Athina Livanos 1937

This postcard shows the beaching of SS Athina Livanos (incorrectly named by the printers!) and despite the Greek name; she was a 4824 ton steamer built by Grays of Hartlepool and completed in October 1936. The beaching took place on 28th February 1937, so the ship was brand new and probably en route to its new owner. It ran aground on Redcar beach; which when beached was an attraction for residents and visitors from all around, named after the 2nd daughter of shipping magnate at the time Stavros Livanos. This daughter later married Aristotle Onassis and mother of two children Alexander and Christina.
The Athina Livanos was lost on 29th November 1943 when it was torpedoed in the Gulf of Aden by the Japanese submarine 1-27.

Image courtesy of John G. Hannah, additional information courtesy of ‘Redcar – Past and Present’.