Χανδρής [Chandris Lines & Cruises]

[Nicholas Peppas]

Here is an old advertisement of Chandris Lines. This one is advertising his regular route to Australia (Australis, Ellinis, Patris and Queen Frederica) as well as the route to Halifax and New York (Americanis).

The document is from the 1968 Athlitiki Protohronia that was issued in November 1967. it is of some value also for its cover, showing our pole vault recordman Christos Papanikolaou* in his better "early" years...
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* I always wonder if the under-40 contributors here know this name (1) ... Perhaps yes... But then do they know the name Yorgos Roumbanis (2)? And what about Rigas Eustathiades (3)? Ah... memories...
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Handris1.jpg
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1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christos_Papanikolaou
2. http://www.athletix.org/Athletes/Roumbanis.htm
3. http://www.sports-reference.com/olym...thiadis-1.html

[Ellinis]

Another ship that never made it to Chadris was the Constitution.

In February 1970, it was announced that her acquisition was now official and that once delivered to Chandris she would sail in round-the-world cruising.
However the US maritime unions had not said their last word, and a month later her sale was cancelled.

Constitution was left laid up for several years and was finally sold to CY Tung, together with her sister Independence, for Hawaiian cruising.

The heading of the article writes "we improve in number and quality of ships"

constit.jpg
Source: Ναυτικά Χρονικά, 1970

[Nicholas Peppas]

A Rarely Discussed Chandris Liner

Chimara: The first Chandris liner (1922-24)

In the wonderful book by Peter Plowman's Chandris Liners book http://www.nautilia.gr/forum/showthr...t=54710&page=2 one can read just five lines on page 7 about the first Chandris liner (or more accurately passenger ship).

In 1922 John Chandris expanded into the passenger trade when he purchased a small vessel, the 300 gross ton Chimara, which he placed on a ferry service between Piraeus and Corinth

I have now discovered important information on this Chimara or Heimarra as it is spelled in Greek.

According to Miramar, she was the well known passenger ship Prinz Heinrich built in the Oderwerke Shipyards in 1904 for the Misdroy Steamship Co.

IDNo: 5602302 Year: 1904
Name: PRINZ HEINRICH Launch Date:
Type: Passenger ship Date of completion: 6.04
Flag: DEU Keel:
Tons: 358 Link:
DWT: Yard No: 544
Length overall: LPP: 50.3 Beam: 7.7
Builder: Stettiner Oderwerke
Material of build: Location of yard: Stettin-Grabow
Speed(kn): 2T-10
Owner as Completed: DG Misdroy GmbH (Schwengback), Stettin
End: 1942
Subsequent History: 18 KERKERAK - 22 HIMARRA - 24 KODJA ELI - 29 KOCAELI
Disposal Data: BU Fener 1942

Original German data give a more accurate picture of the ship. She had 358 tons. Her length was 60 m (not 50.3 m as noted in Miramar above) and her width was 7.6 m. She had two triple expansion engines and achieved a service speed of 13 knots. It must be noted that the Dutch site http://vloot.web-log.nl/vloot/j_groe...cht/index.html that describes her as Kerkerak (1918-22) gives the wrong length as well; in addition it gives a speed og just 9 knots!

She was purchased by Chandris in 1922 (not in 1923 as Miramar stated in the corrected records). Here is an ad from Embros of July 25, 1922 for "excursion to Spetses" every Saturday. Of course she is spelled Heimarra.

19220725e.jpg

She was leaving Piraeus every Saturday at 3:00 pm for Aegina, Methana, Poros, Hydra and Spetses with arrival there at 8:00 pm. A very interesting statement is the following.

The passengers have the right to stay on the ship during the night

. And then

Return from Spetses (with) departure at midnight on Sunday

.
To me, all this sounds like a very early cruise in Saronikos gulf!

[Nicholas Peppas]

A Rarely Discussed Chandris Liner

Chimara: The first Chandris liner (1922-24)

The ads of (effectively) cruises to the Argosaronikos islands ran for just 7 days, from July 19 to 25, 1922.

19220721 Heimarra.jpg
Ad of July 21, 1922

This was not a good time for Chandris to introduce his first passenger ship...

First on the 26th, Methana was shaken by a serious earthquake that led to the evacuation of the whole town and interruption or regular service to Methana and Poros!

19220727 Methana.jpg
19220728 Methana.jpg

But the major reason were the black clouds appearing in the horizon with the retreat of the Greek army in Asia Minor... By the beginning of August, Athens was in a state of panic and there was no interest whatsoever in vacationing and quasi-cruises... By the 20th of August large numbers of refugees were arriving in Athens, the Gounaris government fell, and most of the passenger ships were requisitioned and sent to Chios and Mytilene waiting for request for help from Smyrna, Kydonies, Adramyttion and other Greek centers.

I did not see another ad of Chimara (or Heimarra) in Embros for the rest of the year or in 1923... At the end of 1923, Chimara was sold to the Turkish army (of all interests) and named Kocaeli, the Turkish name for Pontoerakleia. She was scrapped twenty years later in... Fener (the Greek Fanari).

[Nicholas Peppas]

On November 15, 1969, the Greek newspaper Embros had a long two-page article on immigration to Australia and the Chandris Lines

19691115 Austr.jpg

[Ellinis]

Και για φωτο πλοίου έβαλαν αυτό που δεν φόρεσε ποτέ τα σινιάλα του Χανδρή, του reina del Mar! απίστευτο...

[Nicholas Peppas]

Και για φωτο πλοίου έβαλαν αυτό που δεν φόρεσε ποτέ τα σινιάλα του Χανδρή, του reina del Mar! απίστευτο...

Alh0eia? Ma auto exei to X sto fougaro!

[Ellinis]

Mε ενα μοντάζ όλα γίνονται...

[Finnpartner_1966]

Και για φωτο πλοίου έβαλαν αυτό που δεν φόρεσε ποτέ τα σινιάλα του Χανδρή, του reina del Mar! απίστευτο...

Mα λεω κι εγω... Γνωστο το πλοιο, αλλα δεν μου κολλαγε για Χανδρη!! Reina Del Mar, και μαλιστα πριν την μετασκευη του 1964 σε κρουαζιεροπλοιο!

[Ellinis]

To όμορφο εξώφυλλο της μπροσούρας της Χανδρή/Celebrity, γύρω στο 90/91.

chandris ad.jpg