If you have £545,000 to spare, you could enjoy for a week what the likes of Winston Churchill, Elizabeth Taylor and Maria Callas once had access to for free.
The Christina O super yacht, which started life as a Canadian military frigate before it was converted at a cost of £3million, can be chartered privately.
In her military guise, the boat was present at both the Battle of the Atlantic and Normandy landings.
But her association with political, film and real royalty began when the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis repurposed what was then HMCS Stormont after buying her at scrap value.
Christened in honour of his daughter, Onassis’s new celebrity attraction boasted a swimming pool which transformed into a dance floor; a cinema; a seaplane; opulent furnishings and even an operating theatre.
Hero British wartime PM Churchill, who became a friend of Onassis in his retirement, enjoyed himself on the Christina O; as did future US President John F Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.
His widow Jackie became Onassis’s second wife and spent a lot of time on the ship, as did the soprano Maria Callas – who was the magnate’s mistress during his first marriage.
The ship also hosted the then former husband and wife Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and was the setting for the 1956 wedding reception of Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Onassis’s romantic relationship with Callas even began on the ship – during a three-week cruise between Monaco and Istanbul with her then husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini.
They were joined by an 85-year-old Churchill, his wife Clementine and his parakeet Toby. A black and white image shows Callas leaning down to talk to the former PM, who was clad in a sun hat.
In 2019, supermodel Heidi Klum followed in Kelly’s footsteps by marrying her husband Tom Kaulitz on the vessel.
If you have £545,000 to spare, you could enjoy for a week what the likes of Winston Churchill, Elizabeth Taylor and Maria Callas once had access to for free. The Christina O super yacht, which started life as a Canadian military frigate before it was converted at a cost of £3million, can be chartered privately
Christened in honour of his daughter, Onassis’s new celebrity attraction boasted a swimming pool which transformed into a dance floor (pictured); a cinema; a seaplane; opulent furnishings and even an operating theatre
The magnate’s original bar – complete with stools covered in leather made from the foreskins of mink whales and armrests made from the animals’ teeth – has been preserved in its entirety
Even today, the ship’s 325-foot length makes it the 45th largest yacht in the world. It has sleeping capacity for 34 guests in 17 cabins and can cruise with 157 visitors on board
Onassis bought the then anti-submarine frigate at scrap value in 1954. In today’s money, he spent around £10.5million converting it into the floating palace it became.
Even today, the ship’s 325-foot length makes it the 45th largest yacht in the world. It has sleeping capacity for 34 guests in 17 cabins and can cruise with 157 visitors on board.
Onassis’s extravagant tastes saw him fit a sunken bath decorated with flying fish and fitted with golden dolphin-shaped taps.
Although these features have now gone, the magnate’s original bar – complete with stools covered in leather made from the foreskins of mink whales and armrests made from the animals’ teeth – has been preserved in its entirety.
Onassis made millions of dollars from whaling as part of his business activities.
As for Onassis’s dance floor, it sinks to form a deep swimming pool which is filled by sea water.
Churchill, who spent a lot of time in Monte Carlo in the 1950s and 1960s after his second stint as PM, enjoyed Onassis’s hospitality on the ship on several occasions.
His granddaughter Celia Sandys said in a Channel 5 documentary about the war hero: ‘My grandfather loved traveling on the Christina.
Hero British wartime PM Churchill, who became a friend of Onassis in his retirement, enjoyed successive cruises on the Christina O; as did future US President John F Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. Pictured: The former PM in 1961 with Onassis (third from left), on the younger man’s super yacht the Christina O
A photo taken in March 1975 shows Richard Burton (front right) and Elizbeth Taylor (far left), who had divorced nearly a year earlier, enjoying the magnate’s company on the ship (Onassis pictured next to Taylor). Burton and Taylor were to remarry just seven months later, before divorcing for a second and final time in July 1976
Jackie Kennedy, John F Kennedy’s widow, went on to marry Onassis in 1968. Pictured: Kennedy is seen wearing a headscarf as she sits on the yacht with Onassis standing behind her
Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy are seen on the Christina O shortly before sailing to Martinique in 1969, a year after their wedding
Trace of Jackie Kennedy’s one-time presence is hard to come by today. Onassis is said to have blocked her from changing anything on board the ship. Pictured: Kennedy on the yacht in 1971, off the coast of Sardinia
‘He said “I’m a man of simple tastes, easily satisfied by the best”.
Historian Allen Packwood, the director of the Churchill Archives, said in the same programme that Churchill was ‘something of a trophy for O’Nassis’, who could give ‘the luxury escape that he needs’.
In the last decade of his life, Churchill enjoyed seven cruises with Onassis.
But it wasn’t just Churchill who the billionaire entertained.
A photo taken in March 1975 shows Richard Burton and Elizbeth Taylor, who had divorced nearly a year earlier, enjoying the magnate’s company on the ship.
Burton and Taylor were to remarry just seven months later, before divorcing for a second and final time in July 1976.
As for Jackie Kennedy, the couple married in 1968, six years after her husband was shot dead in Dallas.
Up until that year, Onassis had enjoyed a ten-year relationship with Maria Callas.
That relationship started in 1959, a year before he split from his first wife, Tina Livanos.
Both Callas and Kennedy were also pictured on the ship.
In her military guise as HMCS Stormont (pictured), the boat was present at both the Battle of the Atlantic and Normandy landings
Onassis’s romantic relationship with singer Maria Callas even began on the ship – during a three-week cruise between Monaco and Istanbul with her then husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini in 1959. They were joined by an 85-year-old Churchill, his wife Clementine and his parakeet Toby. Pictured: Onassis (far left), Churchill (back seated), Callas (seated right) and Meneghini (far right) aboard Christina O
A black and white image taken at the end of the three-week cruise shows Callas leaning down to talk to the former PM, who was clad in a sun hat
In the last decade of his life, Churchill enjoyed seven cruises with Onassis. Pictured: Churchill on board the yacht in 1959 with Onassis’s daughter Christina, who inspired its name
Churchill spent a lot of time with Onassis (left), who was one of the world’s richest men and the future husband of Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of assassinated US President John F Kennedy. Alan Packwood, the curator of the Churchill Archives, said that Churchill was ‘something of a trophy for O’Nassis’, who could give ‘the luxury escape that he needs’
When in the South of France, Churchill would cruise the Mediterranean on Onassis’s superyacht. Pictured: Churchill walks up the boat’s gangplank, closely followed by his grandson
Wearing a white stetson, Churchill waves to the crowds as he boards the Christina O in Monte Carlo with Onnasis’s first wife, Tina, in 1958
When Callas was joined by her then husband for a three-week cruise on the Christina O in 1959, the couple were reportedly so close that they prayed together and coordinated outfits.
Along with Churchill, his wife Clementine and his pet parrot, the party sailed between Monaco and Istanbul.
During one dinner, Callas is said to have fed Churchill ice cream from her plate.
Callas and Onassis, who were both night owls, stayed up late talking – sparking the romance which saw the opera singer’s marriage end.
Today, guests who pay to charter the vessel are treated to the sound of Callas’s voice.
But trace of Jackie Kennedy’s one-time presence is harder to come by.
Onassis is said to have blocked her from changing anything on board the ship.
After Onassis’s death in 1975, the Christina O passed first to his daughter and then to the Greek government in 1978, where it was used as a presidential yacht.
With the Greeks unable or unwilling to afford its high maintenance costs, the ship fell into disrepair and was looted.
It was then rescued in the late 1990s and has since been refitted multiple times – although Onassis’s bar and swimming pool survived the renovations.
During the high season in July and August, the Christina O costs £545,000 (€630,000) per week to rent out through chartering firm Morley Yachts. Pictured: One of the communal areas on the ship, complete with a bust of Churchill
One of the plush living spaces on the yacht is adorned with photographs of former guests and hosts one of the ship’s grand pianos
In the low season – April, May, June, September and October – prices are reduced to £484,000 (€560,000). Pictured: A photo of Marilyn Monroe – who also stayed on the Christina O – sits on a side table
Stunning photos show its enormous dining room, two grand pianos, Onassis’s bar and a spiral staircase. Pictured: The staircase
One of the ship’s grand pianos is seen in the lounge next to a picture of former guest Grace Kelly. The Hollywood star and her husband Prince Rainier of Monaco had their wedding reception on the vessel in 1956
The swimming pool which doubles up as a dance floor is now surrounded by posters which boast about the boat’s stunning history
The ship can be rented out for corporate events, wedding anniversaries, birthdays or just to cruise. Pictured: The plush yacht is seen from above
Guests can relax in a jacuzzi on board the ship, or relax on the sun beds dotted around the deck
Onassis bought the then anti-submarine frigate at scrap value in 1954. In today’s money, he spent around £10.5million converting it into the floating palace it became. Pictured: The boat is seen shortly after its conversion
Staff are seen working in Christina O’s kitchen in 1961. They would likely have prepared food for Churchill during his many visits
Onassis is seen on the ship in 1954. Among the guests are a group of nuns, who are wearing their white habits
Onassis’s whale bar is seen in 1961. On the walls are four antique guns. The bar continues to entertain guests today
During the high season in July and August, the Christina O costs £545,000 (€630,000) per week to rent out through chartering firm Morley Yachts.
In the low season – April, May, June, September and October – prices are reduced to £484,000 (€560,000).
Stunning photos show its enormous dining room, two grand pianos, Onassis’s bar and a spiral staircase.
The boat is also fitted with ‘toys’ including jet skis, kayaks and a ‘flyboard’ – which sees guests stand on a platform as they are propelled into the air on jets of water.
Heidi Klum tied the knot with her husband Tom Kaulitz on the vessel in August 2019.
Pictures showed her on the ship’s deck in a billowing ivory gown adorned with sequinned flowers.
Heidi Klum tied the knot with her husband Tom Kaulitz on the vessel in August 2019. Pictures showed her on the ship’s deck in a billowing ivory gown adorned with sequinned flowers
