ABSTRACT
Thus far we have traced the trade routes of Greek ships and the activities of Greek shipowners and merchants abroad. This chapter will deal with the growth of the Greek-flag fleet and the main domestic maritime centres. After the formation of the independent Greek state in 1830, a new era began for the merchant marine. Within twenty years Greeks were able not only to reconstruct their pre-revolutionary fleet but also to expand to unprecedented numbers of ships and tonnage.1 Indeed, the uninterrupted development of shipping and commerce throughout the nineteenth century was one of the most impressive achievements of the Greek economy Yet there was very little relation between these two sectors, since Greek foreign commerce occupied very little space in Greek ships.2
