One of the world’s most iconic yachts, Christina O, is back on the market, opening a new chapter for the vessel most closely associated with Aristotelis Onassis. Far more than a luxury yacht, Christina O still stands as a symbol of 20th-century wealth, power and international glamour.
The yacht last appeared on the market in March 2025, with an asking price close to €80 million ($94 million). Now, according to Boat International, it is available for around €52 million ($61,3), a sharp drop that highlights both changing conditions in the global mega-yacht market and the challenge of selling an asset with such a singular profile.
How Christina O Passed From Aristotelis Onassis’ Family to Greek state
After Aristotelis Onassis died, ownership of the yacht passed to his daughter, Christina Onassis, who later donated it to the Greek state. Authorities intended to use the vessel as an official yacht for the Greece’s sitting president.
During that period, the yacht took the name Argo. Yet the plan never developed beyond a symbolic gesture. The vessel served in that role only once, when then-President Christos Sartzetakis used it.
Iconic yacht Returns to Private Hands
In 1998, businessman John Papanicolaou bought the yacht for $50 million and restored the name Christina O in tribute to Christina Onassis. With that move, the vessel regained its historic identity and began a new life in the world of luxury charters and private ownership.
Another sale followed in 2014, when the yacht changed hands for around €25 million ($29 million). Today, businessman Ivor Fitzpatrick owns Christina O, and his decision to put it up for sale once more adds another twist to its long and complicated history.
Christina O was a Wartime Vessel
Christina O’s story began long before it became one of the most recognizable yachts in the world. Builders launched the vessel in 1943 as HMCS Stormont (K327), a River-class anti-submarine frigate that served in the Royal Canadian Navy.
Its wartime service gives the yacht a legacy that reaches far beyond its later connection to wealth and celebrity. HMCS Stormont took part in the Battle of the Atlantic and escorted convoys during the Normandy landings.
How Aristotelis Onassis Turned Christina O Into a Legend
Aristotelis Onassis reportedly spent more than $4 million to turn the former military ship into an ultra-luxury floating residence, an extraordinary sum for the time.
That transformation reshaped a wartime frigate into one of the most famous private yachts ever built, securing Christina O’s place in maritime history.
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