The paddle steamer ARKADION of the Hellenic Steamship Co., played an important role during the Cretan Revolt of 1866. (1/53)
The 1887-built passenger ship IONIA, took part in operations during the Greek-Turkish War of 1897. (2/53)
Title of ten shares of the Michalinos Maritime & Commercial Co. Ltd.(3/53)
The great Greek statesman Eleftherios K. Venizelos (1864-1936). (4/53)
The 1894-built steamship LEONIDAS, acquired by shipowners Domestinis and Economou in 1912. (5/53)
The steamship FOTIS, built in 1912 in the United Kingdom for N. D. Lykiardopulo interests. (6/53)
The steamship NEFELI, built in 1912 for A. A. Embiricos & Co. (7/53)
Watercolour by Manolis Kulukundis depicting several Greek cargo steamships detained in Constantinople during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. (8/53)
Postcard depicting the arrival of King Constantine in Neo Faliro after the victorious Balkan Wars. (9/53)
King Constantine I (1868-1923). (10/53)
Postcard of the island of Chios during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. (11/53)
Postcard of the island of Chios during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. (12/53)
The port of Chios after its liberation from the Turkish yoke. (13/53)
The port of Chios after its liberation from the Turkish yoke. (14/53)
The island of Oinoussai. Its seafarers played a decisive role in the evolution of the Greek merchant marine. (15/53)
The Oinoussians John C. Hadjipateras, Diamantis J. Pateras, Georgios M. Lemos-Gerontas and Adamantios C. Hadjipateras on board the steamship LEANDROS, in Marseille c.1910. (16/53)
Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis (1855-1935), dedicated supporter of Greek merchant shipping. (17/53)
Master mariner and shipowner Ghikas Koulouras (1865-1958) from the island of Hydra, who conceived the idea for the establishment of the Union of Greek Shipowners. (18/53)
Correspondence of the S. G. Embiricos shipping office in Cardiff. (19/53)
Correspondence of the Foscolo, Mango & Co. shipping office in London. (20/53)
The Greek steamship IOANNIS VATIS, built in 1914 for J. L. Vatis & Co. (21/53)
The passenger liner VASILEFS CONSTANTINOS, built in 1914 for the National Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. of Greece. (22/53)
The 1888-built steamship THEODOROS, acquired in 1910 by master mariner Christophis Cokinos from the island of Chios, financed by Hermoupolis-based Khian banker Theodoros Pangalos. (23/53)
Correspondence of the Michalinos & Co. office in London referring to the sale of the steamship SPARTI to foreign buyers in 1916. (24/53)
The Greek steamship GREGORIOS LIVIERATOS, built in 1915 for the Cephallonian shipowner Anastasios G. Livieratos. (25/53)
The Greek steamship GREGORIOS LIVIERATOS, built in 1915 for the Cephallonian shipowner Anastasios G. Livieratos. (26/53)
Press cutting from the British magazine The Shipping World, dated 5 January 1916, depicting the steamship NIREFS, built in 1915 for Anthony Palios. (27/53)
Share of the Hellenic Company of Maritime Enterprises (1916) established by Anthony Palios. (28/53)
Master mariner and shipowner Anthony Palios (1870-1919). (29/53)
Press cutting from the British magazine The Shipping World, dated 24 February 1915, depicting the steamship SYRIA, built in 1915 for the National Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. of Greece. (30/53)
Press cutting from the Greek newspaper Sfera, dated 1916 referring to Greek steamships carrying cargoes to Greece. (31/53)
Press cutting from the Greek newspaper Sfera, dated 1916 referring to Greek steamships carrying cargoes to Greece. (32/53)
The 1907-built steamship ATHANASIOS, acquired in 1915 by N. D. Lykiardopulo. (33/53)
Press cutting from the Greek newspaper Sfera referring to the establishment of the Union of Greek Shipowners in February 1916. (34/53)
The 1897-built steamship MILTIADES EMBIRICOS, acquired in 1911 by G. M. Embiricos, became a war loss on 1 July 1917. (35/53)
The 1891-built steamship SAPFO, acquired in 1899 by K. Hadjipateras and N. & D. Pateras, became a war loss on 30 December 1916. (36/53)
The 1892-built steamship CHRISTOS MARKETTOS, acquired in 1911 by K. P. Markettos, became a war loss on 2 January 1918. (37/53)
The 1901-built steamship ANTONIOS M. MAVROGORDATOS, acquired in 1912 by A. M. Mavrogordato, became a war loss on 17 June 1917. (38/53)
Telegram referring to the torpedoing of the 1895-built steamship THEODOROS PANGALOS, owned by Antonios G. Lemos, in 1917. (39/53)
The 1897-built steamship IOANNIS P. GOULANDRIS, acquired in 1910 by John P. Goulandris, became a war loss on 4 May 1917. (40/53)
Accounts statements concerning the operation of the 1904-built Greek steamship AGIOS GEORGIOS of master mariner and shipowner Georgios Nicolaou, during WWI. (41/53)
Accounts statements concerning the operation of the 1904-built Greek steamship AGIOS GEORGIOS of master mariner and shipowner Georgios Nicolaou, during WWI. (42/53)
Document referring to taxation imposed on all wartime shipping revenues. (43/53)
Document referring to taxation imposed on all wartime shipping revenues. (44/53)
A letter of the Greek shipowning enterprise Pandeli Brothers based in Constantinople, referring to the bunkering of the company’s steamships in Piraeus and Cardiff. (45/53)
Balance sheet of the Greek shipping enterprise The Oriental Shipping Company Limited, dated 1919. (46/53)
Members of the crew of the 1913-built cargo steamship IOSSIFOGLU, constructed in UK for Greek interests. (47/53)
King George I was murdered in Τhessaloniki on 18 March 1913. The body of the dead King was transported to Piraeus on the Royal Yacht AMPHITRITE and subsequently to the Metropolis in Athens. The picture portrays the funeral march at the port of Piraeus. (48/53)
A check of the London-based Michalinos & Co. shipping company, who served in many cases as financiers for the acquisition of Greek steamships. (49/53)
The port of Costanza, epicenter of important Greek shipping activity during the first decades of the 20th century. (50/53)
The port of Hamburg in the early decades of the 20th century. (51/53)
View of London in the early decades of the 20th century. (52/53)
The Greek armored cruiser GEORGIOS AVEROFF, played a crucial role in the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. (53/53)

Shipping in Wartime (1912-1918)

From the mid-19th century, Greek steam shipping had contributed during the attempts to free Crete from Ottoman rule (1866-1869) and during the Greco-Turkish War (1897). However, the unfortunate outcome of the latter did not allow the realisation of shipping’s contribution. The Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 were set to establish a completely different picture.

From the very beginning of 1912, Eleftherios Venizelos was working hard in realising his vision of re-establishing the status of Greece as a great country. At the same time, the Greek-flag steamship fleet had expanded to 350 vessels. The prevailing circumstances encouraged the fleet’s further expansion and, as a result, by September 1912, when the declaration of a war was imminent, 40 more steamers were sailing under Greek colours.

On 20 September 1912, several days before the outbreak of the Balkan Wars, the Greek government requisitioned all merchant ships at the port of Piraeus. Additional ships were requisitioned in other ports of Greece, whilst Greek steamers in foreign ports were given orders to sail full speed to Greece.

However, the whole process was overshadowed by an unfortunate incident. No one in charge thought to notify Greek steamers in ports under the control of the Turks. The latter, taking advantage of this oversight and in breach of international law, withheld all Greek steamships a few days before the declaration of the war. As a result, several Greek vessels did not participate in the war and even worse, were placed at the service of enemy forces. Ultimately, 40 of these ships sailed to Constantinople, where they remained inactive until the end of the war.

The victory in the Balkan Wars resulted in the recovery of Greek territories which were under Ottoman occupation for centuries. Amongst these were the island of Chios and the adjacent island of Oinousses. Both were destined to play a key role in the course of Greek shipping during the course of the 20th century. Many seafarers from these islands, who had already demonstrated outstanding performance since the middle of the 19th century, went on to become world-class shipowners over the next decades.

The major contribution of the merchant fleet to the successful outcome of the Balkan Wars provided shipping with two prominent supporters, Eleftherios Venizelos and admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis, an officer whose leadership was instrumental to the successful outcome of the war. Both had witnessed and appreciated the invaluable role of shipping, especially in terms of the rapid transportation of troops and supplies.

At the same time, the experience gained through various events during the Balkan Wars gave rise to strong concerns on the part of the shipowners. Several of them, led by Ghikas Coulouras, a master mariner from the island of Hydra, supported the need for the establishment of an association to safeguard the interests of the industry. However, this was not a simple issue at the time as on the one hand most shipowners were masters of their own vessels and, on the other, the majority of the few Greek shipping offices were based in the United Kingdom and specifically in London, Cardiff and Newcastle. As a result, nothing changed until the outbreak of the First World War, in September 1914, apart from the fact that approximately 100 steamers had been added to the Greek fleet.

A disagreement between King Constantine and Prime Minister Venizelos resulted in Greece remaining neutral. By March 1915, the Greek fleet of 500 steamships was ranked 11th in the World, with excellent prospects of further development.

However, at this point the scene began to change dramatically. On the one hand the state, troubled by political instability, failed to show any substantial interest to the shipping industry and, on the other hand, the absence of a collective body that could successfully address unprecedented situations created by the War on a daily basis led to adverse results. Many shipowners, influenced by the continuous rise in the value of ships, began selling their steamers. Their decision was further strengthened by the threat of German submarines, which had begun to hit even neutral Greek vessels. Within a few months, before the government realised the enormous damage done and had the sale of steamships prohibited, the Greek register had lost more than 100 ships.

Meanwhile, the astronomical increase in the hires of steamers due to the War brought huge profits to shipowners. At the same time, the significant rise in transport costs greatly increased the price of imported goods and caused distress between Greek shipowners and people in their own country for the first time. This development revived the idea for the creation of an association aiming to address the issues concerning the industry and this led to the establishment of the Union of Greek Shipowners in Piraeus on February 16, 1916, with Leonidas A. Embiricos elected as first president. Most of its founding members belonged to the core of supporters of Venizelos’ party and followed him to Thessaloniki where he formed his new government.

With Greece’s entry to the War in 1917, the centre of the Greek shipping activity moved to the United Kingdom, where a substantial number of Greek offices were already operating. The entire Greek steamship fleet was chartered to the British government at significantly lower rates than those prevailing at the time. Also, restrictions were placed on the amount of insurance that would be paid back to the Greeks in the event of a war loss. The ships provided by the Greeks for the Allied Forces were employed in the most dangerous routes -coal from the United Kingdom to the Mediterranean and minerals from the Mediterranean to the United Kingdom- resulting in the decimation of the Greek fleet within a short space of time, mainly by German submarine fire. By the end of the War, the Greek merchant fleet had comparatively recorded more losses than most other nations and while the number of the remaining ships, had not the slightest resemblance to pre-war levels.

Despite the above, many Greek shipowners made extraordinary profits during the War from sales, insurance claims and the operation of their steamers, especially between 1915-1916. This was sufficient to enable them to invest again in steamships, whenever they felt that they should return competitively to the market.

However, the Greek government had different ideas. From November 1917, a heavy retrospective tax was imposed on all shipping revenues dating back to 1915. This referred to all profits materialised through the sale, chartering as well as any insurance money paid to owners for war losses. Unfortunately, Venizelos, who was re-elected Prime Minister, in his distress to see the Greek fleet rising to pre-war levels as quickly as possible, had a special decree incorporated in the same tax law. According to this, every owner replacing his steamship within a period of five years after the end of the War would be exempted from that particular tax. This decree, whose time limit was reduced from five years to two in 1919, led many owners to the hasty decision to invest most of their profits at the wrong time. This proved catastrophic for the majority of them, as well as for the industry, as it led to the rapid deterioration of its quality standards over the next few years.

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