The bow of the ship that sank 63 years ago off the island of Makronissos. Credit: Facebook/Kostas ThoctaridesA Greek ship that disappeared without sending an SOS in 1959 was discovered lying at the bottom of the Aegean Sea off Makronissos island recently.
The “Three Hierarchs” which sank on February 14, 1959, was discovered at a depth of 87.2 meters, northwest of Makronissos, by the research team of Greek diver Kostas Thoctarides.
The ship had sailed from Piraeus the day before at 17:10 carrying 378 tonnes of corn most of which was destined for the port of Thessaloniki. The ship was also due to dock at Porto Lagos in Xanthi where it would deliver the rest of the corn and three military vehicles.
The ship sank due to adverse weather conditions with approaching 8 Beaufort.
A drawing of the wreck and the corresponding finds. Credit: Facebook/Kostas Thoctarides
A small portion of shipwrecks has been located in Greece
In November 2021, the research team of Thoctarides discovered the wreckage of an Italian WWII submarine off Mykonos.
The “Jantina,” which sank on July 5, 1942, from the torpedoes of the British submarine HMS Torbay, lay at the bottom of the Aegean without anyone knowing its exact location for 80 years.
Thoctarides, a naval history enthusiast and author, has discovered four modern shipwrecks at Mykonos, Skiathos, Kefalonia, and the Saronic Gulf. He says that only a portion of shipwrecks has been located in the Greek seas.
“My estimate is that a quarter has been identified in total,” he said, based on his shipwreck record after years of study. “Greece is a country with a very important naval history. There is historical wealth in every region,” he added.