Nicholas Peppas
15-05-2009, 17:53
Alexandroupolis is a little known Greek passenger ship that had a very short career in the Aegean. If it is remembered it must be by 80-year old people... Had she avoided her terminal accident in 1948, she might have become another reliable passenger of the 1950s and 1960s...
Alexandroupolis was built as Mignonette. Mignonette was a Flower class corvette (see characteristics at http://www.fcca.demon.co.uk/Flowername.htm) that was ordered from Hall Russell of Aberdeen, Scotland in August 1939 and launched on January 28, 1941 (see http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4791.html and http://www.aberdeenships.com/single.asp?searchFor=yard&offset=1380&index=101487). Her Miramar listing is as follows
[qute=]
IDNo: 6112067 Year: 1941
Name: MIGNONETTE Launch Date: 28.11.40
Type: Patrol frigate Date of completion: 7.5.41
Flag: GBR Keel: 15.7.40
Tons: 940 Link: 1010
DWT: 1180 Yard No: 756
Length overall: 62.6 Ship Design:
LPP: 57.9 Country of build: GBR
Beam: 10.1 Builder: Hall Russell
Material of build: Location of yard: Aberdeen
Number of screws/Mchy/
Speed(kn): 1T-16
Owner as Completed: Royal Navy
End: 1948
Subsequent History: 48 ALEXANDROUPOLIS
Disposal Data: wrecked near Tigani, Lemnos 30.11.48
[/quote]
Frankly, the size and tonnage were exactly the same as Bergamot’s (Ekaterini’s)!
Until September 1941, she was in service in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Then, she started being a convoy escort between Freetown (Sierra Leone), Bathurst (Gambia), Takoradi (Ghana) and Lagos (Nigeria). But in October 1941 she was returned to Harland & Wolff for repairs because of mechanical problems. Starting January of 1942 she was deployed in Ireland. After May, she got involved in transatlantic voyages as an escort. During 1943 she was working often with with Spiraea (later the Greek passenger ship Thessaloniki). After July 1943 she was deployed again in Africa. In 1944, she was back in Ireland.
Below you see Mignonette's exact duplicate, Snowberry.
39380
Then, on June 1944 she left Harwich and the next day she was one of the first to participate in the “operation Neptune”, i.e., the invasion of Normandy! Upon termination of “operation Neptune”, she remained an escort in convoys. In 1945 she was deployed in the Channel and then in Liverpool.
In 1946, Mignonette was laid up at Londonderry, Ireland and became part of the disposal list along with numerous other Flower ships. There is now a project to find pictures of the vessel, etc http://www.wartimememories.co.uk/ships/mignonette.html
In May 1946 she was purchased by the Greek Government and placed in the “Executive Committee of Passenger Shipping”. She was named Alexandroupolis and started running whatever trade she was assigned to do… Here she is doing the Tenos route one day and the Herakleion, Rethymnon, Chania another, during the week of August 9, 1947.
39379
Unfortunately she had a sad end. She was wrecked off Lemnos on November 30, 1948. Note that Miramar indicates the spot as “Tigani, Lemnos”… but I am not aware of such a place in Lemnos. Had she survived she might have been another Ekaterini, Despoina or Pantelis…
Alexandroupolis was built as Mignonette. Mignonette was a Flower class corvette (see characteristics at http://www.fcca.demon.co.uk/Flowername.htm) that was ordered from Hall Russell of Aberdeen, Scotland in August 1939 and launched on January 28, 1941 (see http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4791.html and http://www.aberdeenships.com/single.asp?searchFor=yard&offset=1380&index=101487). Her Miramar listing is as follows
[qute=]
IDNo: 6112067 Year: 1941
Name: MIGNONETTE Launch Date: 28.11.40
Type: Patrol frigate Date of completion: 7.5.41
Flag: GBR Keel: 15.7.40
Tons: 940 Link: 1010
DWT: 1180 Yard No: 756
Length overall: 62.6 Ship Design:
LPP: 57.9 Country of build: GBR
Beam: 10.1 Builder: Hall Russell
Material of build: Location of yard: Aberdeen
Number of screws/Mchy/
Speed(kn): 1T-16
Owner as Completed: Royal Navy
End: 1948
Subsequent History: 48 ALEXANDROUPOLIS
Disposal Data: wrecked near Tigani, Lemnos 30.11.48
[/quote]
Frankly, the size and tonnage were exactly the same as Bergamot’s (Ekaterini’s)!
Until September 1941, she was in service in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Then, she started being a convoy escort between Freetown (Sierra Leone), Bathurst (Gambia), Takoradi (Ghana) and Lagos (Nigeria). But in October 1941 she was returned to Harland & Wolff for repairs because of mechanical problems. Starting January of 1942 she was deployed in Ireland. After May, she got involved in transatlantic voyages as an escort. During 1943 she was working often with with Spiraea (later the Greek passenger ship Thessaloniki). After July 1943 she was deployed again in Africa. In 1944, she was back in Ireland.
Below you see Mignonette's exact duplicate, Snowberry.
39380
Then, on June 1944 she left Harwich and the next day she was one of the first to participate in the “operation Neptune”, i.e., the invasion of Normandy! Upon termination of “operation Neptune”, she remained an escort in convoys. In 1945 she was deployed in the Channel and then in Liverpool.
In 1946, Mignonette was laid up at Londonderry, Ireland and became part of the disposal list along with numerous other Flower ships. There is now a project to find pictures of the vessel, etc http://www.wartimememories.co.uk/ships/mignonette.html
In May 1946 she was purchased by the Greek Government and placed in the “Executive Committee of Passenger Shipping”. She was named Alexandroupolis and started running whatever trade she was assigned to do… Here she is doing the Tenos route one day and the Herakleion, Rethymnon, Chania another, during the week of August 9, 1947.
39379
Unfortunately she had a sad end. She was wrecked off Lemnos on November 30, 1948. Note that Miramar indicates the spot as “Tigani, Lemnos”… but I am not aware of such a place in Lemnos. Had she survived she might have been another Ekaterini, Despoina or Pantelis…