On January 3, 1960, the Free German Trade Unions Confederation of East Germany, bought the STOCKHOLM, and renamed her VOLKERFREUNDSCHAFT, which means "International Friendship". The VEB Deutsche Seerederei, Rostock, took over the management of the ship, and used her for cruising. Occasionally, she would make western news headlines as crew or passengers would jump ship in order to avoid returning to communist East Germany.

After a state-wide reorganization of shipping in the East German state in 1974, the VOLKERFREUNDSCHAFT ex STOCKHOLM was transferred to her new owners-VEB Deutfracht/Serederei. A brief return to her Swedish roots occured around this time, when she was chartered by the Swedish Stena Line to do a 33 day cruise to the Caribbean. A few of these cruises had been organized by Sweden to offer frost bitten Swedes a tropical respite from the long, harsh winters.

By 1984 the VOLKERFREUNDSCHAFT was beginning to accumulate losses in profit for her owners,and in 1985 she was transferred to the Panamanian company "Neptunas Rex Enterprises". Her name was reduced to VOLKER,and by the end of the year she was laid up in Southampton, England.

The ships next move was to Oslo, Norway, where she had been towed to from England under yet another name-FRIDTJOF NANSEN. In Oslo, she served as a barracks ship,h ousing refugees seeking asylum in Norway.

Eventually the former Swedish liner was purchased by Star Lauro of Naples. She was, again, towed to Genoa where she received a chilly response from the Italian press fo her part in the ANDREA DORIA disaster over 30 years before. The" NANSEN" was then laid up in Genoa until 1992, when her first major rebuilding from the hull line up began.

In 1993 ITALIA became her new name. The following year, a new line formed-Nina Cia. Di Navigazione,which bought the ITALIA, and augmented her name to, ITALIA PRIMA. She underwent a remarkable refit, and emerged as an almost new ship.

In 1995, she was charterd by the well known Neckermann und Reisen of Germany; a tour and cruise charter company.

In 1999, she was renamed VALTUR PRIMA, sailing in the Caribbean, calling at Havana, Cuba, among other ports.

Sold in 2004 to Compagnia di Navigazione, Italy. Renamed ATHENA

Bibliography:
1) Great Passenger Ships of the World; Arnold Kludas
2) Fifty Famous Liners 3; Bill Miller and Frank O. Braynard
3) Steamboat Bill magazine-published by the Steamship Historical Society of America, 1995, 1996.