The MV Astoria is one of the oldest cruise ships currently sailing, and Cruise and Maritime Voyages embraces the story of its vintage vessel. It even to offer lectures about the ship's fascinating past.

And now it appears that 2020 might be the storied ocean liner's final season, reports The Arizona Republic, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.

Cruise and Maritime Voyages said it will not renew its contract to use the ship and that this will be its farewell season. Astoria started 2020 with three brand-new Sea of Cortez sailings from Puerto Penasco, Mexico, and it will finish the year with trips from England in March, April, September and October.

Commissioned by the Swedish American Line in 1944, the ship originally was named the MS Stockholm and was the largest ocean liner built in Sweden at that time. It made its maiden voyage on Feb. 21, 1948, sailing from Gothenburg​ to New York.

Here's a look at memorable moments from the life of the MV Astoria.

The sinking of the Andrea Doria

The MS Stockholm is best known for its part in one of the worst maritime disasters in history.

On July 25, 1956, the Stockholm left New York for Gothenburg​. Along the coast Nantucket, Massachusetts, it encountered thick fog. The Andrea Doria, was nearby, on its way from Genoa, Italy. Both ships made last-minute turns that resulted in the Stockholm T-boning the Andrea Doria. Because the Stockholm was built as an ice-cutting ship, it sliced nearly all the way through the Andrea Doria.

The wreck killed 46 people instantly on the Doria and five crew members on the Stockholm.

The SS Ile de France was traversing the area and changed course to help rescue passengers. It saved 753 passengers from the Andrea Doria before the ship sank. Although the Stockholm's hull was badly damaged, it stayed afloat and rescued 500 passengers from the Doria.

For subscribers:What it's like to sail on the oldest cruise ship at sea

Cruises for Communist Party members

The Stockholm was rebuilt and in the 1960s and sold to the East German government and renamed Volkerfreundshaft, or "friendship between nations."

The Communist Party used the ship to give leisure cruises to party officials, sailing the Baltic Sea as well as to Cuba. To prevent defections, cruise passengers weren't allowed to travel with their entire families. However, when cruising Western waters, it was not uncommon for the ship to lose defectors fleeing to find freedom in other nations.

Sweden housed refugees on the ship

By the mid 1980s, the ship was taken out of service and renamed Volker.

However, in 1986, the Swedish government needed a ship to house an influx of refugees from Pakistan, Iran and Syria who were seeking asylum.

The Swedish government charger the ship, had it towed it to Oslo and renamed it, Fridtjof Nansen, after the Norwegian explorer.

Attacked by pirates

In 1994, the equivalent of $150 million euros was spent to renovate the ship from top to bottom.

In 2008, the ship — now the MS Athena — was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.

In 2015, Cruise and Maritime Voyages contracted to use the ship. On Jan. 9, 2020, the Astoria made the first of three 11-day sailings from Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, also known as Rocky Point. This was the first time a cruise ship operated in Puerto Peñasco.

In January 2020, the cruise line said it wouldn't renew its contract and 2020 would be the ship's farewell season after completing sailings from England to Iceland, Scotland, Norway and the Baltics.

You can connect with Arizona Republic Consumer Travel Reporter Melissa Yeager at melissa.yeager@azcentral.com. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram.