Even today, she is a symbol of yachting on a grand scale, of opulence and the eccentricity of her owner. "Christina" - she only became "Christina O" after a general overhaul almost 30 years ago - was Aristotle Onassis' 99-metre-long calling card and signalled wealth, power and social recognition to the world. Actually, the value of "Christina O" cannot be translated into monetary terms. During the 21 years in which the Greek owner ran her, history was written on the teak deck and amidst the classic wood-panelled walls and the yachting lifestyle was indulged in - with everything that goes with it. Even after his marriage to Jackie Kennedy, "Ari" continued to invite his lover Maria Callas on board.
"Ari" got them all on board
Sir Winston Churchill holidayed on "Christina" nine times and met John F. Kennedy there in 1959, with whom he discussed his presidential ambitions. Five years after the assassination of JFK, Jackie Kennedy married Onassis and Hollywood's A-list arrived: Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor - they were all there and enjoyed life on board, which included the legendary pool. The pool, which was huge by the standards of the time, with a movable floor (dry for the dance floor!) and a Minoan-style mosaic, is largely in its original condition. The luffing crane, which for a long time moved Onassis' Fiat 500 with an open roof and his seaplane (Piaggio P136), had to give way. A sailing yacht was also parked amidships on the upper deck, where a jacuzzi and outdoor bar now punctuate the teak deck.
Heidi and Woody on "Christina O"
During the shipyard stay at the end of the 1990s, the hull was rebuilt, with hardly a single sheet of steel left next to the other. On the other hand, the exterior designed by Hamburg architect Caesar Pinnau, including the classic chimney and the curved bridge docks, was handled with care. However, the switch from triple-expansion steam engines to diesel engines resulted in an additional mast with splayed arms for the tailpipes. Behind it, Heidi Klum gave Tom Kaulitz her word of honour in front of Capri in August 2019.
The couple had chartered "Christina O", which currently costs 700,000 to 740,000 euros per week. For events on the coast, 157 people can populate the decks. The Onassis Suite and 16 cabins, named after Greek islands and decorated in the pastel colours originally chosen by Jackie O, are available for up to 34 guests. After Heidi Klum's wedding, the icon with the distinctive canoe tail attracted attention in the film "Triangle of Sadness" with Woody Harrelson as the captain. The Monegasque brokerage house Morley Yachts, which lists "Christina O" in its sales portfolio at 90 million euros, is taking enquiries. A justifiably proud price for an over 80-year-old grand dame of yachting.
Marianne Nissen, founder, editor-in-chief and now publisher of BOOTE EXCLUSIV, has accompanied "Christina" since the magazine's keel was laid in 1988. In her comprehensive and amusing article on the History of superyachts wrote Nissen:
She made the start: 99 metres long, immaculate and elegant. Christina" was christened in 1954 in the still dreary post-war Kiel. The tanker king Aristotle Onassis had converted a decommissioned Canadian frigate, which he bought for scrap, into the first superyacht of the post-war era. Regardless of the cost, Howaldtswerke got the job - just five years after the reconstruction of the shipyard, which had been destroyed by bombs, began.
Named after her godmother, his three-year-old daughter, "Christina" was to be the ultimate yacht for decades, unrivalled in size and furnishings, present in the headlines, the epitome of extravagance, glamour and the elite lifestyle of the international jet set. Paparazzi shots of prominent guests on board went through the yellow press: Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor with Richard Burton, Grace Kelly and Rainier, and of course "Ari's" mistress Maria Callas and his wife Jackie Kennedy. They all emphasised the status of the shipping giant.
Onassis proved his taste, the harmonious exterior in the New Look of the 1950s and the interior were the responsibility of the stylish Hamburg villa architect Caesar Pinnau. The mosaic in the pool, which was raised to form a dance floor, was spectacular. Onassis had a more decadent romp below deck: He had hand rails and coat hooks carved from the teeth of orcas, and at the famous bar made from the wood of a sunken Spanish galleon, people sat on stools covered in whale skin - something the landlord was said to have been keen to point out.
We have "Christina" to thank for all the banal clichés that yachting still lives with today. Onassis wrote the script. His ship-owner rival Stavros Niarchos could not stand this unique position and built the 116 metre long "Atlantis" at his Hellenic shipyard in 1973, also hiring Caesar Pinnau. But Niarchos never mastered the performance of "Ari", and for years his yacht, like her successor "Atlantis II", lay immobile in Monaco's Port Hercule.
Moving story of "Christina O"
Tim Morley, broker and custodian of "Christina O", is gradually working through the history of the yacht and has created this timeline:
1943
HMCS Stormont
Launching of the Canadian anti-submarine frigate HMCS Stormont. The ship served in the Second World War, including as a convoy escort during the Battle of the Atlantic.
1953
Aristotle Onassis
The Greek shipowner bought the ship after the end of the Second World War as a naval surplus ship at a scrap value of 34,000 US dollars. The ship was redesigned by the architect Caesar Pinnau and christened "Christina".
1975
Christina and Jackie Onassis
Onassis died and left the yacht to his daughter Christina and his second wife Jackie Kennedy Onassis. If neither of them were interested, the yacht would be handed over to the Greek government and serve as a presidential yacht.
Argo: Both women turned down the inheritance. The Greek government changed the name of the ship to Argo, but left it to rot. In the early 1990s, it was put up for sale for 16 million dollars, but it was not sold.
1988
John Paul Papanicolaou
The ship was purchased by the Greek shipping magnate John Paul Papanicolaou, a friend of the Onassis family, at a government-sponsored auction.
1999
"Christina O"
The conversion began at the Viktor Lenac shipyard in Croatia, and the "Argo" became the "Christina O". Papanicolaou added the "O" as a tribute to Onassis.
