View source for SS Antonios Chandris

{{Short description|Greek-owned cargo ship sunk in 1940}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
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{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header= 
|Ship name= *1918: ''Easterling''
*1937: ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}''
|Ship namesake= 
|Ship owner= *1918: [[United States Shipping Board|US Shipping Board]]
*1935: USSB Bureau
*1937: [[United States Maritime Commission|US Maritime Commission]]
*1937: [[John D. Chandris]]
|Ship operator= 
|Ship registry= *1918: {{flagicon|US|1912}} [[Port of Seattle|Seattle]]
*1937: {{flagicon|Greece}} [[Port of Piraeus|Piraeus]]
|Ship ordered= 
|Ship builder= [[Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation|Kawasaki Dockyard]], [[Kobe]]
|Ship original cost= 
|Ship yard number= 
|Ship laid down= 
|Ship launched= 
|Ship completed= October 1918
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship refit= 
|Ship identification= *US [[official number]] 217478
*1918: [[code letters]] LPNM
*{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Mike}}
*by 1934: [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] KJIK
*{{ICS|Kilo}}{{ICS|Juliet}}{{ICS|India}}{{ICS|Kilo}}
*1937: call sign SVYD
*{{ICS|Sierra}}{{ICS|Victor}}{{ICS|Yankee}}{{ICS|Delta}}
|Ship fate= [[Scuttling|scuttled]], 1940
|Ship notes= 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header= 
|Header caption= 
|Ship type= [[cargo ship]]
|Ship class= 
|Ship tonnage= {{GRT|5842}}, {{NRT|4489}}
|Ship length= {{cvt|385.0|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{cvt|51.0|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|27|ft|1|in|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship depth= {{cvt|36.0|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship decks= 2
|Ship power= 440 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]]
|Ship propulsion= *1 × [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion engine]]
*1 × [[Propeller|screw]]
|Ship speed= {{convert|10+1/2|kn|km/h|0}}
|Ship capacity= 
|Ship crew= 
|Ship sensors= [[Submarine signals|submarine signalling]]
|Ship notes= 
}}
|}

'''SS ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}''''' was a [[Cargo ship|cargo]] [[steamship]]. She was built in Japan in 1918 as '''''Easterling''''', and renamed ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}'' when she changed owners in 1937. A German [[merchant raider]] sank her in the Atlantic Ocean in 1940. 32 of her crew survived a month in two lifeboats before being rescued.

''Easterling'' was one of numerous cargo ships that [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] shipyards built for the [[United States Shipping Board]] around the end of the First World War. The [[Kingdom of Greece|Greek]] shipowner [[John D. Chandris]] bought her as global shipping revived in the late 1930s from the slump that followed the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]].

In 1940 ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}'' took part in [[List of Allied convoys during World War II by region#North Atlantic convoys|North Atlantic convoys]], bringing Canadian grain to the [[Republic of Ireland]] and United Kingdom. She was captured and [[Scuttling|scuttled]] when Greece was still [[Neutral country|neutral]], before Italy and Germany invaded the country.

==Building==
From 1918 to 1920 Japanese shipyards built numerous cargo ships for the [[United States Shipping Board]] (USSB). The USSB gave them names beginning with ''East'' or ''Eastern''. They included a dozen steamships that the [[Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation|Kawasaki Dockyard]] in [[Kobe]] built, all to a standard design with identical dimensions. They were ''East Cape'', ''East Wind'', ''Easterling'', ''Eastern Cloud'', ''Eastern Dawn'', ''Eastern Moon'', ''Eastern Ocean'', ''[[SS Tzenny Chandris|Eastern Planet]]'', {{USS|Eastern Queen||2}}, ''Eastern Sea'', ''Eastern Sun'', and ''[[SS Mari Chandris|Easterner]]''.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1919|loc=EAS–EBB}}

''Easterling'' was completed in October 1918, shortly before the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]]. Her registered length was {{cvt|385.0|ft|abbr=on}}, her [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] was {{cvt|51.0|ft|abbr=on}}, her depth was {{cvt|36.0|ft|abbr=on}} and her [[Draft (hull)|draft]] was {{convert|27|ft|1|in|1|abbr=on}}. Her [[tonnage]]s were {{GRT|5842}} and {{NRT|4489}}. She had a single [[Propeller|screw]], driven by a Kawasaki three-cylinder [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion steam engine]]. It was rated at 440 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]],{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1919|loc=EAS–EBB}} and gave her a speed of {{convert|10+1/2|kn|km/h|0}}.

==Ownership and registration==
[[File:Easterner 19-N-14832.jpg|thumb|''[[SS Mari Chandris|Easterner]]'', one of ''Easterling''{{'}}s [[sister ship]]s, in First World War camouflage in 1918. [[John D. Chandris]] bought her in 1937 and renamed her ''Mari Chandris''.]]
The USSB [[Ship registration|registered]] ''Easterling'' in [[Port of Seattle|Seattle]]. Her US [[official number]] was 217478 and her [[code letters]] were LPNM.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1919|loc=EAS–EBB}} By 1934 her [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] was KJIK.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1934|loc=EAG–EAS}} In June 1936 the [[United States Maritime Commission]] was founded to succeed the USSB, and became ''Easterling''{{'}}s owner.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1937|loc=EAG–EAS}}

The Maritime Commission ordered new ships to replace First World War ones now almost two decades old, and sought buyers for ships that were now surplus to US Government requirements. In 1937 John Chandris bought ''Easterling'', ''Eastern Planet'', and ''Easterner'', and renamed them ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}'', ''{{lang|el|Tzenny Chandris}}'' and ''{{lang|el|Mari Chandris}}'' respectively.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1938|loc=ANT}}{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1937|loc=Supplement: J}}{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1938|loc=MAR}} He registered ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}'' in [[Port of Piraeus|Piraeus]]. Her call sign was SVYD.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1938|loc=ANT}}

==Second World War==
In October 1939 ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}'' was in the South [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]]. She left [[Bahía Blanca]] in Argentina on 24 October and reached [[Port of Montevideo|Montevideo]] in Uruguay two days later. She steamed via [[Portuguese Cape Verde|Cape Verde]] to England, reaching [[Weymouth Bay]] on 30 November. She then waited at [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|The Downs]] and the [[Nieuwe Waterweg]] before joining Convoy OA 22, which assembled off [[Southend-on-Sea]] on 22 December 1939, and dispersed at sea on Christmas Day.<ref name=Hague>{{cite web |last=Hague |first=Arnold |title=Ship Movements |work=Port Arrivals/ Departures |publisher=Don Kindell, Convoyweb |url= http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/ports/index.html?search.php?vessel=ANTONIOS%20CHANDRIS~armain |access-date=6 March 2024}}</ref>

''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}'' spent the first eight months of 1940 crossing the North Atlantic between the British Isles and Canada. She sailed west with OB convoys until they dispersed at sea. She returned eastbound on [[HX convoys]] HX 17, HX 32, HX 46 and HX 59, bringing grain, usually wheat, from Canadian ports such as [[Port of Montreal|Montreal]] to [[Dublin Port|Dublin]], the [[Firth of Clyde|Clyde]], or [[Avonmouth Docks|Avonmouth]].<ref name=Hague/>

From 11 to 19 August 1940 ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}'' was in [[Cardiff Docks|Cardiff]] loading 7,500 tons of coal for [[Port of Buenos Aires|Buenos Aires]]. On 22 August she left [[Milford Haven]] with Convoy OB 202, which dispersed at sea four days later.<ref name=Hague/>

==Loss and rescues==
[[File:StateLibQld 1 170591 Serpa Pinto (ship).jpg|thumb|''[[RMS Ebro|Serpa Pinto]]'']]
On 8 September the {{ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Widder}} intercepted ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}'' in the South Atlantic and ordered her to stop. The German commander, [[Hellmuth von Ruckteschell]], ordered the crew to abandon ship. ''{{lang|de|Widder}}'' was already crowded with 140 [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] from other merchant ships, so Ruckteschell gave the Greek crew extra food and water, and left them at sea in ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}''{{'}} two lifeboats. A German [[Naval boarding|boarding party]] [[Scuttling|scuttled]] ''{{lang|el|Antonios Chandris}}'' with explosives at position {{coord|11|25|N|34|10|W|display=inline,title}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4009-22SEP01.htm |last=Kindell |first=Don |title=Naval Events, September 1940 (Part 1 of 2) Sunday 1st – Saturday 14th |work=British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day |publisher=Naval-History.net |access-date=6 March 2024}}</ref>

The two lifeboats became separated. A month later, on 8 October, the 22 occupants of one boat sighted the Portuguese passenger ship ''[[RMS Ebro|Serpa Pinto]]'' and signalled to her with [[Flare#Maritime distress signal|distress rockets]].<ref name=Chandris>{{cite web |url= https://www.portugal1939-1945.org/en/the-serpa-pinto-picked-up-the-survivors-of-antonios-chandris/ |title=The “Serpa Pinto” picked up the survivors of “Antonios Chandris” |work=Portugal 1939–1945 |access-date=6 March 2024}}</ref> ''{{lang|pt|Serpa Pinto}}'' rescued the survivors and landed them at [[Port of Rio de Janeiro|Rio de Janeiro]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Greek Ship's Survivors Land |url-access=subscription |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=14 October 1940 |page=3 |access-date=6 March 2024 |via=Times Machine |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/14/94005596.html?pageNumber=3}}</ref> On 3 November they embarked on another CCN ship, ''{{lang|pt|Tagus}}'', to return to Europe.<ref name=Chandris/> A United Kingdom cargo ship found the other lifeboat, and on 21 October landed its ten surviving occupants at Buenos Aires.<ref>{{cite news |title=Belgian freighter sunk |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The New York Times |date=22 October 1940 |page=4 |access-date=6 March 2024 |via=Times Machine |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/22/95782151.html?pageNumber=4}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |year=1919 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Internet Archive]] |url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1920ST/page/n301/mode/1up |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1919}} }}
*{{cite book |year=1934 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 tons gross and over |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |via=[[Southampton City Council]] |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/34/34b0261.pdf |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1934}} }}
*{{cite book |year=1935 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers and Motorships over 300 tons |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |via=Southampton City Council |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/35/35b0254.pdf |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1935}} }}
*{{cite book |year=1937 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 tons gross and over |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |via=Southampton City Council |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/37/37b0261.pdf |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1937}} }}
*{{cite book |year=1938 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=II.–Steamers and Motorships of 300 tons gross and over |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |via=Southampton City Council |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/38/38b0053.pdf |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1938}} }}

{{September 1940 shipwrecks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonios Chandris}}

[[Category:1918 ships]]
[[Category:Captured ships]]
[[Category:Cargo ships of Greece]]
[[Category:Cargo ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in September 1940]]
[[Category:Scuttled vessels]]
[[Category:Ships built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries]]
[[Category:Steamships of Greece]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War I merchant ships of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of Greece]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]