By
Elizabeth Robinson |
Retired NASA astronaut Dr Anna Fisher has named Viking Cruises’ fifth ship Viking Orion during a ceremony in Livorno, Italy.
The 930-passenger ship was delivered to Viking last week and is currently sailing a maiden voyage with Fisher, her ceremonial godmother.
Named after the prominent constellation and in honour of Fisher’s work on NASA’s Orion exploration vehicle project, Viking Orion will continue her maiden season sailing itineraries in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean this summer before heading east to sail Viking’s newest itineraries in Asia, Australia and Alaska.
During the naming ceremony, Fisher offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for Viking Orion and used an historic Viking broad axe to cut a ribbon that allowed a bottle of Norwegian aquavit to break on the ship’s hull. Guests were then treated to a high-tech show and musical concert that celebrated Nordic mythology.
British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes was the narrator for the event, introducing musical performances from Italian tenor Antonio Corianò, Norwegian bukkehorn musician Sissel Morken Gullord and Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø, who will also be godmother to Viking Jupiter, which debuts in early 2019.
“Today is a proud day for the entire Viking family,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking. “Just three years ago we launched our first ocean ship, and now we are welcoming our fifth ship, whose name was selected to honour both the original Viking explorers who used the constellations for long-distance navigation, as well as the great space explorers of our time. We are grateful for Dr Fisher’s many contributions to the scientific community, and we are humbled that she is godmother to Viking Orion. The spirit of exploration is at the heart of the Viking way of travel, and we look forward to welcoming guests onboard our newest ship, which has been designed to offer opportunities for learning about the great history of space exploration.”