Christina O
Christina O and her tender
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: |
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| Owner: | John Paul Papanicolaou |
| Builder: | Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal |
| Laid down: | 23 December 1942 |
| Launched: | 14 July 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2250 tonnes |
| Length: | 325 ft (99.06 m) |
| Beam: | 36 ft (10.97 m) |
| Draft: | 14 ft (4.27 m) |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Capacity: | 34 |
| Crew: | 39 |
Christina O is a private motor yacht that once belonged to billionaire Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis. At 99.06 metres long she is number 31st among the Top 100 largest yachts in the world as of 2013. She was originally a Canadian anti-submarine River-class frigate called HMCS Stormont and was launched in 1943. She served as a convoy escort during the Battle of the Atlantic and was present at the Normandy landings.
After the end of the Second World War she was one of many surplus naval vessels; Onassis purchased her at scrap value of US$34,000, He then spent US$4 million to convert her into a luxurious superyacht named after his daughter Christina. Upon Onassis' death, she donated the yacht to the Greek government as a presidential yacht, renamed Argo.
Allowed to decay, the vessel was purchased in 1998 by fellow Greek shipping magnate John Paul Papanicolaou, an Onassis family friend who secured it in a government-sponsored auction. He spent $50 million to retrofit her, restoring her previous name in honor of his then departed friend, Christina. Since Papanicolaou's death in 2010, Christina O can be rented for private charters and cruises.
HMCS Stormont was purchased as war surplus from the Canadian government for $34,000 in 1947 and converted to a yacht in Germany. The conversion made full use of the navy ship's size and powerful naval engineering systems to create large ornate interiors and elaborate luxuries, like a mosaic swimming pool that drained and rose to deck level to create a dance floor. Christina O set a new standard for lavish personal yachts, especially as she was rebuilt amidst the austerity of post-war Europe.
The yacht was designed by Cäsar Pinnau, and the children's dining room was designed and painted by the illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans. After her marriage to Onassis two decades later, Jacqueline Onassis selected the pastel color scheme and decor in all of the cabins.
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