Nicholas Peppas
22-05-2009, 04:30
Parnassos was a Greek passenger ship of the early 20th century that had a particularly bright and heroic service during the period of the evacuation of the Greeks from Asia Minor in 1922. She was built in Hull, England in 1894 as a yacht for T.J. Waller of Hull. She had a length of 51.4 m, a width of 8.2 m and she was given the name Zoraide. Here is a listing of her early days of building.
40329
Miramar's listing is as follows:
IDNo: 1102964 Year: 1894
Name: ZORAIDE Launch Date: 5.6.94
Type: Yacht Date of completion: 6.94
Flag: GBR Keel:
Tons: 572 Link: 1628
DWT: Yard No: 382
Length overall: Ship Design:
LPP: 51.4 Country of build: GBR
Beam: 8.2 Builder: Earle's
Material of build: Location of yard: Hull
Number of screws/Mchy/
Speed(kn): 2T-
Owner as Completed: T.J. Waller, Hull
End: 1930
Subsequent History: 00 FIORENTINA II - 07 SYLVABELLE - 08 ZORAIDE - 20 PARNASSOS - 29 EL ROKKMATIEN - 29 EL MANSOURA
Disposal Data: wrecked near Sollum 28.4.30
As always, our well known Italian painter de Simone painted her in Naples and on of her recent copies sold again at Christie's
Here is the painting...
40330
... and the Christie's description
Designed by St. Clare J. Byrne for Mr. Thomas J. Waller of Baynard's Park, Horsham, Sussex, the twin-screw schooner Zoraide was built by Earle's at Hull in 1894. Registered at 549 tons (Thames) and measuring 1681β2 feet in length with a 27 foot beam, she was engined by her builders and rated 100A1 by Lloyd's surveyors when completed. In 1898 she was sold to Comte Vitali of Paris who renamed her Fiorentina II but only kept her a few years before selling her to Duc Decazes, another Parisian, who rechristened her Sylvabelle. Sold yet again in 1909, to Kenneth M. Clark of Sudbourne Hall, Orford, Suffolk, she reverted to her original name of Zoraide and remained thus from September 1914 to March 1919 when she was hired by the Admiralty as an auxiliary patrol yacht armed with 1-12 pdr. and 1-6 pdr. guns. Untraced after her Great War service ended, it is likely she was scrapped due to her poor post-War condition.
Source: http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?pos=10&intObjectID=4286852&sid=
To which Christie comment we reply "Not so fast..."
In 1920, Zoraide was sold to the Zissimos brothers and became a Greek passenger ship under the name Parnassos
As Parnassos this vessel had a short but distinguished career. In his 2002 book I Elliniki Epivatigos Nautilia (Miletos, Athens), A. Tzamtzis mentions her as one of the founding ships of the Panellinios AkroploΓ―ki Enosis establishe don March 15, 1921. In fact, Parnassos was the only ship of the Zissimos Line and she was listed at 548 tons.
In 1922, Parnassos helped a lot with the evacuation of Greek refugees. Here is a very nice excerpt from a document from Patras.
40334
An even better description with photograph comes from http://www.iliablogs.gr/%CE%92%CF%85%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%B9%C E%BA%CE%B1/2008/05/26/%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%91_%CE%97%CE%9B%CE%95%CE%99%CE%91% CE%9A%CE%91_(3 (http://www.iliablogs.gr/%CE%92%CF%85%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%B9%C E%BA%CE%B1/2008/05/26/%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%91_%CE%97%CE%9B%CE%95%CE%99%CE%91% CE%9A%CE%91_%283))
40335
She lasted as a Zissimos ship only for a few years and by 1927 Tzamtzis does not list her as a ship actively involved in Greek passenger coastal shipping. In 1929 she was sold to A.I. El Kouedi and named El Mansoura. A few months later she was named El Rokkmatien.
She sank after an accident at Sollum (today's Salum), an Egyptian city very close to the border with Libya, in April 1930.
40329
Miramar's listing is as follows:
IDNo: 1102964 Year: 1894
Name: ZORAIDE Launch Date: 5.6.94
Type: Yacht Date of completion: 6.94
Flag: GBR Keel:
Tons: 572 Link: 1628
DWT: Yard No: 382
Length overall: Ship Design:
LPP: 51.4 Country of build: GBR
Beam: 8.2 Builder: Earle's
Material of build: Location of yard: Hull
Number of screws/Mchy/
Speed(kn): 2T-
Owner as Completed: T.J. Waller, Hull
End: 1930
Subsequent History: 00 FIORENTINA II - 07 SYLVABELLE - 08 ZORAIDE - 20 PARNASSOS - 29 EL ROKKMATIEN - 29 EL MANSOURA
Disposal Data: wrecked near Sollum 28.4.30
As always, our well known Italian painter de Simone painted her in Naples and on of her recent copies sold again at Christie's
Here is the painting...
40330
... and the Christie's description
Designed by St. Clare J. Byrne for Mr. Thomas J. Waller of Baynard's Park, Horsham, Sussex, the twin-screw schooner Zoraide was built by Earle's at Hull in 1894. Registered at 549 tons (Thames) and measuring 1681β2 feet in length with a 27 foot beam, she was engined by her builders and rated 100A1 by Lloyd's surveyors when completed. In 1898 she was sold to Comte Vitali of Paris who renamed her Fiorentina II but only kept her a few years before selling her to Duc Decazes, another Parisian, who rechristened her Sylvabelle. Sold yet again in 1909, to Kenneth M. Clark of Sudbourne Hall, Orford, Suffolk, she reverted to her original name of Zoraide and remained thus from September 1914 to March 1919 when she was hired by the Admiralty as an auxiliary patrol yacht armed with 1-12 pdr. and 1-6 pdr. guns. Untraced after her Great War service ended, it is likely she was scrapped due to her poor post-War condition.
Source: http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?pos=10&intObjectID=4286852&sid=
To which Christie comment we reply "Not so fast..."
In 1920, Zoraide was sold to the Zissimos brothers and became a Greek passenger ship under the name Parnassos
As Parnassos this vessel had a short but distinguished career. In his 2002 book I Elliniki Epivatigos Nautilia (Miletos, Athens), A. Tzamtzis mentions her as one of the founding ships of the Panellinios AkroploΓ―ki Enosis establishe don March 15, 1921. In fact, Parnassos was the only ship of the Zissimos Line and she was listed at 548 tons.
In 1922, Parnassos helped a lot with the evacuation of Greek refugees. Here is a very nice excerpt from a document from Patras.
40334
An even better description with photograph comes from http://www.iliablogs.gr/%CE%92%CF%85%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%B9%C E%BA%CE%B1/2008/05/26/%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%91_%CE%97%CE%9B%CE%95%CE%99%CE%91% CE%9A%CE%91_(3 (http://www.iliablogs.gr/%CE%92%CF%85%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%B9%C E%BA%CE%B1/2008/05/26/%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%91_%CE%97%CE%9B%CE%95%CE%99%CE%91% CE%9A%CE%91_%283))
40335
She lasted as a Zissimos ship only for a few years and by 1927 Tzamtzis does not list her as a ship actively involved in Greek passenger coastal shipping. In 1929 she was sold to A.I. El Kouedi and named El Mansoura. A few months later she was named El Rokkmatien.
She sank after an accident at Sollum (today's Salum), an Egyptian city very close to the border with Libya, in April 1930.