Αττική [Grenada, Arakaka, Αttiki]

[Nicholas Peppas]

Attiki was one of the most famous and financially successful passenger ships of the 1930s. She was extremely profitable and she was the preferred ship for travel to Cyprus, Lebanon and Egypt.

She was built in 1896 as Grenada by Alexander Stephen & Sons Glasgow (the same company that built Olympia) for the Trinidad Shipping & Trading Co. She had a length of 85.8 m, width of 11.9 m and tonnage of 2,158 tons! But her speed was rather low at 12 knots.

IDNo: 1105971 Year: 1896
Name: GRENADA Launch Date: 16.1.96
Type: Passenger/cargo Date of completion: 1.96
Flag: GBR Keel:
Tons: 2158 Link: 1554
DWT: Yard No: 363
Length overall: Ship Design:
LPP: 85.8 Country of build: GBR
Beam: 11.9 Builder: Stephen
Material of build: Location of yard: Linthouse
Number of
screws/Mchy/
Speed(kn): 1T-12
Owner as Completed: Trinidad Shipping & Trading Co Ltd (Christall), Glasgow
Subsequent History: 13 ARAKAKA - 25 ATTIKI
Disposal Data: ac/b off Karystos, Doro Channel 11.4.41

The years with Trinidad Shipping & Trading Co Ltd, Glasgow (1896-1913)

The story of the Trinidad Shipping & Trading Co is quite interesting. The company served mostly the Canada to Bermuda and Canada to West Indies routes. It was taken over by the Furness, Withy & Co in 1920.

The years with Booker McConnell Line (1913-1925)

In 1815, Josias Booker from emigrated to Demerara, British Guyana (todayΆs Guyana) to work in the sugar plantations. Demerara was a relatively new British colony at that time. Eventually it became one of three Guyanese counties, its capital being Georgetown.

One of the first British settlers in Demerara, Josias Booker learned his trade quickly and became a planter of some distinction, and by 1818 he was managing his own plantation. Following his success he was joined by two of his brothers, George and Richard, and the firm of Booker Brothers was founded. He and his brothers formed their own shipping company, and in 1835 they acquired their first ship, the Elizabeth. John McConnell went to Guyana to work as a clerk for the Booker Brothers, where he prospered. In 1874 he founded his own firm of John McConnell & Company. The two firms merged in 1900 and became known as Booker Brothers, McConnell & Co Ltd, with main offices in Liverpool. In 1867 the regular direct service from Liverpool to Georgetown became known as the Liverpool Line. For this service, Bookers owned or chartered vessels continually until 1911, when the line was renamed the Booker Line and they purchased the vessels, Imataka, Amakura and Arakaka. (The names Imataka and Amakura are Arawak aboriginal names of rivers in Guyana, Arakaka is an Arawak place name). The Arakaka survived the war years and remained in service with Bookers until she was sold in 1925.
Use of material from http://www.bookerline.com/history.htm and other sources.

Below a map of the region served by Arakaka.
Guyana.jpg

- In 1925 she was purchased by Hellenic Co. of Maritime Enterprises of Piraeus (Anonymos Elliniki Etairia Thalassion Epihiriseon), known also as Palios Line, and renamed Attiki.
- In 1927 she was sold to Yannoulatos Ionian Line. This date corrects previous incorrect data in Miramar and elsewhere about her transfer to Yannoulatos in 1928 (see ads blow).
- In 1930 she was acquired by Hellenic Coast Lines known as AKTEL (Aktoploia tis Ellados).
- In 1936 she was transferred to Hellenic Mediterranean Lines.
- On April 11, 1941 she was bombed and sunk in the Cavo Doro Channel off Karystos while serving as a hospital ship.

Here is Makedonia of February 11, 1926 advertising Attiki going from Thessaloniki to Piraeus and then to Marseilles!
19260211 Attiki.jpg

In 1927 she was sold to YannoulatosΆ Ionian Line. Here she is on August 10, 1927 going again to Marseilles!
19270810 Jannoul Attiki.jpg

And on September 15, 1927, she was traveling to Alexandria, Egypt.
19270915 Yannoul Attiki.jpg