At last, a special site for Pindos! Let's recapitulate!
She was built as Maid of Honour by Ailsa Shipbuilding Company of Troon, Scotland. She was a yacht and listed to Esq. William K. Millar of London. She had 421 tons, length of 53.3 m, width of 7.3 m and a service speed of 13.9 knots and a maximum speed of 15.2 knots!
In 1913 she was purchased by Ms. Marion G. Thornton of London. She was ommissioned by the anvy in April 1915 although I do not know where she served. She was decommissioned in February 1919 and went back to the Thornton family. She was purchased by Ms. Courtney Morgan of London, who changed her name to Sylvana in 1922 [NB: This name change has created some French misconceptions because of another Sylvana yacht, lost a few years earlier http://pages14-18.mesdiscussions.net...jet_1653_1.htm ]. During that period, she spent a significant amount of time based in Mallorca, Gibraltar and then Monte Carlo.
She was purchased by Ms Katherine Mackinnon of London in 1924 and then, in 1937, by Mr. Hubert S. Price of Southampton.
In 1942 she was commissioned by the British Navy as a minesweeper depot.
During that time, Pindos seemed to be mostly in Granton/Leith http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4101-26RNHome.htm
UK World War II.jpg Another tid bit is from http://ngb.chebucto.org/NFREG/WWII/ww2-awards-citations.shtml
Does this imply he was there with his ship? Was our Pindos in Normandy during the landing of the Allied Forces in 1944?Seaman Hubert Newhook LT/JX 299650 - HMS Sylvana
28 Nov 1944 for gallantry, skill, determination and undaunted devotion to duty during the landing of Allied Forces on the coast of Normandy.
Decommissioned in 1947, she was sold to this careful collector of great British yachts, the G. Potamianos family, and arrived in Piraeus on March 10, 1947 (not in 1949 as mentioned in the usually, but not always, accurate http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuil...ip.asp?id=2366 ). After a minor repair, she started regular service as Pindos, an Epirotiki Line vessel. Her very early routes in Greece were coastal in nature, as she was a small and delicate ship. As shown in one of the ads from 1947 (above), she was doing mostly the Western Coast route, from Patras all the way to Corfu, and rather fast indeed! In addition, she was occupied in the central Cyclades trade...
Pindos came to Argosaronikos and Tripos in the mid 1950s.
Some of you may have seen this pictures, but here are three from my electronic collection (I am sorry but I do not recall where they came from)
Pindos in Saronikos gulf in 1956 or 1957
Pindos 1956.jpg
Pindos but when?
Pindos.jpg
Pindos and Kyknos, two of my favorite Greek passenger ships... Only Glaros is missing.
Pindos2.jpg