Page 314 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΜΑΙΟΣ 2024

THE From its first publication in 1931 but also during the inter-

war period, Nautika Chronika magazine, although primarily
focused on the Greek shipping industry and the challenges it
was facing during that era, always kept a watchful eye on all
RACE the news related to international developments of the global
shipping industry. Among other things, transatlantic passen-
ger shipping, especially the booming North Atlantic Line that
connected Europe to the New World, would feature frequently
FOR THE in the magazine’s international news columns.
One of the most distinctive and captivating feature articles on
this topic was published in the 15 August 1931 issue of Naf-
BLUE maritime imperialism” experienced during those years. More
tika Chronika, which focused on the so-called “commercial
specifically, the article entitled “Millions of Pounds for the
Blue Riband”: The Dizzying Heights of Maritime Progress”
presented an analysis of the global transatlantic shipping sec-
RIBAND tor, showcasing the most important vessels in the worldwide
fleet of ocean liners, the sector’s current developments, and
the upcoming newbuilding projects . Another critical aspect of
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global transatlantic shipping also featured in the article was the
direct decision of many -if not all- major governments whose
“COMMERCIAL MARITIME companies were invested in the highly prestigious ocean liner
IMPERIALISM” AND THE OCEAN passenger trade, to subsidise and support them heavily.
LINERS OF THE INTERWAR PERIOD It is worth noting that in an era when printed publications in
Greece were not heavily focused on printing photographs
or did not have the means to do so, this particular feature
included a vast array of images showcasing the impressive
size of interwar ocean liners but also the prestige gained by
the nations of the companies operating them and whose flags
by Panagiotis Korakas they were flying.

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