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During a holiday on the island of Crete we went to the nearby island of Gramvousa starting from the port of Kissamos. The passion for underwater video shooting brought us to this place with white sandy beaches, wild and rocky but with a crystal clear sea typical of the Mediterranean Sea. We knew that there is the rusty wreck of ship wreck “DIMITRIOS P” on the island but we did not know the reason for the sinking. The wreck is located a few meters from the coast and at shallow depth and is a destination for snorkelers and those who practice underwater fishing. relitto della nave dimitrios p a creta
ship wreck “DIMITRIOS P” to Creta – relitto della nave “DIMITRIOS P” a Creta – www.intotheblue.it
We asked the locals for information to find out the name of the ship and how the sinking occurred. They told us that the ship “DIMITRIOS P” had set sail from Chalcis, Greece, to head towards North Africa on 30 December 1967 with a load of 440 tons of cement. The sea conditions quickly became stormy and the ship was forced to dock in Cerigo to wait for the weather conditions to improve. On 6 January 1968 the commander decided to resume the journey towards Africa, but conditions worsened again and with the stormy sea she was forced to change route, heading to Crete to find shelter on the coast.
ship wreck “DIMITRIOS P” to Creta – relitto della nave “DIMITRIOS P” a Creta – www.intotheblue.it
At Gramvousa the ship dropped the two anchors about 200 meters from the coast, but with the sea continuing to worsen the captain decided to cut the chain of one of the two anchors in order to keep the bow in the direction of the waves, which had now become very high , helping with the engine. Unfortunately the maneuver was not successful also because the ship had run aground in the shallow sea, being damaged and starting to take on water.
ship wreck “DIMITRIOS P” to Creta – relitto della nave “DIMITRIOS P” a Creta – www.intotheblue.it
On January 10, a Greek destroyer arrived to help and the commander decided to abandon the ship. Fortunately the entire crew was rescued and the wreck, devastated over time by marine erosion and rust, has now become a tourist attraction.
