Hollywood is the home of many heartthrobs, but the 325-foot Christina O superyacht was the heartthrob of Hollywood. It witnessed camaraderie among well-known celebrities, even a few goof-ups and revelries instead of rivalries. The iconic boat, originally delivered by Canadian Vickers in 1943 as an anti-submarine vessel, has been listed for the first time with Tim Morley of Morley Yachts.
The vessel, which may not have explored the remotest corners of the Earth but certainly made it to the pages of magazines and yachting journals for over 50 years, boasts naval architecture by Professor Cãsar Pinnau and Howaldtswerke, while exterior design is by Costas Carabelas.
What served as the venue of the 1956 wedding reception for Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly was completely transformed by Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis, the second husband of Jackie Kennedy, who splurged an insane $4,000,000 on her rebuild ($50 million today, considering inflation) after acquiring it for $34,000.
The Jackie-O connection made Christina O a star in her own right, though she was named after Onassis’s daughter. She was acquired by new owners in 2023, and the floating starlet dazzled as a charter vessel owing to the glamorous guest list.
Celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Winston Churchill, and John F. Kennedy have all been charmed by the vessel or enjoyed a conversation at her bar, which was crafted out of the wood of a sunken Spanish ship.
Christina O made an appearance on the Netflix drama The Crown as the cruise ship where Princess Diana and Charles celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary. “When people come on board Christina O, they typically have an emotional reaction,” shared Tim Morley. “People love it—and it affects almost everybody in this way, young and old.”
The pleasure craft that was way ahead of its time was one of the first few to have an elevator, a surgical operating theatre with radiography equipment, and network of 42 telephone lines across the pleasure craft. She dazzled with a mosaic-tiled, saltwater swimming pool that doubled as a dance floor, slept 34 guests in 17 cabins, and was outfitted with an ornate onyx fireplace and Baccarat crystal lighting. The glamorous circular staircase was a reminder of old Hollywood glamour.
Another atypical, ravishing retro fixture that deserves a special mention is Christina O’s ‘Ari’s Bar.’ Perhaps dated for today’s minimalistic charm, the bar stools come covered in whale foreskin juxtaposed to a rope-covered bar. It includes engraved orca whale teeth as footrests on the stools and as handbag hooks.
Not an arsenal of toys and tenders, but the 325-footer comes with two Hacker Craft Prestige varnished tenders, taking eight guests each. Christina O boasts a cruising speed of 15 knots and a top speed of 19 knots and is asking $96 million.
