The exterior design of two cruise superyachts that Four Seasons Yachts is due to operate seems to have been inspired by a yacht that belonged to the Greek shipping tycoon, Aristotle Onassis (1906-1975).
In 1954, he acquired the frigate HMCS Stormont which had been built in Canada in 1943 and converted her into a luxury yacht that he named after her daughter Christina.
Onassis owned the 99-meter, 2550-ton vessel until his death and entertained a range of celebrities onboard with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, former wife of President John F. Kennedy.
The 2 units of the Toronto Canada-based Four Seasons Yachts (subsidiary of Four Seasons Hotels Ltd) will be larger with a length of 207 meters. The newbuilds (on order from Fincantieri Italy) resemble the former Onassis' yacht, which currently remains in service as Christina O (IMO 8963818, Malta-flagged).
The structure housing the funnel suite onboard the Four Seasons ships was shaped to resemble the funnel of Christina Onassis. A mast with sitcom equipment and the stern decks with swimming pools are other similarities with the famous older ship.
In a statement, Four Seasons said that globally renowned design partners had been engaged including Tillberg Design of Sweden as the lead architect responsible for the design of exterior/guest suites and London-based Martin Brudnizki Design Studio for the design of a lot of the ship’s public areas. The design partners will be paired with the direction of Prosper Assouline.