ISMENE and AFOVOS Part 1
Ismene and later Afovos were important vessels in the Greek passenger lines over more than 30 years.
The ship was built by Barclay Curle of Whiteinch as Alligator in 1881. She was a moderate, reliable passenger and cargo ship belonging to the G&J Burns Line of Glasgow. She had 985 tons, 76.3 m length and 9.1 m width.
See http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuil...ip.asp?id=4031 her Miramar entry is:
IDNo: 1084300 Year: 1881
Name: ALLIGATOR Launch Date: 12.1.81
Type: Passenger/cargo Date of completion:
Flag: GBR Keel:
Tons: 985 Link: 1378
DWT: Yard No: 297
Length overall: Ship Design:
LPP: 76.3 Country of build: GBR
Beam: 9.1 Builder: Barclay Curle
Material of build: I Location of yard: Whiteinch
Number of
screws/Mchy/
Speed(kn): 1C-
Owner as Completed: J.Burns, Glasgow
Naval or paramilitary marking :
A: *
End: 1934
Subsequent History: 07 ISMENE - 28 AFOVOS - 33 RODOS
Disposal Data: BU 1q.34
In one of his trips, the Scot John McDowall saw her and liked her for his McDowall and Barbour Line that he had formed in 1895. So, he bought her in 1907 and called her Ismene. The McDowall and Barbour Line was a Greek shipping company very active at the end of the 19th century. John McDowall came to Greece when he was in his 1920s, in 1855, and stayed as a mechanic, first in Syros and since 1868 in Piraeus with his own comapny making heavy machinery (more on him in a future article on the McDowall and Barbour Line). He started the Line in 1895 with Athina, Margarita, Thetis, Era and Poseidon. In ten years he had more than 15 ships! Below, a photo of John McDowall and an aquarelle of Ismene by an unknown artist.
McDowall.jpgIsmene.jpg
In 1908 she was placed on the Piraeus to Corfu schedule
Ism 08.jpg
During World War I, 1916, Antonis Palios bought Ismene and started his own company, Anonimos Elliniki Etaireia Thalassion Epihiriseon. Ismene then developed a very ambitious schedule (at a litle less than 1000 tons!). Just in 1922, she was going to Alexandria in May and to Chios, Smyrna, Mytilene, Dardanellia, Kallipolis, Consatntinople (!) in July!!! She must have been a truly good voyager to do such routes, especially to cross teh Mediterranean fron north to south
Ism 051322.jpg
Ism July 25 1922b.jpg