Counties Ship Management

In 1920 Manuel Kulukundis (1898–1988) from the Aegean island of Kasos moved to London, England and started work in a shipping office. In 1921 he and his cousin Minas Rethymnis founded the Rethymnis & Kulukundis shipbroking business in London. R&K was nominally a ship management company, but through a network of family and business relationships this was increasingly intertwined with actual ownership by members of the Kulukundis and related families.

In 1940 several Kulukundis brothers moved to the safety of the USA, leaving John Kulukundis and his cousin Basil Mavroleon to manage the CSM fleet. From 1940 onwards CSM in turn was controlled by the Ministry of War Transport.

British Government support enabled CSM to acquire new ships instead of second hand ones. Six were completed for CSM in 1940. Kingston Hill, Lulworth Hill, Marietta E and Richmond Hill (II) were new steamships while Putney Hill and Tower Grange were new motor ships. By 1943 all except Richmond Hill had been lost, along with the pre-war second-hand steamships Dover Hill, Mill Hill and Brockley Hill (I).

Three more new steamships were completed for CSM in 1941: Pentridge Hill (II) and the catapult armed merchantmen (CAM ships) Michael E and Primrose Hill (I). Only Pentridge Hill survived the War.

In 1942 William Doxford & Sons in Sunderland built two motor ships for Putney Hill Steamships: Coombe Hill and Tower Hill (II). Both survived the War. CSM made no more acquisitions until 1946.