A Wednesday evening at the Rahmi M. Koc Museum, housed in Istanbul’s historic shipyards. Across the Golden Horn, on the opposite shore, the Phanar Greek Orthodox College, also known as the Great School of the Nation, rose on the horizon in solitary grandeur.
But the city’s centuries-old Greek presence is also preserved in quieter, more modest traces. These, too, have a way of whispering their own stories. One such reminder is a yellow tugboat bearing the Vernicos name and the inscription Irini – a living exhibit among the vessels, automobiles, bicycles and machinery that Turkish tycoon Rahmi M. Koc, one of Turkey’s most prominent businessmen, has assembled at the museum over decades.
Known for his philhellenic sentiments, Koc has maintained a longstanding friendship with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Yet this evening, with the Patriarch among the guests, was dedicated to another close friend: Nicolas A. Vernicos, in the presence of prominent Greek and Turkish figures.
Symeon Tsomokos (left) with journalist Alkis Kourkoulas at the event overlooking the Golden Horn.
Few may know that the family’s business story, rooted in the Cycladic island of Sifnos, began in Istanbul in 1850. That was when Vernicos’ great-grandfather, Manolis, settled in the city and began ferrying passengers from one shore of the Bosporus to the other. The enterprise evolved from oars to sails and eventually to steam, with his son Nicolas E. Vernicos – the grandfather of today’s shipowner – building a small fleet of tugboats and rescue vessels.
