There’s the people who like to dive and enjoy the otherworldly view of famous and not-so-famous shipwrecks and then there’s the rest of us who prefer to remain on the surface but would also like a similar experience.
There are many shipwrecks in the Greek seas that, despite their sad stories, have become part of the scenery and a tourist attraction. So, what shipwrecks can we see without getting wet?
Panagiotis
It is, of course, the most famous shipwreck in the country. The one every tourist, Greek or not, has to visit when they are on the island of Zakynthos. It’s not enough that this particular beach is incredibly impressive with the enormous vertical rocks and the turquoise waters, the shipwreck, many years ago, added an extra touch to the beautiful picture. The ship’s name is Panagiotis. It used to smuggle cigarettes from Turkey until, at one point in 1982, after a chase with the port authorities during a storm, it haphazardly run aground at the Aigiorgis beach that is now known as “To Navagio” (the shipwreck).
If you want to see it from above, you need to drive to the monastery of Agios Georgios ton Gkremnon, while if you want to see it up-close, read the names and lyrics carved on it by the thousands visitors, then you need to get in a boat and get your feet wet to reach the beach, perhaps even swim a bit, but you most certainly won’t need to dive.
Mediterranean Sky
Very close to the shipyards of Elefsina, and near the coast, you’ll find the hull of Mediterranean Sky. You can reach it by boat or drive on the old Athens-Korinthos national road, getting off at Vila Eftaxia. For the best view, you’ll need a short walk. The ship’s original name was City of York, and it was built in Newcastle, UK, in 1952, while it went on its first voyage in November 1953. Eighteen years later, it was sold and in August 1996 it went on its last voyage from Brindisi to Patras.
But its story doesn’t end there. In 1997, it was seized due to the ship company’s financial problems and, two years later, it was towed from Patras to Elefsina where in 2002 it started to capsize. To prevent it from sinking it was moved to shallower waters, however it wasn’t successful, since more than half the ship is now covered in water.
Olympia
The Olympia shipwreck is in Amorgos, at the Liveros bay, between the beaches Paradisia and Kalotaritissa, very close to the beach. It’s an old merchant ship that was named Island when it was built in 1950, and many years later, in 1979, had its name changed to Strymon, while in 1980 it was traveling with the name Olympia.
In February 1980, the ship sailed into a great storm, the crew abandoned it and the ship, adrift, found refuge, to this day, in the small bay of Liveros, and is now one of the island’s main sights. Rusty and half-sunk, it completes the harsh landscape of this small beach. You get there either by boat or by walking down a quite steep slope with rocks and bushes.
Dimitrios
About forty years ago, the ship Dimitrios foundered on the beach Glyfada, just outside Gytheio, and today you can walk to the wreck since it’s almost on the beach. It was built in 1950 and at first was named Klintholm. Its story is a bit unclear, rumours say it was used to smuggle cigarettes from Turkey to Italy, a cargo that was seized by Gytheio’s port authority, and the ship, loaded and moored in the port, somehow got adrift and moved, while the contraband was set on fire. There is an official version, according to which the ship moored in Gytheio on December 4th, 1980 because the captain needed to be transported to the hospital. Financial problems came up after that, and so the crew was fired, and the ship remained in the port.
In June 1981, it was decided to move the ship for safety reasons as water was entering the ship and it was beginning to capsize, however the lack of interest from the owners resulted in it being basically abandoned, and, in December of the same year, due to the weather, it went adrift and floundered at Glyfada beach. Before permanently beaching at the beach, Dimitrios had been carried away by the sea many times. Now, it’s a local hot spot, and with good reason, as it is truly impressive at the edge of this sandy beach.
Dimitrios P.
If you’re ever on the small islet of Gramvousa, next to the municipality of Chania, you can easily see the Dimitrios P. shipwreck, a stone’s throw from the coast. Even though only a small part is visible, the rusty hull is still very otherworldly and impressive, as it sticks out from the sea. It’s been there since 1968, after it left the port of Halkida in late 1967, filled with concrete, heading for North Africa which it never reached. On January 6th, 1968, due to bad weather, it moored in Kythera, but when it sailed again, it was hit by another storm and it headed for Crete, mooring at the island of Gramvousa.
However, the winds and the waves cut one of its anchors and the ship floundered and the engine room filled with water, with the crew escaping to Gramvousa, to be picked up by the Navy’s torpedo ship Ierax. You get there either by boat from Kissamos, or in a private boat.
Norland
The Norland shipwreck is also impressive with its bow sticking out of the sea in Kythera, or, more precisely at the skerry across from Diakofti. It’s a Russian cargo ship that crushed on the rocks in August 2000, water entered the engine room and the stern sunk. Urban legend speaks of a drunken crew that lost control, but it has not been confirmed.
Norland is a great attraction, not just for divers. It’s accessible by boat only.
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