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His
hospitality was legendary, his charm mythical, his prowess unstoppable,
his power formidable, his fortune unsurpassed. In 1954 Aristotle Socrates
Onassis created the greatest yacht of all, Christina. Named after
his beloved daughter, she was a sleek, 325-foot, shimmering-white masterpiece
proudly displaying the Onassis signature, the yellow funnel. While the
ship had begun life in 1943 as the Canadian naval frigate Stormont, a
convoy escort, Onassis purchased her in 1948 for just $34,000 and converted
her during the early 1950’s into the most sumptuous private yacht
that the world had ever seen, at the cost of more than $4 million.
Whether
he was in Monaco or at Skorpios, his private Greek island, Onassis’
real home was Christina. His first wife, shipping heiress Tina
Livanos, said, “The yacht is his real passion. He is like a housewife
fussing over it, constantly looking to see that everything is impeccable.”
Impeccable indeed—a crew member once explained, “You could
smash up a $20,000 speedboat into pieces and not a word would be said,
but spit on the Christina’s deck, and you were out of a job.”
At the
time of Onassis’ death in 1975, the ship was turned over to his
daughter and only heir, Christina. She donated the vessel to the Greek
government for use as the presidential yacht in 1978. Sadly, the Argo
(as the Greek government renamed her) was little used and eventually fell
into despair.
In keeping
with all good Greek tragedies, a new administration tried to sell the
yacht in the early 1990’s, for upwards of $16 million. Interested
parties emerged, but it seemed no one was willing to pay that sum for
what would obviously end up costing much more during the refit stage.
The Greek administration gradually lowered the price throughout the decade,
and it finally appeared that all was well for Christina in 1996
when she was sold to an American, Alexander Blastos, for $2.2 million.
But the Greek government revoked his ownership a few months later—although
the government wouldn’t elaborate, the Associated Press reported
that Blastos’ $220,000 deposit check bounced—and the yacht
continued to languish. (Blastos was later imprisoned for wire fraud relating
to his attempts to purchase the yacht.)
All
was not lost, however. In 1998 John Paul Papanicolaou, a Greek national
in the shipping business and an old friend of the Onassis family who had
cruised aboard the yacht as a child, secured the yacht at a new government-sponsored
auction. He made it his goal to rebuild Christina in a way that
would have awed Onassis himself, renaming her Christina O as a
tribute.
Proudly
embarking on the most extensive refit project ever launched, and using
his considerable knowledge and shipping background, Papanicolaou assembled
a gifted team of experts. Naval architect Costas Carabelas spearheaded
the group. Interior architecture and construction were done by Apostolos
Molindris and Decon, respectively. The refit work was executed by Viktor
Lenac, a Croatian shipyard.
A major
priority was enhancing the physical integrity of the yacht and repowering
her. Upgrading systems and reconfiguring her interior were also key. The
initial survey showed that 65 tons of steel in the hull needed to be replaced.
When she was put in dry dock, it actually turned out to be 560 tons. Fifty-six
miles of new wiring and 140 tons of pipe work were replaced. This large
task, along with the refurbishment and redecoration of gathering spaces,
was stunningly accomplished in only 16 months, with more than 1.2 million
man-hours and at a cost of more than $50 million. Now she was ready for
charter and cruises for an exclusive worldwide clientele.
On the
technical front, to improve her efficiency, the original 1943 steam engines
and boilers were removed. Two new MAN diesel engines and three MAN gensets
were installed. She now has a cruising speed of 18 knots and a top speed
of 22—not bad, considering Onassis cruised at 14 knots and could
rev her up to 24.
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