Cruise of the Kings
Cruise of the Kings
— by Bill “Mr. Ocean Liner” Miller
Royal Voyage! Even the exiled king & queen of Italy were together with their four children when they took part in the Mediterranean/Greek isles cruise purposely organized by Queen Frederica and her husband King Paul of Greecein 1954. It became known as the “Cruise of the Kings”. It was attended by over 100 royals from all over Europe. But since the ship’s voyage began in Naples, the Italian royal family could only board later, in Corfu in Greece, as they were not allowed to set foot on Italian soil. Nevertheless, on this trip, their daughter Princess Maria Pia met her future husband, Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia. After all, the cruise was partly meant by Queen Frederica to be “royal meet and match”.
The year-old, 5,500-ton Agamemnon (seen below on the left), built at Genoa in 1953 as wartime reparations to Greece, and its twin sister Achilleus, were created purposely for regular service across the Eastern Med – alternating from Venice to Brindisi, Piraeus, Alexandria, Limassol, Beirut, Alexandria, Piraeus, Naples & Marseilles and then reversing.
Accurately, the 416-ft long sisters were hardly overly luxurious, but they were comfortable. They were owned by shipping tycoon Petros Nomikos (the Nomikos Lines), a loyal friend to the Greek king and queen. He canceled a regular voyage and chartered the 17-knot ship to the royal couple.
The Second World War had “ruptured” relations between Europe’s royal families and so German-born Queen Frederica (she was a granddaughter of the last Kaiser, in fact) saw it an ocean-going “reunion”.
Furthermore, as European tourism resumed, the strong-willed Queen wanted to promote Greece as a tourist destination. The cruise was actually underwritten by monies the late shipownerEugen Eugenides (Home Lines) had left Frederica for the promotion of “international tourism in Greece”. Frederica also saw the cruise as a way that enabled young European royals to meet & perhaps marry.
The two Nomikos passenger ships normally carried just over 400 passengers – 150 in first class, 150 in second class and 100 in lower-deck tourist class. Each ship had 5 suites with full bathrooms and sitting rooms; otherwise, only some of the remaining first class cabins had private shower & toilet only and none in second class. How the royals were assigned their accommodation is uncertain. But there was no shortage on the guest list.
Altogether, there were 104 royals – some quite junior, others quite elderly – onboard. The British royal family was among those that politely declined, but the likes of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (and the future Dutch queen, Princess Beatrix) happily accepted. So did Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg. The Swedish & Danish royal families joined with the former kings of Rumania, Bulgaria and aforementioned Italy.
Then there were long lists of princes & princesses, dukes & duchesses and below. Dining room table assignments were changed each day as well as well-planned shore excursions in each port. The full itinerary read: Marseilles, Naples, Corfu, Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos, Skiathos, Cape Sounion and finally Piraeus (for Athens).
The cruise was dubbed successful and repeated two years later, but on sistership Achilleus.
Post Script: Just in case, you are interested further: In 1958, the Agamemnon & Achilleuswere sold to Olympic Cruises, a new cruise firm created by another Greek tycoon: Aristotle Onassis. But it was rather shortlived: Onassis pulled out of cruising in 1963 and the ships were sold to Dorian Cruises, also Greek.
The Agamemnon capsized at her Piraeus berth in 1968. Later salvaged, she was laid-up and then scrapped in 1974. The Achilleus was soldto Kavounides Shipping Company in 1968 and refitted as their Orion (seen below). It was scrapped in 1998.