Ιθάκη [Safa El-Bahr, Ithaki]

[Nicholas Peppas]

Ithaki was a smaller Greek passenger ship that served our shipping passenger needs well for 20+ years, usually in secondary routes...

The ship belonged to the Aktoploia Ithakis of Drakoulis from 1920 to 1941. Here is a photograph

Ithaki.jpg

She was built at Inglis Shipyards in Pointhouse, UK in 1894. She was built as the private yacht of the Khedive of Egypt and was named Safa El-Bahr. She had a tonnage of 675 tons, a length of 61 m and a width of 8.2 m. Her speed was around 12 knots.

Here are her Miramar listings

IDNo: 5600649 Year: 1894
Name: SAFRA EL-BAHR * Miramar is wrong. It should be SAFA EL-BAHR (see below) Launch Date: 11.5.94
Type: Yacht Date of completion: 5.94
Flag: EGY Keel:
Tons: 675 Link: 1566
DWT: Yard No: 232
Length overall: Ship Design:
LPP: 61.0 Country of build: GBR
Beam: 8.2 Builder:Inglis
Material of build: Location of yard: Pointouse
Number of screws/Mchy/ Speed(kn): 1T-
Owner as Completed: H.H.The Khedive of Egypt, Alexandria
Subsequent History: 20 ITHAKI
Disposal Data: ac/b Suda Bay 20.4.41

Name Tons Change Main Owner
SAFA EL-BAHR 675 1894 Khedive of Egypt
ITHAKI 675 1920 G.C.Dracoulis

[Nicholas Peppas]

Here is a model of the private yacht of the Khedive of Egypt Safa El-Bahr as depicted in http://www.wrecksite.eu/imgBrowser.aspx?3622

Safra El-Bahr.jpg

In 1915-1919 she was hired by Royal Navy as a patrol vessel. In 1920 she was purchased by G. C. Dracoulis and his Ithaki Line, converted from a yacht to a passenger vessel and renamed Ithaki. In 1929 she was added to the amalgamated Hellenic Coast Lines, Piraeus, Greece. On April 20, 1941 she was bombed and sunk in an air raid in Suda, Crete.

The Safa El-Bahr was obviously a great yacht, very well known in the English circles. Read, for example, the description of F. C. Penfield in his 1899 book Present-day Egypt. Among other things, we learn that the ship had a speed of 14 knots.
Safa0.jpg

And then two documents, the furst from a New York Times issue in 1900, describing her length (66 m) and other characteristics
Safa.jpgSafa2.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

Being a former yacht, Ithaki started with the coastal routes. In addition, she would be placed to the classic Patras, Kefallinia, Ithaca route [NB: To our non-Greek friends Ithaca=Ithaki in Greek].

On April 20, 1921 she was doing a rather unusual route (for her) from Piraeus to Chios, Smyrna, Mytilene, Kavala, Thessaloniki, Volos, Chalkis and back to Piraeus
19210428 Ithaki.jpg

Here is a first announcement of her most typical route. On July 14, 1922 she was going to the Ionian islands. And here is that same route on August 29, 1925: Piraeus, Loutraki, Zakynthos, Lixouri, Argostoli. And again on September 18, 1926.
19220714 Ithaki.jpg19250829 Ithaki.jpg19260918 all Ithaki.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

As our former yacht, Ithaki, approaches 35 years, and as other older ships disappear from service, Ithaki is asked to do more!

First, she continues to serve Piraeus, Loutraki, Zakynthos, Lixouri, Argostoli, as in these announcements from September 22, 1928, and July 20, 1929.
19280922 Ithaki.jpg19290720 Ithaki.jpg

But in 1930 she is placed in the Dodecanissos route! The April 17, 1930 announcement does not specify which islands she was visiting.
19300417 all Ithaki.jpg

It is interesting that during Dekapentavgoustos she was doing the Piraeus-Tenos route like many other ships (e.g., August 14, 1930
19300814 Ithaki.jpg

By 1934, Ithaki, like many other old ships, had been placed in important routes with numerous stops. Here are two Ionian routes of June 6 and 9, 1934. The second one has some rare stops like Paxoi and even Sagiada (the harbor of Filiates!)
19340606 Ithaki.jpg
19340609 Ithaki.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

As I have been able to establish, the Dracoulis Line consisted of only one passenger ship, Ithaki. This was probably done for sentimental reasons... Otherwise the company was very active before World War II in freight transport (see below).
Dracoulis.jpg
Source: Roger Jordan, The World's Merchant Fleets, 1939

Ithaki's demise in 1941 is discussed in http://www.wrecksite.eu/imgBrowser.aspx?3622

Το ατμοπλοιο Ιθακη της Ατμοπλοιας της Ιθακης του Δρακουλη στην Σμυρνη ετοιμο να παραλαβει προσφυγες.

Ithaki.jpg

[Ellinis]

Και όταν είδα τη φωτογραφία στο άλλο θέμα έλεγα μέσα μου...κάτι μου θυμίζει...

Από το clydesite η παρακάτω φωτογραφία όπως ναυπηγήθηκε ως γιότ του Αιγύπτιου χαλίφη (ή κάτι τέτοιο)

ithaki as safa-el-bahr.jpg

Από το έκδοση των Lloyds τα σινιάλα της εταιρείας του Δρακούλη με έδρα τη Βραϊαλα της Ρουμανίας
dracoulis.jpg

και από εφημερίδα του 1949, η σχετική ανακοίνωση του οργανισμου ανέλκυσης ναυαγίων για το ΙΘΑΚΗ που παρέμενε από το 1941 βυθισμένο στη Σούδα.
ODISY salvage wrecks 2.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

Φωτογραφιες του επιβατηγου Ιθακη το 1923 που μεταφερει Τουρκους στην Σμυρνη κατα την περιοδο ανταλλαγης πληθυσμων, απο την ψηφιοποιημενη συλλογη φωτογραφιων, επιστολικων δελταριων (καρτ ποσταλ) και εφημεριδων του Ελληνικου Λογοτεχνικου και Ιστορικου Αρχειου (ΕΛΙΑ, http://eliaserver.elia.org.gr/elia/site/content.php)

Για οσους δεν το θυμουνται, ο Ζοζεφ Χεπ ηταν ενας απο τους θρυλικους πρωτους οπερατερ που εργασθηκε στον προπολεμικο Ελληνικο κινηματογραφο. Τα εργα του περιλαμβανουν ενα απο τα εργα του Αχιλλε Μαδρα καθως και την κινηματογραφιση του περιφημου Δαφνις και Χλοη του Ορεστη Λασκου

Φωτογράφος Χεπ, Ζόζεφ (Hepp Josef)
Ανταλλαγή αιχμαλώτων: άφιξη του πλοίου ΙΘΑΚΗ με τούρκικη σημαία, μεταφέρον τους πρώτους πολίτες Τούρκους αιχμαλώτους στη Σμύρνη.
Χρονολογία 1923

http://eliaserver.elia.org.gr/elia/s...present=422275

http://eliaserver.elia.org.gr/elia/s...present=422291

http://eliaserver.elia.org.gr/elia/s...present=422281

http://eliaserver.elia.org.gr/elia/s...present=422207

Ithaki1.JPG

Ithaki2.JPG

Ithaki3.JPG

Ithaki.JPG

Ithaki4.JPG

Προσθετω οτι τα σινιαλα στο φουγαρο της τελευταιας φωτογραφιας με προβληματιζουν. Ellinis?

[τοξοτης]

As I have been able to establish, the Dracoulis Line consisted of only one passenger ship, Ithaki. This was probably done for sentimental reasons... Otherwise the company was very active before World War II in freight transport (see below).
Dracoulis.jpg
Source: Roger Jordan, The World's Merchant Fleets, 1939

Ithaki's demise in 1941 is discussed in http://www.wrecksite.eu/imgBrowser.aspx?3622

Το ατμοπλοιο Ιθακη της Ατμοπλοιας της Ιθακης του Δρακουλη στην Σμυρνη ετοιμο να παραλαβει προσφυγες.

Ithaki.jpg

Το άλλο πλοίο στη πρύμνη του είναι το Ζάκυνθος. (ίδια φωτ/φία λίγο μεγαλύτερη)
πηγή : National Geographic ( 1922 ο μεγάλος ξεριζωμός)

List of ships built by A. & J. Inglis

1894

Safra El-Bahr

675

232

Built as a Royal Yacht for His Highness the Khedive of Egypt Used from 1915-19 as a patrol vessel by the Royal Navy Sold in 1920 to G. C. Dracoulis, Ithaca, Greece and renamed Ithaki. Bombed and sunk on 20 April 1941 atSuda Bay, Crete.[15]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._%26_J._Inglis

[Nicholas Peppas]

Και παλι το Ιθακη το 1923 στην Μικρα Ασια απο φωτογραφια του Josef Hepp.

Απο την ψηφιοποιημενη συλλογη φωτογραφιων, επιστολικων δελταριων (καρτ ποσταλ) και εφημεριδων του Ελληνικου Λογοτεχνικου και Ιστορικου Αρχειου (ΕΛΙΑ, http://eliaserver.elia.org.gr/elia/site/content.php)

Αφιερωμενες στον φιλο με τα σπανια ντοκουμεντα πο τον καιρο εκεινο, Νικο Κουμπετσο

Iqakh 1923.JPG

Ithaki 1923.jpg

Ithaki 3.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

Μεγαλο δρομολογιο του Ιθακη στις 26 Οκτωβριου 1922

19221026 Ithaki.jpg