Greece

° Athens ° Piraeus  ° Aegean Islands: Lesbos, Samos 
° Argo-Saronic: Hydra  ° Crete: Agios Nikolaos, Heraklion, Samara 
° Cyclades: Folegandros, Mykonos, Paros, Santorini 
° Dodecanese Islands: Rhodes  ° Euboea Islands ° Iraklion ° Katakolon 
° Ionian Islands: Corfu, Zakynthos ° Piraeus °  Santorini  ° Sporades: Skiathos

The Greek Islands

Greece's history stretches back more than 4,000 years. Inhabitants of Greece and her islands have been sea-faring people through their long history. Greece and her islands have thousands of miles of coastline with inlets, natural harbors and deep bays.

Alexander the Great's conquests included Asia; through his Admiral Nearchos, he established new ports from India to the Persian Gulf and organized sea trade from those countries.

Greece, c. 1861

The ports that were created in India were provided with very large storage facilities so that the produce from the nearby regions could be brought there for trans-shipment by sea. Before Alexander, Indian goods were shipped only in small quantities, overland, and hence they were very expensive in the Mediterranean markets. Since Alexander, the merchant ships carried large quantities of Indian produce to the Persian Gulf, more cheaply. India was now also able to receive European products through the same routing.

Before the Cretans, the Aegean was dominated by the Karas, the Helegas and the Phoenicians, who engaged in maritime commerce and piracy. The Greeks, because of these powerful fleets and because of attacks by the pirates, withdrew inland to more defensible positions in the mountains. Prior to 1450 B.C. approximately 100 Greek cities were maritime commerce ports; they became masters of the seas. By the 1600s, the Greeks also became pirates. Piracy was not necessarily considered bad at that time; to be a pirate you had to be brave, daring and you had to possess seamanship. Pirates were considered as privileged people and they were greeted with hospitality.

Shipowners and merchants obtained money for their investments from rich citizens and bankers through written loan agreements. Repayment of the loan was made within twenty days from arrival in Piraeus provided that the cargo was not damaged. If part of it was damaged, lost, jettisoned, or stolen, the money lender received both capital and interest in proportion to the value of the sound cargo remaining. Rates were high because the bankers shared in most of the marine risks involved.

One major expeditions the siege of Troy is narrated in the first great European literary work, Homer's Iliad. Numerous Greek settlements were founded throughout the Mediterranean, Asia Minor and the coast of North Africa as a result of travels in search of new markets.

By the end of the 15th century, the Greeks were active in international trade extending from the Black Sea, the Adriatic and Italy to Marseilles, Antwerp and Moscow. Ancona had a phenomenal growth as a major, international trading centre during the first half of the 16th century, and it was one of the first commercial centres outside the Balkans which attracted a considerable number of Greeks.

Despite the importance of the land routes, Constantinople, between 1592 and 1783, depended primarily on such a merchant marine. Local traffic alone connecting Constantinople and Galata, required a considerable number of small craft. It is estimated that during the second half of the 17th century, approximately 15 to 16,000 peramas and caiques along with other types of vessels, were needed for local transportation. Thousands of these captains were Greeks who possessed enormous fortunes. Greeks merchants, mariners, shipowners and agents ranged from the Black Sea to Alexandria. Their centre of activity was Galata, and the Aegean and the Black Sea constituted their bases of operation. The grain trade, and especially the illicit grain traffic, was their most profitable activity.

January 28, 1824, New Times, London, England

THE GREEKS AND TURKS.

I am happy to inform you that the Greeks are going on prosperously in every quarter. In consequence of the blockade of Iissolunghi having been raised by the Turks, who have withdrawn to their own country, the western part of Greece is now entirely free from those barbarians. This step was caused by the arrival of fourteen Greek vessels under the command of Prince Maurocordato, who found in the port a Turkish vessel containing 5500,000 piastres (about 12,000 sterling), and a large quantity of stores, &c. from the family of Yousouf Bassa, of which he took possession. Another Turkish vessel look refuge in the island Ithaca.

Massacre of Greeks by the Turks on the Aegean Island of Chios. 1822

The Greeks have resolved lo take Patras by force about 15,000 men are before that place, which contains only 2000 Turks fit to bear arms, the garrison having been much reduced by the privations of the blockade. Napoli di Romania, which had been held by the Greek officers who took possession of it, in defiance of he Government, is now in the power of the Senate, which sitting there. Negropont has been abandoned by the Turks, on their learning that Ulysses was about to march against them so that the Eastern part of Greece is also free, and Carpinesse and Patragiky have again risen against their oppressors. The dissensions which prevailed in the Peloponnesus have subsided, and the greatest harmony now subsists between the Greeks, who march against the enemy in all quarters with zeal and enthusiasm.

The remainder of the Ottoman fleet, consisting of about 25 vessels, arrived at Constantinople in the most wretched condition. The Sultan, to mark his displeasure at the result of the expedition, instantly arrested Pacha. You may rely upon the authenticity of this intelligence.

November 14, 1826, The Edinburgh Advertiser, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

. . . The Greek Deputies appear to have been as unfortunate in the management of their affairs in the United States as in Europe. A pamphlet has been published in New York by a gentleman who was employed as counsel for the Deputies in an arbitration which took place between them and the mercantile houses which undertook to build the frigates, and puts us in possession of some curious facts, which incontrovertibly prove that the system of jobbing has been carried on to as great and ruinous an extent to the cause of Greece on the other side of the Atlantic as in this country. The following is an extract of the pamphlet in question:--

"In the early part of the year 1825, a gentleman of distinction arrived in the city of New York, being the bearer of instruction from the Greek Deputies residing in London, for the purchase or construction of two frigates in this country. These instructions were addressed jointly to two mercantile houses in this city, and the gentleman above referred to. They were accompanied by two letters of credit from Samuel Williams of London, in favour of each of the houses, amounting to 25,000 pounds each. At the same time the Deputies assured the houses, that as to the additional funds that might be necessary, they would immediately open a farther credit, either with Mr. Williams or with the Messrs. Ricardo, with which latter gentleman a loan for two millions sterling to the Greek Government had been contracted. The two houses in question accepted the commission, and on or about the 15th of May, 1825, the commenced the construction of two frigates. On the 23rd of May, having drawn for the 50,000 pounds on Williams, they drew for the farther sum of 25,000 pounds, and from time to time after they drew bills on the Messrs. Ricardo to such an extent, that on the 31st of October each house had drawn (including the bills on Williams) for 77,500 sterling. In a letter, dated the 31st of October, they, for the first time, informed the Deputies of the probably cost of these frigates, and that, under professions, which will not be here repeated, they had made a total wreck of the whole."

1870 Greek Massacre. Marathon Mountains

It appears from the subsequent details of this pamphlet, and from the evidence taken before the arbitrators, that the United States frigate, the Brandywine, built a short time before of live oak, and completely equipped, cost only $73,000, or little more than half of one of these Greek frigates, built of inferior timber . . . the one which actually did sail cost Greece about 150,000 pounds, or nearly as much as three large frigates like the Brandywine. Out of this immense expenditure there were some very pretty pickings, both for the merchants who undertook the job,--the ship-builders,--the French agent for Greece,--and the American lawyers . . . We shall conclude with the very curious paragraph in which this American Solomon first secures the reward of his own wise decision, before he gives any decree on the matters in dispute:--

"We do award, adjudge, and determine, that from the avails of said ship or ships, and their . . . apparel, furniture, and equipment, and the other property contained in the said assignment, or such part as shall be sold by us, pursuant to the terms of the said submission, there shall be first deducted the sum of four thousand five hundred dollars, for our services of arbitrators in the premiers."

October 12, 1893, Oelwein Register, Oelwein, Iowa, USA

Greece's Big Canal
Projected by Alexander and Completed by George
The Work Was Abandoned at the Dawn of the Christian Era and Began Again with the End of Christianity in Greece.

(Special Correspondence.)

PROJECTED by Alexander the Great, resolved on by Julius Cesar, commanded by Nero and completed by George I, King of the Hellenes, the opening of the Corinth ship canal in Greece was an event of the utmost historical interest. It has taken more than two thousand years to make a cut through the narrow strip of land which separated the Gulf of Corinth from the Gulf of Aegina.

Alexander the Great visits Diogenes at Corinth 1787, Ivan Philippovich Tupylev

The opening of the Corinth ship canal is of great political and commercial importance. Indeed, so extraordinary are the advantages now possessed by Greece for the expansion of her maritime trade, which is already large, that in a short time it is bound to become a commercial power that must be reckoned with in Europe. There is, in fact, no reason why the country should not fully regain its ancient riches and glory. No wonder then, that the formal opening of the canal recently was greeted by the firing of guns and took place in the presence of the king, the members of the royal family, the cabinet ministers, the foreign diplomatic representative, the chief military and civil officials and a great concourse of citizens.

Why this project, thought well of by Alexander the Great, was not carried out until the end of the nineteenth century after Christ is an interesting question, the more so because the ancients, particularly the Greeks and the Romans, were famous for their engineering skill in constructing canals and bridges, the enduring quality of which are in evidence to this very day . . .

Cape Colonna, with Ruins of Temple of Minerva From "The Illustrated London News"

The fortunes of Greece in the following centuries, especially during the middle ages, when it was the football of the Franks, the Venetians, the Spaniards and the Turks, were of a nature that such an enterprise could not be thought of.

To the Phoenicians, under whose rule Corinth reached her highest point of wealth and power, the advantages of a channel through the isthmus must have been evident. It was probably for political reasons that they did not attempt to cut it. They constructed instead a ship railway, a smooth, hard road, over winch their ships were transported from sea to sea. But this must have been a laborious and expensive method for ships to traverse the isthmus much preferable, however, to the long and dangerous circumnavigation of the Peloponnesus.

A year or two before King Otho of Greece was dethroned for insisting on running the government on the autocratic-monarchial system, some French engineers made a survey of the Isthmus of Corinth and came to the conclusion that a canal was quite feasible. They went to the king with their scheme, but nothing came of it. In 1882 Gen. Turr of Garibaldi fame, took up the project, and succeeded in obtaining important concessions from the Greek government. He formed a company, composed mainly of French capitalists, called the International Society for the Maritime Canal of Covinth. The capital of the company was 30,000,000 francs, increased by a loan of 10,000,000 shares. Operations were commenced in the same year. King George with his own hands cut the first rod, as the emperor, Nero, had done before him.

Othon (Otto) the Deposed King of Greece arrives at Venice

The canal was to be completed in six years, at a cost of 30,00,000 francs.

The cost, as well as the time, far exceeded the estimates. In 1890 only three-fourths of the canal was cut, and the company was forced to suspend operations for the lack of funds. Once more it seemed that the scheme would fail. But Greek patriotism came to the rescue this time. The government, already loaded with debt, could not undertake to finish the work. As one man has, more than once, saved Greece in ancient times, so one man saved the Corinth ship canal from the fate of the Panama. M. Syncros of Athens, a banker, who has the reputation of being the wealthiest man in Greece, formed a new company composed entirely of Greek capitalists, with a capital of 5,000,000 francs. All the concessions that had been made to the French company were turned over to the Greek company. An agreement was made between the old and the new company by which the latter receives 5 per cent on 5,000,000 of capital. The receipts of the canal will be divided between the two companies, the old receiving three-fourths and the new one-fourth thereof. The new company began work in 1890.

The canal is 6,200 meters in length, which is not quite four miles. The minimum depth is twenty-five feet, and its average breadth 100 feet, and is, therefore, of a sufficient size to allow two warships of the largest type to pass through it side by side. The Corinth canal differs from the Suez canal in that its sides are almost vertical, a construction which was made possible by reason of its being cut through rock for the most part, whereas the Suez canal is Y-shaped, because of the sand that was encountered.

A mile from the west end the channel is spanned by a bridge, but at it's height of 280 feet above the water level will not interfere with the passage of the tallest masts. On the highest point of the Isthmian ridge, 265 feet above the sea level, a lighthouse has been built. At the eastern entrance of the channel, which is protected by breakwaters, several lighthouses have been erected. Throughput its length the channel will be illuminated by electric light, so that navigation at night will be as safe as in daytime.

In making the cut the engineers adopted a system of wells and tunnels. This was found to be the easiest. quickest and least expensive way of accomplishing the work. Vertical wells were sunk, tunnels driven horizontally, and the earth was drawn out through the tunnels. Altogether 11,500,000 cubic metres of earth were taken out of the cut. Three great steam excavators were used in doing this work, and steam dredges were employed for the parts below the sea. The number of the workmen employed on the canal averaged 3,000 throughout the period of its construction, twelve years . . . the cost was estimated at 30,000,000 francs. It took almost five years longer and cost 70,000,000 francs or $14,000,000.

The canal is actually a completion of the cut begun by Nero. The modern engineers at first intended to utilize a natural ravine which traverses the greater part of the Isthmus, but they abandoned this plan for the same reason that it was abandoned by the Roman emperor. A great number of mountain torrents empty into this ravine, and the water from them would have seriously interfered with the work of construction . . .

The distance between Patras, the principal port of the Peloponnesus, and Piraeus, the principal port of Attica, the two most important cities in Greece from a commercial point of view, will be reduced from forty-eight hours to seven hours.

Peloponnese. South Greece: Morea, Zakynthos, Kythira, Cephallonia. 1828.
Arrowsmith, Cartographer.

The advantages Greece possesses for commerce, and its maritime possibilities are not surpassed by those of any other country in the world. No part of Greece is more than forty miles from the sea. It is a country of mountains, bays, gulfs and inlets. At every point of its great coast line natural harbors abound. Its geographical position is in the midst of densely populated countries, the most distant of whose seaports are within a few days' journey of her shores. Greece will have before long the carrying trade of Austria, Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, the Russian ports in the Black Sea, and a good share of that of France, Spain and Algeria. Finally she will emerge upon the high seas and get a large slice of the commerce of the world. All this she will owe mainly to her ship canal, the tendency of which will be to stimulate commercial enterprise, especially in the building and acquiring ships.

May 25, 1897, Logansport Reporter, Logansport, Indiana, U.S.A.

ASSERTS HERSELF!

Greece Will Refuse to Negotiate
Directly with Turkey.
LEAVES INTERESTS TO THE POWERS.
Much Distrust Exists in Athens Regarding the
Intentions of the Sultan--Amount of Indemnity
May Be Reduced

Athens, May 25. The Greek government as a reply to the notification sent by Edhem Pasha, commander of the
Turkish army in Thessaly, that he is empowered to negotiate the terms of peace with Greece direct, has informed the ministers of the powers here that, as Greece has already confided her interests to the powers, there is no reason why she should negotiate directly with Turkey.

Indemnity Will Be Reduced.

London, May 25. The correspondent of the Standard at Constantinople says: "The peace negotiations continue. It is asserted that the amount of! indemnity which will be reduced to 8,000,000 lires, 2,000,000 to be paid in cash to Turkey and 6,000,000 to be accepted by Russia as part payment of indemnity owed her by Turkey.

Distrust In Athens.

Athens, May 25. The intentions of the sultan are greatly distrusted here, and it is believed that he is avoiding negotiations for peace through the powers because he wants Edhem Pasha to march to Athens.

Richard May Be Himself Again.

London, May 25. A dispatch to the Daily Mail from Rome says that the king of Greece is beginning to reassert himself, and will soon be able to dismiss M. Ralli and to appoint M. Katapano as premier.

Cretans Want Union with Greece.

Athens, May 25. The Cretan chiefs have sent a document to the Greek government declaring that they are unanimously in favor of political union with Greece, but asking the advice of the government as to the best course to pursue consistently and with due regard to national interests.

During the 18th century, wealthy Greeks secured a virtual monopoly of influential posts in the Ottoman bureaucracy and for more than a century they monopolized many positions, one of which was that of Under-Secretary of the Navy, Dragoman of the Fleet.

Many Greek mariners became famous. Andreas Miaoulis became captain on his father's merchant ship at the age of 16, and later, in 1822, Admiral of the United Navies of the Greek Islands during the War of Independence (1821-1929).

The losses were devastating: Of the approximately 600 ships that went to war, only about 50 survived. Merchantmen also stayed away from their traditional commercial roles for about 10 years, thus losing vast revenue. It took years to recover. However, from about 1870 the Greeks began purchasing cargo vessels more frequently. Shipowners, captains, seamen and their relatives, united their savings to put up a deposit and buy a ship. By necessity they looked for cheaper vessels; in other words, older vessels. To overcome the difficulties these older ships represented, they economized severely and they worked like slaves. The owners sailed with the ships and they were able to use smaller crews because of their expertise and high seamanship. As a result they managed to overcome foreign competition. Thus by 1901 the Greeks had 1,152 sailing ships of 181,473 grt and 158 steamers of 231,541 grt.

---

1899. World's Fleet. Boston Daily Globe

Lloyds Register of Shipping gives the entire fleet of the world as 28,180 steamers and sailing vessels, with a total tonnage of 27,673,628, of which 39 perent are British.

Great Britain	10,990 vessels, total tonnage of 10,792,714
United States	3,010 vessels, total tonnage of 2,405,887
Norway	2,528 vessels, tonnage of 1,604,230
Germany	1,676 vessels, with a tonnage of 2,453,334, in which are included her particularly large ships.
Sweden	1,408 vessels with a tonnage of 643, 527
Italy	1,150 vessels
France	1,182 vessels

For Historical Comparison
Top 10 Maritime Nations Ranked by Value (2017)

	Country	# of Vessels	Gross Tonnage (m)	Total Value (USDbn)
1	Greece	4,453	206.47	$88.0
2	Japan	4,317	150.26	$79.8
3	China	4,938	159.71	$71.7
4	USA	2,399	55.92	$46.5
5	Singapore	2,662	64.03	$41.7
6	Norway	1,668	39.68	$41.1
7	Germany	2,923	81.17	$30.3
8	UK	883	28.78	$24.3
9	Denmark	1,040	36.17	$23.4
10	South Korea	1,484	49.88	$20.1
Total		26,767	87.21	$466.9