Tribute to the legendary ship Vitsentzos Kornaros (video)

The “Vitsentzos Kornaros” was built in Denmark in 1976 for “Townsend Thoresen” and was named “Viking Viscount.” Until recently, it was the last surviving ship of an extraordinary series of four sister ships, as the other three have been scrapped.

In 1989, the ship was renamed the “Pride of Winchester” and operated on behalf of “P&O European Ferries,” operating routes in the North Sea, connecting Dover, England, with Calais, France. I first saw it on that route during one of my trips to the United Kingdom. In 1994, it was sold to ’Lane Sea Lines“ and renamed ”Vitsentzos Kornaros.“.

The ship, which was recently and permanently decommissioned, had a gross tonnage of 6,387, a length of 128.7 meters, a width of 19.81 meters, and a draft of 4.5 meters. It could carry 1,200 passengers and 275 private cars. It was equipped with three main engines (2 × Werkspoor 8TM410 diesel and 1 × Werkspoor 9TM410 diesel), with a total power output of 10,655 kW, and could reach a service speed of 18 knots. Its stability was legendary, as it was equipped with stabilizers to counteract side-to-side rolling.

As long as the “Vitsentzos Kornaros” sailed the Aegean under the colors of “Lane Sea Lines” (a subsidiary of “ANEK LINES”), it had a “preference” for less-traveled routes, operating services across the entire length and breadth of the Aegean, sometimes connecting Piraeus with Milos, Santorini, Anafi, Crete, Kasos, Karpathos, Halki, and Rhodes, and at other times with Gythio, Kythira, Antikythira, and Kastelli Kissamos. At one time, the ship also operated routes to the islands of the northern Aegean, connecting Rhodes with Alexandroupoli.

In June 2017, the “Vitsentzos Kornaros,” due to a serious mechanical problem, ceased sailing, and as of September of that same year, it was anchored at Kynosoura on Salamis. It is scheduled to make its final voyage to the Aliaga shipbreaking yards on the coast of Asia Minor.

Experienced captains such as Manolis Fragiadakis, Dimitris Ladas, Vasilis Paschalis, and Nikos Xylogianopoulos have passed over the “Vitsentzos Kornaros” bridge. In fact, Manolis Fragiadakis spent a large part of his career as a captain at the helm of the “Kornaros,” making spectacular approaches to the challenging ports of Kasokarpathia. The highlight was that unforgettable approach to the still-unfinished new pier at Kasos in the face of a force 8 gale. Captain Manolis Fragiadakis’s many years of service to Kasos were recognized by the islanders, leading the island’s Municipal Council to honor him by naming the old pier after him and proclaim him an honorary citizen of Kasos

By a strange coincidence, Captain Vangelis Stouraitis, who for years served as captain of ANEK’s “Prevelis,” accompanied the “Kornaros” on its final voyage in his current capacity as a pilot at the port of Piraeus.
Text source: https://www.chaniaships.com

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The Final Journey:

The Spanopoulos Group’s tugboat CHRISTOS XL, captained by Ioannis Kontopos, is leading the heroic ship of the unprofitable E/G-O/G route, the Vitsentzou Kornaros, on its final voyage to the scrapyard. Unfortunately, the Danish-built vessel was unable to contribute further to our coastal shipping fleet, as serious mechanical problems have kept it out of active service since the summer of 2017.