The story behind our vessel names

Traditionally, Enesel Group managed vessels had been named after Lemos family ancestors maintaining a line of naming through an almost two-century-long family generation in shipping. That is the reason family recycles names of their glorious, lucky or profitable ships. It is well known that in previous and more innocent times when communications were expensive and access to information not instant, ship names were more important for trading purposes as charterers and brokers who recalled their names were more inclined to contact the owners for more business.

Admiral and politician, commander of the Greek fleet during the Greek Revolution of 1821.

Andreas Miaoulis was probably born on May 20, 1769 in Fylla, Evia, from where his family moved to Hydra. His real surname was Vokos or Bokos. Miaoulis was almost illiterate yet he excelled in intelligence and naval art. From his teenage years, Andreas Miaoulis was involved in shipping companies, when he learned the secrets of the sea very quickly and indulged in piracy. He knew the dangers of the sea, the tactics he would have to follow during a naval battle, the way in which he would command the ship taking advantage of the wind and how to impose himself on his crew. When the Greek Revolution broke out, he was one of the first to be thrown into the fire. Miaoulis became commander of the Greek fleet in October 1823, when he defeated the Turks at Artemisio and Oreos. When Ioannis Kapodistrias took over as Governor of Greece, he appointed Miaoulis commander of the fleet, assigned him the pursuit of piracy and the occupation of fortresses in Western Greece, a mission he carried out successfully. Within a few months he had managed to make the Greek territorial waters safe. During the reign of Othonas, Miaoulis took over as commander of the Naval Directorate with the rank of admiral, while in 1834 he was appointed State Counselor and General of the Fleet.

Andreas Miaoulis died in Athens on June 11th, 1835. He was buried in Piraeus, on the right coast of the port, which was named Akti Miaoulis.

Capt. Antonios G. Lemos, one of the three sons of Georgios Constanti Lemos, or ‘’Papa-Lemos’’ worked together with his two brothers and acquired, with their father’s assistance, a small share in the sailing ship EVANGELISTRIA, which belonged to their uncle Ioannis Lemos. This effort was well rewarded, as the brothers managed to accumulate cash and soon thereafter were able to acquire their own sailing ship. The year was 1882 and the sailing ship was the 250-ton AVRA, which was registered in Syros. Unfortunately, in 1884 whilst in Marseille serving as the master of the AVRA, the older son Constantis fell ill with cholera and passed away. Despite this heavy setback, the family business was continued by the two remaining brothers, Antonios and Pantelis. In 1902, the family enterprise was wound up and Capt. Antonios G. Lemos started his own shipping business assisted by his sons. He passed away in a hospital on the island of Chios and was buried the following day in Oinoussai on December 27, 1927.

Agios Nikolas (i.e. Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 342)), also known as Nikolas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of the ancient Greek maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (Ancient Greek: Μύρα, modern-day Demre, Turkey) during the time of the Roman Empire. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolas the Wonderworker. In another story, Nikolas is said to have visited the Holy Land. The ship he was on was nearly destroyed by a terrible storm, but he rebuked the waves, causing the storm to subside. Because of this miracle, Nikolas became venerated as the patron saint of sailors and merchants and his feast day is celebrated on 6 December.

Greek politician and diplomat. The first Governor and founder of the independent Greek State.

Ioannis Kapodistrias was born in Corfu on February 10, 1776, studied medicine, philosophy and law at the University of Padua in Italy and learned Latin, Italian and French. In 1801, the Ionian Islands became autonomous and Kapodistrias became one of the two governors of the Ionian State, at the age of 25. From 1815 to 1822 he was foreign minister of the Russian Empire. He became the first Governor of Greece on April 14, 1827 by the National Assembly of Troizina. In place of the Parliament he formed the Panhellenic, a body with 27 members and created a cabinet with its own leader. He founded the first Agricultural School, established the "palm tree" as the national currency, he introduced the cultivation of potatoes, built new schools, founded an Ecclesiastical School in Poros, an Orphanage and the Archaeological Museum in Aegina, an Agricultural School in Tyros, the first Printing House, granted loans to the islanders for the purchase of ships and the construction of shipyards in Poros and Nafplio. Together with Andreas Miaoulis he tried to suppress piracy. It is worth mentioning that he disposed of all his personal property for the purposes of the state and refused to accept a salary.

On the morning of October 9, 1831, outside the church of Agios Spyridon, Konstantinos and Georgios Mavromichalis shot and stabbed the governor Ioannis Kapodistrias while he was going to attend the Sunday Liturgy. 1831 marked the end of a very important period for Greece.

Wife of Nikolas S. Lemos and daughter of Thomas Doxiadis. Irini N. Lemos is the mother of Andonis and Filippos Lemos who are now writing a new chapter in the Group’s history.

Konstantinos Kanaris was born in 1793 or 1795 in Psara, in a family with a long naval tradition.

He worked as a sailor in his uncle’s boat and learned the secrets of the sea. After the death of his uncle, he took over as captain of his ship, with which he made many commercial voyages in the Mediterranean. When the Greek Revolution broke out, he was one of the first to take part. He became the fear of the Turkish-Egyptian fleet. His achievements became legends, known throughout the world.

In 1827, he represented Psara in the National Assembly of Troizina and was one of the most ardent supporters of Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias, who used him to suppress the various uprisings in Mani and Hydra. After the assassination of Kapodistrias, he retired from active duty and settled in Ermoupolis of Syros. During the reign of Othonas, he received the rank of Admiral. In 1844, he was appointed Minister of the Navy and in 1848, he was promoted to Prime Minister. On May 26, 1877, at the age of 82, he became Prime Minister of the Ecumenical Government, which was formed to deal with the possible consequences of the Russian-Turkish War.

The fearless arsonist of 1821 was always simple, modest and submissive. He died on September 2, 1877 and was buried in the First Cemetery.

Katingo was a strong and dynamic woman, wife of Capt. Antonios G. Lemos– widely known as Kyrakatingo on their home island of Oinoussai– and daughter of Dimitris Pateras, who over the years had not only managed the family’s domestic finances but had saved large amounts of the money Antonios sent home and with which she was meant to have run her household. When on March 12, 1912 the steamship ELENI, which was uninsured, was wrecked off the coast of Marseille, Capt. Antonios G. Lemos lost all his wealth with her. It was then that Kyrakatingo announced that she had the means to help the family and at the same time she revealed some ceramic vases containing a variety of gold coins, hidden under their home’s wooden floorboards. Thanks to Kyrakatingo’s savings, Capt. Antonios G. Lemos embarked on a new journey which lasts for the 170 years now. In 1918, after a short illness, Kyrakatingo passed away and in her memory the family’s first ship acquired after the War was named after her.

George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, was born on January 22, 1788 in London and came from an aristocratic family. He was a British Romantic poet whose poetry and personality captured the imagination of Europe. In Greece, he is one of the most recognizable figures of the Greek Revolution of 1821.

Even from an early age, he loved to study and read many books. He studied in English colleges, learned to speak Greek and Latin and traveled a lot.

Byron was captivated by the Greek natural beauties and the ancient ruins. "If I am a poet, I owe it to the air of Greece," he wrote. Being a politician and a leading figure in Romanticism but also one of the most ardent philhellenes, gave his life for the freedom of Greece. When the Greek Revolution broke out in 1821, Byron wrote his poem "Prophecy of Dante" describing the tyrannical regimes and in this way expressed his sympathy for the liberation struggles of the Greeks becoming a symbol of patriotism and true protector. In 1823, he became a member of the "Philhellenic Committee", an association of English liberals and philhellenes, who aimed to strengthen the Greek revolutionaries.

On January 25th, 1824, the Greek government recognized him as General. On April 19th, 1824, he passed away in Messolongi, at the age of 36 after a fever. His last words were about Greece: "I gave her the time, my health, my property, and now I give her my life. What could I do more"?

Wife of Pantelis A. Lemos.

Pantelis (1893-1957) was the second of the four sons of Capt. Antonios G. Lemos, being both Marine Master and engineer. Ships having their name proved to be exceptionally lucky, sailing the world’s oceans for many years and bringing to their owners much profit.

Georgios Constanti Lemos, or widely known as “Papa-Lemos” was one of Constantis Lemos sons born in 1812. Papalemos was not only a successful seafarer and a shipowner in his own right from the 1840s, but was also ultimately to become priest, as well as the sole teacher of the island’s school, roles in which he offered great service to both his family and his fellow islanders. Papalemos lived through to 1892 and was blessed to see all three of his sons, Constantis, Antonios and Pantelis, becoming distinguished seafarers.

Spyros A. Lemos (1897-1962), the third of Capt. Antonios G. Lemos four sons, who following two big setbacks in 1922 and 1923 where the family suffered significant losses, he took the family helm basing himself in the UK and France, whilst trying to re-establish the family business on a solid footing.