John D. Chandris (1890–1942) was a Greek shipowner. Chandris was born in

Chios Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...

, then part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. In 1915, after years of experience in the shipping industry, he bought his first ship, SS ''Dimitrios''. By

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Chandris' fleet was made up of four ships, including

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

s. In 1922, he expanded into the passenger shipping market. Following the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Chandris followed the exodus of shipowners from Greece. He moved to England. Chandris ran the cruise lines until he retired in 1939. He died in 1942 at the age of 52 from natural causes. His two sons, Anthony and Dimitri, later rebuilt the company, named Chandris Line. A partnership called Chandris-Fantasy Cruises started in the early 1980s and later was divided into two separate arms, Fantasy-Cruises and

Celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

cruises.

References

1890 births 1942 deaths Businesspeople from Chios Greek businesspeople in shipping 20th-century Greek businesspeople Greek emigrants to the United Kingdom World War II refugees {{Greece-business-bio-stub