Viking today announced that American chemist, emergency room physician and recently retired NASA astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher will be honored as godmother to its fifth ocean ship, which will debut in July 2018. The new ship has been named Viking Orion¨ after the prominent constellation and in honor of Dr. Fisher’s contributions to NASA’s Orion exploration vehicle project.
The announcement was first made by Viking Chairman, Torstein Hagen, during a press conference in New York City celebrating the first call in Manhattan for the company’s third ship, Viking Sky¨.
The 930-guest Viking Orion reached a major construction milestone last week, when the ship met water for the first time during her Òfloat outÓ ceremony at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard. Dr. Fisher attended the September 28 ceremony and assisted with several maritime traditions. Viking Orion will spend her maiden year sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean, before making her way to Asia, Australia and then Alaska.
ÒVikings were the original long-distance explorers and the first to use the stars and constellations as a way to navigate uncharted territory,Ó said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. ÒThe spirit of exploration is at the heart of everything we do, and so I am especially proud that an astronaut will be honoured as godmother to our new ship. Dr. Fisher is a past Viking guest, a fellow scientist and a true explorer. As one of the first women in space, she has inspired generations of curious minds, and I look forward to welcoming guests onboard Viking Orion to learn more about her impressive career in space exploration.Ó
ÒThe idea of exploring new territories has always appealed to me, whether through science or by travelling the world. I was 12 years old when I heard Alan Shepard’s voice on the radio during his sub orbital flight, and at that moment, I knew that I also wanted to explore beyond earth’s atmosphere. I knew from that young age that I wanted to be an astronaut,Ó said Dr. Fisher. ÒI always wanted to be an explorer and I am proud and honored to be godmother to Viking Orion Ð a ship that was designed to help her guests see more of the world.Ó
A float out ceremony is significant because it denotes the first time a ship touches water and moves into its final stage of construction. Viking Orion’s float out began at approximately 11:00 a.m. local time, and in keeping with maritime tradition, Dr. Fisher, as godmother to the ship, assisted with the ceremony, first Òmast stepping,Ó by welding coins under the ship mast. The commemorative coins she welded represented her birth year, as well as the birth year of Chairman Hagen.
Dr. Anna Fisher, Godmother of Viking Orion
Born in New York City and raised in Southern California, Dr. Fisher holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry, as well as a Doctor of Medicine degree, from the University of California, Los Angeles. Selected as an astronaut in January 1978, Dr. Fisher was one of the Òoriginal sixÓ women accepted into NASA’s Astronaut Training Program. Dr. Fisher became the first mother in space when she served as a mission specialist on STS-51A aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, which launched on November 8, 1984.
