survived a pirate siege in the infamous Gulf of Aden, surrounded by 29 boats, and emerged unscathed.
The crew defended the ship by firing high-pressure water cannons at the attackers before continuing the journey.
Astoria's long and incredible historical journey came to an end in 2020 when the owner company declared bankruptcy due to the cessation of operations during the pandemic.
When rumors started circulating that a cryptocurrency billionaire would take over Astoria, there was a glimmer of hope that the ship would return to its former glory.
But those dreams were short-lived and the ship still lies on the decks of the Netherlands to this day.
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