Adorable Story #143: The Story of Christina O'
From Warship to Myth
Richard Burton: “I don’t think there is a man or woman on earth who would not be seduced by the pure narcissism shamelessly flaunted on this boat.”
Aristotle Onassis: “I have found that to be so.”
Some yachts are boats, others are legends.
The Christina O belongs to the latter category: a 99.3m floating palace that hosted world leaders, movie icons, and scandals at sea.
Its story begins not in luxury, but in war.
Table of Contents: A Ship Born for Battle / A Taste for Grandeur / Floating Luxury / Celebrities / La Divina / Jackie O’ / Abandonment / Rescue and Restoration / Today
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A Ship Born for Battle
In 1943, the Canadian Navy launched a sturdy anti-submarine frigate named HMCS Stormont. It was built in Quebec during World War II and served as part of the D-Day naval escort in 1944.
After the war, like many naval ships, the Stormont faced obsolescence and was auctioned for scrap.
That’s when Aristotle Onassis, then an ambitious shipping magnate, spotted an opportunity: in 1954, he bought the discarded frigate for about USD 34,000, a modest sum even then.
