Delphin/Nausika is one of the most famous Greek passenger ships of the early 20th century. The reason I keep the two names in the title is because this ship was equally known in both incarnations.
Indeed, Delphin, along with Pylaros and Aghios Ioannis were the three most popular passenger ships of the pre-World War I period, “the Moschanthis” of that period….
The ship was built as a paddle ship (!) by Nederlandsche STB in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 1872 under the name Batavier. She was first a cargo ship with a few passenger quarters. She had 678 tons, a length of 69 m, a width of 9.1 m and a service speed of 8.2 knots.
Here is her Miramar entry
IDNo: 5619001 Year: 1872
Name: BATAVIER Launch Date:
Type: Cargo ship Date of completion:
Flag: NLD Keel:
Tons: 678 Link: 2020
DWT: 0 Yard No: 80
Length overall: Ship Design:
LPP: 69.0 Country of build: NLD
Beam: 9.1 Builder: Nederlandsche STB
Material of build: I Location of yard: Rotterdam
Number of screws/Mchy/
Speed(kn): 1C-
Owner as Completed: Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mij, Rotterdam
Subsequent History: 98 BATAVIER I - 06 DELPHIN - 27 NAFSIKA Y. - 30 DELPHIN
Disposal Data: BU 2q.1934This is not complete and accurate as it will be discussed belowName Tons Change Starke Ref. Main Owner
BATAVIER 678 1872 V1872 Nederlandsche SS Co
BATAVIER I 678 1898 V1872 Nederlandsche SS Co
DELPHIN 678 1906 V1872 J.Cominos
NAFSIKA Y. 678 1927 V1872 A.G.Yannoulatos
For almost 35 years Batavier belonged to Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschapij of Rotterdam. This company was founded in 1823 by G.M. Roentgen, J.C. Baud, C. van Vollenhoven and J. Cockerill with the support of the Dutch king Willem I. It started first inland services from Rotterdam to Nijmegen, Cologne and later to Antwerp with paddle wheelers. The paddle wheeler Batavier (1) opened on 12 April 1830 a passenger and cargo service from Rotterdam to London. In 1855 a new Batavier (2) was ready to take up the Rotterdam London service. In 1873 a third Batavier joined the fleet, which give better results for the company.
In 1895 William Müller & Co. took over the company which stayed as an independent company within the William Muller & Co. company until 1920 when the Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij was formally liquidated and the ships sailed under the Müller banner.
The following Website has a nice description of her history. http://zeevaart.web-log.nl/zeevaart/...andsche_s.html It gives much more detail than Miramar.
So, this site gives a more accurate sequence of events, which I have corrected based on the schedules that follow.s.s. BATAVIER (3) 1873-1906 vracht- passagiersschip NGQW
Gebouwd 1872, Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mij. Fijenoord (80)
731 BRT 502 NRT
(68,97) x 13,85 x 4,14 x 2,950
8 kn.
2 ketels, v.o. 308 m2, 2,06 atm., de werf.
375 IPK, 2 cyl, de werf.
24-2-1872 te water gelaten, 15-2-1873 proefvaart en opgeleverd als raderschip BATAVIER aan Nederlandsche Stoomboot Mij., Rotterdam, ingezet op de dienst Rotterdam-Londen voor passagiers en vracht.
1880 opgelegd.
1883 verbouwd tot schroefschip, 768 BRT, 68,88 x 9,14 x 4,12, nieuwe ketels geplaatst, 2 2-vuurs Schotse ketels, v.o. 210 m2, 5,2 atm., de werf, nieuwe machine geplaatst, 550 IPK, 2 cyl, de werf, 9 kn.
1893 nieuwe ketels geplaatst, 2 3-vuurs Schotse ketels, v.o. 320 m2, 5,62 atm., de werf.
1895 in beheer bij Wm. H. Müller & Co.
12-10-1896 herdoopt BATAVIER I.
1906 verkocht aan Navigation A Vapeur Hellenique Jean Cominos, Piraeus-Griekenland en herdoopt DELPHIN.
1915 verkocht aan Del. Navigation A Vapeur Ioniene G.Y. Freres, Piraeus-Griekenland, zelfde naam.
1919 verkocht aan Chios Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., Piraeus-Griekenland, zelfde naam.
1922 verkocht aan Nissiotiki Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., Piraeus-Griekenland, zelfde naam.
1928 verkocht aan A.G. Yannoulatos, Piraeus-Griekenland, herdoopt NAFSIKA Y.
1930 verkocht aan Spetsiotiki Steam Navigation Ltd., Piraeus-Griekenland, herdoopt DELPHIN.
1934 verkocht voor sloop naar Italië, gesloopt te Palermo.
Batavier was built as a paddle wheeler. In 1882-83 she was rebuilt into a screw steamer 731 of tons. In 1895 she was transferred to Wm. H. Müller & Co. In 1897 she was renamed Batavier I. After the Netherlands and at the age of 34, Batavier came to Greece as the only ship of Cominos Line and was renamed Delphin. She was sold to Yannoulatos’ Ionian Shipping Co, and then in 1919 to Nisiotiki Steam Shipping Co (not Chios Steam Shipping Co as mentioned above).
In 1927 she became Nausika of the Yannoulatos Line. She went to Spetsiotiki Shipping Line in 1930 and was named again Delphin.
She was withdrawn as too old in 1934 and scrapped in Palermo at 62 years of age.