CHRISTINA O at anchor off Capri, white hull and cream funnel

1943 — Today

From warship to
floating palace

The extraordinary life of CHRISTINA O.

Motor yacht for sale

Private acquisition enquiries

Request acquisition details Explore the story

011943Warship 021954Transformation 031950s–60sGolden Age 041978Argo & Decline 051998Rebirth

Chapter 01

1943

Warship

HMCS Stormont · K327

Before CHRISTINA, there was STORMONT.

Built by Canadian Vickers in Montreal and commissioned in 1943, HMCS Stormont was a River-class frigate assigned to Atlantic escort work. Her service included the Normandy operations and Arctic convoy duty on the Kola–Murmansk route.

Battle honours

Arctic 1944
Normandy 1944
English Channel 1944
Atlantic 1944–1945

Chronology

The yacht’s chronology begins with wartime construction in 1943. The later Riviera era is a chapter in her life, not her build period.

Chapter 02

1954

Transformation

Aristotle Onassis standing at the gangway of the yacht CHRISTINA in Monaco harbour — Aristotle Onassis at the gangway of CHRISTINA, Monaco · archival photograph

Kiel · 1952–1954

A frigate becomes a private world.

Aristotle Onassis acquired the vessel in the early 1950s. Between 1952 and 1954, she was converted in Kiel into the yacht CHRISTINA, named after his daughter Christina Onassis. Later accounts commonly place the conversion at around US$4 million, an extraordinary sum in post-war Europe.

Landmark features

Large private social spaces
Numerous guest cabins
Mosaic swimming pool with a floor that could rise to become a dance floor
Ari’s Bar

Chapter 03 · 1950s–60s

Golden
Age

The floating salon of an era.

CHRISTINA became a private setting for political, cultural and social life. The period gave historical meaning to the phrase “floating palace”: less a description of ornament than of the scale and reach of the world assembled aboard.

Aristotle Onassis and guests seated on the deck of CHRISTINA in the 1960s — Onassis with guests on deck · 1960s

Onassis serving drinks to guests at a table on the aft deck of CHRISTINA — Luncheon on the aft deck, the name CHRISTINA on the hull

Two men in evening dress at the bar aboard CHRISTINA — Ari’s Bar · archival photograph

Two men in wicker chairs beside the mosaic pool aboard CHRISTINA — Conversation beside the mosaic pool

Passenger list · archival object

The guest register.

Surviving passenger lists remain among the most telling records of the Onassis years, naming those who joined the yacht in port after port. Passport numbers and other personal document fields are not reproduced here.

Framed typed passenger list of S/Y Christina, headed Port Monaco, 1959, with a column of guest names — Passenger list, Port of Monaco · July 1959 · names column shown; document fields not transcribed

Documented by the Onassis Foundation

Winston Churchill
Prince Rainier of Monaco
Giovanni Agnelli
Greta Garbo

Widely reported in yachting histories

John F. Kennedy
Marilyn Monroe
Frank Sinatra
Grace Kelly

Chapter 04

1978

Argo & Decline

A quieter chapter

From private icon to state yacht.

After Aristotle Onassis died in 1975, the yacht passed to Christina Onassis. In 1978 it was transferred to the Greek state, renamed ARGO, and used as a state and presidential yacht. In the years that followed, the vessel became increasingly neglected.

1975

Aristotle Onassis dies

1978

Transfer to Greek state

ARGO

State yacht

Later

Increasing neglect

Chapter 05

1998

Rebirth

CHRISTINA O returns

The return of CHRISTINA O.

Greek shipowner John Paul Papanicolaou acquired the vessel in 1998. A major rebuild began in 1999; Boat International describes an 18-month project that modernised the yacht while seeking to preserve her historical character. She returned as CHRISTINA O.

CHRISTINA O underway in the Mediterranean, white hull and cream funnel

The history survives. The yacht continues.

Motor yacht for sale

A historic yacht with a contemporary operating platform.

CHRISTINA O combines one of the best-known pedigrees in yachting history with the scale and infrastructure of a modern large yacht. Extensively reconstructed between 1999 and 2001, she offers substantial guest volume, broad entertainment spaces and accommodation for 36 guests across 17 staterooms.

Her defining features remain inseparable from the Onassis era: the mosaic swimming pool, Ari’s Bar, grand salons, extensive deck spaces and preserved historical details. Today, those spaces support both private use and large-scale entertaining.

With a professional galley, gym, wellness areas, multiple bars and substantial service infrastructure, CHRISTINA O has the layout and capacity to support private ownership or commercial operation, subject to buyer verification of current regulatory, operational and commercial status.

Request acquisition details

Special features

—36 guests underway across 17 guest staterooms
—Extensive interior and exterior entertaining areas
—Mosaic swimming pool with historic convertible dance-floor concept
—Ari’s Bar and preserved Onassis-era design details
—Gym and wellness facilities
—Professional galley and large service infrastructure
—Extensively reconstructed between 1999 and 2001

Commercial, charter, passenger-vessel and event-capacity information is available to qualified parties and should be independently verified as part of due diligence.

The yacht today

99.13 m

Length

1,802 GT

Volume

1943

Canadian Vickers

Guests

Guest cabins

Crew

19.5 kn

Maximum

15 kn

Cruise

2 × MAN

Diesel

Acquisition

Buyer brief.

Further technical, operational and ownership documentation is available on request for qualified parties.

Request full particulars

Length: 99.13 m
Gross tonnage: 1,802 GT
Guests: 36
Guest cabins: 17
Crew: 34
Class: ABS
Hull / superstructure: Steel / aluminium
Engines: 2 × MAN diesel
Power: 2,069 kW each / 2,775 hp each
Speed: 19.5 kn max / 15 kn cruise
Fuel capacity: 329,000 L
Flag / port: Malta / Valletta
IMO: 8963818

Historical sources

Royal Canadian Navy / Canada.caWartime service, commissioning and battle honours of HMCS Stormont.

Onassis FoundationOnassis-era records, documented guests and the Maria Callas piano record.

Boat InternationalThe 1998 acquisition and subsequent 18-month rebuild.

Contemporary folio 01

Exterior.

Starboard profile, Côte d’Azur01

CHRISTINA O underway with cream funnel against open blue sea — Underway, Mediterranean02

CHRISTINA O entering harbour past a stone breakwater — Arrival, Valletta03

CHRISTINA O at anchor in still water below Greek mountains — At anchor, Ionian04

Gold lettering reading CHRISTINA O., Valletta, on the white hull — Name and port of registry05

CHRISTINA O under way at dusk, mirrored in still water below distant hills — Golden hour, Aegean06

Contemporary folio 02

Onboard.

Timber-panelled main salon aboard CHRISTINA O with pale sofas and framed photographs — Main salon01

Lounge aboard CHRISTINA O with grand piano on a raised platform — Piano lounge02

Library aboard CHRISTINA O with lapis fireplace surround and bookshelves — Library and fireplace03

Polished timber bar aboard CHRISTINA O — Ari’s Bar04

Minoan-style mosaic swimming pool on the teak sun deck of CHRISTINA O — Mosaic pool, sun deck05

Guest cabin aboard CHRISTINA O with double bed and paired bedside lamps — Guest cabin06

Formal dining saloon aboard CHRISTINA O with mahogany table and columns — Dining saloon07

Spiral staircase aboard CHRISTINA O with marble steps and a mosaic floor below — Spiral staircase08

Teak aft deck and brass fittings aboard CHRISTINA O — Teak aft deck09

Contemporary folio 03

Deck plans.

Select the general arrangement to enlarge.

Contemporary folio 04

Technical details.

Dimensions & Build

Type: Motor yacht
Length: 99.13 m / 325 ft 3 in
Beam: 11.12 m / 36 ft 6 in
Max draught: 4.11 m / 13 ft 6 in
Gross tonnage: 1,802 GT
Builder: Canadian Vickers
Build number: 167
Built: 1943
Naval design: Caesar Pinnau and Costas Carabelas
Exterior design: Caesar Pinnau
Interior design: Apostolos Molindris & Associates
Hull: Steel
Superstructure: Aluminium
Class: ABS
Hull form: Displacement mono hull

Accommodation

Guests: 36
Guest cabins: 17
Crew: 34

Performance & Machinery

Maximum speed: 19.5 kn
Cruise speed: 15.0 kn
Engines: 2 × MAN diesel
Power: 2,069 kW each / 2,775 hp each
Propulsion: Twin propellers
Fuel capacity: 329,000 L

Identity

IMO: 8963818
MMSI: 248383000
Call sign: 9HA2344
Flag: Malta
Port of registration: Valletta
iQ number: Y02800415
Previous names: Argo, Christina and Stormont

Private enquiry

Private acquisition enquiry.

For qualified acquisition, advisory and private market enquiries regarding CHRISTINA O.