Thessaloniki is another little known Greek passenger ship that had a very short career in the Aegean. It might be remembered by octogenarian Thessalonikians...

Thessaloniki was built as Spiraea. Spiraea was a Flower class patrol frigate (see characteristics at http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/corvettesr2z.htm and http://www.fcca.demon.co.uk/Flowername.htm) that was ordered from Inglis of Pointhouse in February 1940 and launched on October 31, 1940.

Her Miramar listing is as follows
IDNo: 6112409 Year: 1941
Name: SPIRAEA Launch Date: 31.10.40
Type: Patrol frigate Date of completion: 27.2.41
Flag: GBR Keel: 31.5.40
Tons: 940 Link: 1566
DWT: 1180 Yard No: 1056p
Length overall: 62.6 Ship Design:
LPP: 57.9 Country of build: GBR
Beam: 10.1 Builder: Inglis
Material of build: Location of yard: Pointhouse
Number of screws/Mchy/
Speed(kn): 1T-16
Owner as Completed: Royal Navy
End: 1999
Subsequent History: 48 THESSALONIKI
Disposal Data: deleted 1999
Clydesite offers effectively the same information at http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuil...ip.asp?id=2083 but includes also a photograph. I am uploading here another photograph of Spiraea

Spiraea.jpg

In 1945 she was lai up by the Royal Navy. In April 1946, she was purchased by the Greek Government and placed in the “Executive Committee of Passenger Shipping”. She was named Thessaloniki and started running whatever trade she was assigned to do… Here she is doing the usual northern Aegean route of Piraeus, Chios, Mytilene, Moudros, Myrina, Alexandroupolis, Kavala, Mytilene, Chios, Piraeus...during the week of August 9, 1947.

19470809 all.jpg

I have no idea what happened to her after 1948, but I am sure the usual suspect (Ellinis) will tell us and another one (Apollon) will add a photograph!