Sailing Yacht
For SaleRona
1895 · Stow & Son, Shoreham
Yacht History / 1943 / Christina O
Christina O: From Canadian Warship to Aristotle Onassis’ Legendary Yacht
Before she became one of the most famous private yachts in history, Christina O was a Canadian naval frigate escorting Atlantic convoys during the Second World War.
The stories behind the world’s most significant yachts
We research individual yachts from the build contract onward: the yard that laid the keel, the designer credited with the lines, the sequence of owners, the refits that changed the profile, the restorations that replaced or preserved original material, the name changes, and the provenance that connects one hull across a century of records. Where evidence is thin, we say so.
- Yachts
- 128
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- 42
- Designers
- 67
- Owners
- 193
Demonstration counts. These figures illustrate the index structure and do not reflect a published dataset.
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Vessels whose design, construction or documented use gives them a place in maritime history.
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Yard order books, launch records and design authorship from the steam yacht era onward.
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What survives of the original vessel, what was replaced, and how each decision was documented.
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Restoration / Marala / 1931
When restoration becomes historical interpretation
Every classic yacht restoration is a set of decisions about evidence. How much original plating, framing or joinery survives? Which drawings represent the design intent, and which represent a later refit? A vessel rebuilt to run reliably in the present is not the vessel that left the yard, and the difference is worth recording.
Marala illustrates the problem clearly: the hull carries a Camper & Nicholsons origin, but the fabric visible today is the result of successive campaigns of work spanning decades.
Read about MaralaExplore the Yacht Archive
Demonstration data · six of 128 records
| Yacht | Built | Shipyard | Designer | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christina O | 1943 | Canadian Vickers, Montreal | Naval / later civilian conversion | AfloatFor Sale |
| Savarona | 1931 | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg | Gibbs & Cox | Afloat |
| Nahlin | 1930 | John Brown & Company, Clydebank | G. L. Watson & Co. | RestoredFor Sale |
| Marala | 1931 | Camper & Nicholsons, Gosport | Charles E. Nicholson | Restored |
| Haida 1929 | 1929 | Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel | Cox & Stevens | Afloat |
| Sea Cloud | 1931 | Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel | Cox & Stevens | In service |
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Some histories require more than a public profile. Historical Yachts undertakes independent provenance and archival research for owners, buyers, brokers, shipyards and institutions.
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Latest Journal
All articlesOwners & Personalities · 12 March 2026
The private yachts of Aristotle Onassis
A working record of the vessels linked to Onassis, what is documented in shipyard and registry material, and where the popular account outruns the evidence.
Method · 27 February 2026
What makes a yacht historically significant?
Significance is rarely about size. Design authorship, surviving original material, documented events and continuity of record matter more.
Yacht History · 9 February 2026
From working ship to private yacht: the great conversions
Frigates, corvettes, trawlers and ferries have all been rebuilt as yachts. The conversion record often survives better than the original build record.
New stories from the archive
Occasional research, yacht histories and newly documented provenance.