It is unlikely the Canadian troops who manned the frigate Stormont could have predicted that the ship, built in 1943 as a convoy escort, would ever be associated with high-society glamour.
They could never have guessed it would one day play host to members of the world's A-list, among them John Paul Getty, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco. In 1957, John F. Kennedy first met Winston Churchill during a cocktail party aboard the yacht.
Aristotle Onassis bought the ship in 1954, named it after his daughter Christina and spent more than US$4 million on refurbishing it.
After Onassis' death in 1975, Christina donated the yacht to the Greek government. It was purchased in 1998 by John Paul Papanicolaou, a shipping industry leader and Onassis family friend, who renamed the yacht the Christina O and reportedly spent more than US$50 million on restoring it.
The Onassis suite is the size of a medium-sized Hong Kong flat, measuring 736 sq ft. The inlaid mosaic floor of the swimming pool rises at the push of a button to become a dance floor. Other amenities include a spa complex, beauty parlour, playroom, music lounge, show lounge and helicopter pad.
Each of the 18 staterooms has a DVD player and a surround-sound stereo system - presumably for the rare guest who might just want to stay in.
