I'm searching some information( number of passengers, speed etc..) about a greek passenger-cargo ship , the Pleias. Only I know she was converted from a old fruit carrier. Many thanks. Bluefish56, St.Michael,Azores
Πρωτόμπαρκος
Πλειάς (Charles Plumier, Pleias)
I'm searching some information( number of passengers, speed etc..) about a greek passenger-cargo ship , the Pleias. Only I know she was converted from a old fruit carrier. Many thanks. Bluefish56, St.Michael,Azores
Δόκιμος Πλοίαρχος
Pleias
Dear Bluefish,
I had been researching some old Greek passenger ships and I came across the following info on this ship which I hope is useful:
She was originally built as the CHARLES PLUMIER by Chantier and Atelier de Provence, SA of Port de Bouc in October 1938. At 4,504 gross tons (358.6' x 51.8' x 19.6') she was operated by CGT of Le Havre (Compagnie Generale Transatlantique).
She was requisitioned for the French Navy Sep'39-Oct'40 as an auxiliary cruiser. Seized by the Roal Navy in November 1940 she was renamed HMS Largs and used as ocean boarding vessel. From Oct'42-Dec'45 she was used as a headquarters ship for most of the major landing operations.
She was then returned to her owners and resumed her original name CHARLES PLUMIER in December 1945.
Renamed Pleias in 1964 after presumably being sold to Kavounides Shipping Company of Piraeus she was later scrapped in May of 1968.
I will try and upload an image of her
Best regards
Henry.
Δόκιμος Πλοίαρχος
Pleias of Kavounides
This is the only image I have been able to find in Old Ship Picture Galleries (www.photoship.co.uk) I have not seen any picture of her in Kavounides Lines livery. Perhaps if any of our Greek friends has come across one they could upload it as it will be very interesting to see.
All the best, Henry.
Charles%20Plumier-01.jpg
Administrator
Unfortunately PLEIAS never sailed under the Greek flag. She was scheduled to become a cruise ship but instead remained laid up and without receiveing any conversion until she went to the breakers.
The only shots I have of her are from a Greek movie, showing her laid up at Pireuas, at Xaveri Dock. Certainly not quality pics but they give an idea of how she spent her time in Greece.
pleias1.jpg
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Με ενδιεφερε να βρω περισσοτερα στοιχεια για το πλοιο Πλειας γιατι το θυμωμουνα καλα στα νιατα μου και γιατι πριν ελθει στην Ελλαδα ηταν ενα σπουδαιο πλοιο στην Γαλλια. Ετσι εψαξα παλιες εφημεριδες και ιδου τι βρηκα...Αρχική Δημοσίευση από Ellinis
I was interested in finding more information about Pleias because I remembered her well in my youth and because before she came to Greece she was an important French ship.
Αρχιζοντας στις 17 Ιουνιου 1964, η εταιρεια Καβουνιδου εχει μια σειρα αγγελιων οπου ανακοινωνουν την μελλοντικη εμφανιση του πλοιου Πλειας στον Ελληνικο χωρο μαζι με το Κενταυρος και το Εσπερος!
Starting on June 17, 1964, Kavounides has a series of ads that announce the future apperance of Pleias in the Greek seas with Esperos and Kentauros
19640617 Pleias.jpg
Στις 17 Σεπτεμβριου 1964, η Μακεδονια ανακοινωνει οτι το Πλειας θα μετατατραπει σε επιβατηγο/οχηματαγωγο.
19640917 Pleias.jpg
Στις 25 Μαρτιου 1965, το Πλειας βρισκεται σε μια λιστα νεων πλοιων, μια λιστα που συμπεριλαμβανει πολλα αλλα που εγιναν πασιγνωστα στον Ελληνικο χωρο.
19650325 Pleias1.jpg
19650325 Pleias2.jpg
Επι τελους, στις 13 και 14 Αυγουστου 1965 ανακοινωνεται η δρομολογησις του πλοιου στην Τηνο για τον Δεκαπενταυγουστο!
Και μετα τιποτε πια!
19650813 Pleias.jpg
19650814 Pleias.jpg
Τελευταία επεξεργασία από το χρήστη Ellinis : 27-07-2017 στις 11:38 Αιτία: 2 -> 1
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I am continuing now the new information about Pleias as Charles Plumier, a ship extremely well known to the French collectors of postcards. Pity that she did not "make it" in Greece....
From http://www.algerianie.fr/bateaux.htm
*** Not exactly correct as we knowNavire de la Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, le Charles Plumier fut construit comme bananier aux Chantiers et ateliers de Provence de Port-de-Bouc en 1938.
Long de 115 mètres et large de 15,80 mètres, il possédait un tirant d'eau de 5,50 mètres et une jauge brute de 4 626 tonneaux. Ses deux moteurs MAN deux temps type G8 ZU 52/90, couplés à deux hélices, lui octroyaient une puissance de 5 200 chevaux, pour une vitesse de croisière de 14,5 noeuds. Il pouvait embarquer 52 passagers en cabines et 2 383 tonnes de marchandises.
Il commença son service sur la ligne Dieppe-Martinique-Guadeloupe. A peine un an après sa mise en service, il fut réquisitionné par l'armée pour être transformé en croiseur auxiliaire sous l'appellation X 11.
Rendu à son armateur à Dakar en 1940, il fut arraisonné par un destroyer anglais alors qu'il se dirigeait vers la France et conduit à Gibraltar. La Royal Navy utilisa initialement ce navire comme patrouilleur, avant de le renommer HMS Largs (F43) et de le transformer en navire de commandement.
Il participa dans cette fonction à de nombreuses opérations de débarquement en Méditerranée, Normandie et Birmanie. A la fin de la guerre, le Charles Plumier fut transformé en cargo mixte aux chantiers du Havre et repris son service en 1947 sur la ligne Bordeaux-Casablanca.
Liaison qu'il assura durant trois ans, avant d'être affecté aux lignes Marseille-Bône-Philippeville, Marseille-Alger et Marseille- Tunis. Jusqu'en 1960, le Charles Plumier fit donc la liaison entre France, l'Algérie et la Tunisie avant de revenir sur la ligne Bordeaux-Casablanca en remplacement du Ville de Bordeaux
Puis, en 1962, il fut affrété par l'Etat et fut utilisé activement pour le rapatriement des troupes d'Algérie, avant d'être vendu en février 1964 à l'armement grec Kavounides Shipping & Compagnie et rebaptisé Pleias.
Il fut démoli en mai de l'année suivante*** à Vado (Italie)
Early postwar photo from the same site!
Charles Plumier.jpg
Τελευταία επεξεργασία από το χρήστη Nicholas Peppas : 02-01-2010 στις 18:10
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Some more information about Pleias as Charles Plumier.
Technical characteristics
Charles-Plumier
Type: Cargo-passenger ship
Built: 1938
Shipyard: Chantiers & Ateliers de Provence
Length: 104,5 meters
Width: 15,8 meters
Tonnage: 4.626 meters
Service speed: 14,5 knots
From http://freespace.virgin.net/mike.mac...2/OthrVess.htm
HMS Largs
It was around 1984 when I first discovered that there had been a ship called HMS LARGS. In subsequent searches in books about our Royal Navy vessels I became aware that the ship had previously been a French merchant ship and then in the French Navy as an Auxiliary Cruiser, under her original name CHARLES PLUMIER, and that there had been another Auxiliary Cruiser called VICTOR SCHOELCHER, seemingly built to the same design as CHARLES PLUMIER and at about the same time in 1938 but in a different shipyard.
.....
As a result of the Depression in the nineteen-thirties the French merchant fleet had become much run-down and the French Government felt obliged to commission a number of new ships to make good this deficiency. The vessels were paid for by the Government - an existing commercial design may have been used - but the ships were then placed with various commercial shipping companies to manage and operate them. CHARLES PLUMIER and VICTOR SCHOELCHER were two of these, built as banana carriers, but I had no way then of determining the identities of any others, nor how many others there were.
In 1994 a French shipping enthusiast who knew of my interest in CHARLES PLUMIER told me that he had discovered that there were three other French vessels, QUERCY, ESTEREL and BARFLEUR, which appeared to have been built to the same design (in 1937/1938). In fact there was a fourth vessel in this group, named MAURIENNE . It turned out that these ships were perhaps 10% less in length and 10% less in breadth than the other two, single engine and screw instead of two engines and twin screws, but their lines and appearance were remarkably similar. From the scant information which I have it seems possible that these three were paid for commercially and it seems likely that at least one of these may already have been being built before CHARLES PLUMIER was started.
In February 2005 I was searching on the Internet for something else when I found, to my great astonishment, two more ships built in 1947, named DUBREKA and DJOLIBA, which appeared to have almost identical lines with CHARLES PLUMIER and VICTOR SCHOELCHER and which appeared to have almost identical measurements, including two engines and twin-screws.
All eight ships mentioned above are listed in the Shipping Registers as Refrigerated Motorships. I had asked the HMS LARGS men on my mailing-list several times if any of them could remember evidence of refrigeration equipment on board, but apart from cork-lined holds and rows of hooks from which to hang the fruit no-one could tell me anything else.
Brief details of the eight vessels are as follows :-
………………
ESTEREL, built by A/B Gotaverken of Gothenburg, completed 02/1938, operated by Cie. Générale Transatlantique of Le Havre. (Requisitioned for the French Navy, 10/1939-11/1940, as Auxiliary Cruiser. Seized by Germans 12/1942, seriously damaged by Royal Navy, 03/1943, and not returned to commercial service until 10/1950.) Re-named DIMITRIOS K in 1965 and operated by D. Kyriakos of Piraeus, then in 1966 by Kyriakos Shipping Corp., Panama, Ltd., of Piraeus. Re-named DIMITRIOS KYRIAKOS in 1967 and operated by Helen & Dimitrios Kyriakos ("K" Shipping Enterprises Ltd.), of Piraeus. Scrapped 03/1970.
……………
BARFLEUR, built by A/S Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen, completed 08/1938, operated by Cie. Générale Transatlantique of Le Havre. (Requisitioned for the French Navy, 11/1939, as Auxiliary Cruiser and from 1944-07/1946 as Armed Transport.) Re-named BOSWELL in 1955 and operated by Lamport & Holt Line Ltd. of Liverpool, subsequently re-named CROME in 1959. Re-named ROMAN STAR in 1960 and operated by Blue Star Line Ltd. of London, subsequently re-named BEDE in 1961. Re-named VICTORIA ELENA in 1964 and operated by Rahcassi Shipping Co., S.A. of Piraeus. Scrapped after fire damage 09/1967.
CHARLES PLUMIER, built by Chantiers & Ateliers de Provence, S.A. of Port de Bouc, completed 10/1938, operated by Cie. Générale Transatlantique of Le Havre. (Requisitioned for the French Navy, 09/1939-10/1940, as Auxiliary Cruiser. Seized by Royal Navy, 11/1940. Re-named HMS LARGS as Ocean Boarding Vessel, and from 10/1942-12/1945 as a Headquarters Ship for most of the major landing operations. Returned to owners and resumed original name CHARLES PLUMIER, 12/1945.) Re-named PLEIAS in 1964 and operated by Kavounides Shipping Co. of Piraeus. Scrapped 05/1968.
So, the ESTEREL was another similar ship to the LARGS (CHARLES PLUMIER) that came eventually to Greece. Here is some information about the ESTEREL
From http://www.algerianie.fr/bateaux.htm
The L'ESTERELL’ ESTEREL
Bananier commandé par l'armement norvégien P. Gjerding à Gotaveken A/B et racheté sur cale par la Compagnie Générale d'Armement Maritime (CGAM, filiale de la Transat), livré en 1937. Transféré avec toute la flotte de bananiers à la Compagnie Générale Transatlantique en mars 1939. Réquisitionné le 13 octobre 1939, transformé en croiseur auxiliaire X 21 et affecté à la 4° DCX en compagnie des bananiers BARFLEUR X 19, et QUERCY X 20 pour des missions aux Antilles. Rendu le 14 octobre 1940, rejoint Marseille où il est désarmé. Cédé aux forces de l'Axe dans le cadre des accords Laval Kaufmann et passe sous pavillon allemand le 9 décembre 1942 tout en conservant son nom. Parti de Naples le 11 mars 1943 à destination de Tunis en compagnie du CARAIBE, également sous pavillon allemand, est torpillé le 12 par le sous marin britannnique THUNDERBOLT. Gravement avarié, rejoint Trapani où il est sabordé le 15 juillet lors du débarquement des troupes alliées en Sicile.
Retrouvé après la capitulation du 8 mai 1945, est remis en état. Les frais étant à la charge du gouvernement italien au titre des dommages de guerre, les réparations sont longues: renfloué puis remorqué d'abord à Messine en mai 1947 pour passage en cale sèche, ensuite au chantier de Tarente en 8 juin 1948, et remis en service le 12 octobre 1950 sur les Antilles.
De décembre 1952 à mars 1953 transformé en cargo et affecté à la ligne Bordeaux Antilles. Nouvel arrêt pour réparations du 31 janvier au 1° juin 1953 où sont modifiées timonerie et chambre des cartes. En 1958 est affecté aux lignes de Méditerranée.
Vendu le 27 novembre 1964 à D. Kyriakos et renommé DIMITRIOS K sous pavillon grec, puis DIMITRIOS KYRIAKOS .
En février 1969 lors d'un voyage Lourenço Marquès Immingham, tombe en panne de machine au large de la Côte Ouest d'Afrique. Arrive le 16 février à Freetown à la remorque du liberty ship panaméen GLYFADA où il est désarmé. Coule à son ancrage le 15 mars 1970.
Esterel.jpg
Τελευταία επεξεργασία από το χρήστη Nicholas Peppas : 02-01-2010 στις 19:18
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Also from http://www.algerianie.fr/bateaux.htm we have the following leaflets and posters from Charles Plumier's years in France
First, a 1949 leaflet from her days as a CGT ship in the Bordeaux-Casablanca route
CGT 1949.jpg
Then a 1953 leaflet from her days as a CGT ship in the Algiers and Tunis route
CGT 1953.jpg
And then a generic CGT announcement
CGT.jpg
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Μικρη ταινια απο τα αρχεια της Γαλλικης ΙΝΑ παρουσιαζει μερικες σκηνες απο το Charles Plumier, που εγινε αργοτερα το Ελληνικο Πλειας!
http://www.ina.fr/histoire-et-confli...lgerie.fr.html
CP1.jpgCP3.jpgCP4.jpg
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