It was December 8, 1966, Crete experienced the most tragic shipwreck in its history
55 years ago, like today…
But how did all that happen on the terrible night of December 7-8, 1966?
The ferry departed from the port of Souda on the night of December 7, 1966 under bad weather conditions, with winds close to 9 Beaufort. At 2.06 in the early hours of December 8, in the area of Falconera, it sends the tragic message: “SOS, from Heraklion, our position is 36 degrees 52 B, 24 degrees 08 A, we are sinking” and absolute silence followed φορές Only twice did the tragic be heard this message… twice!
The rescue timeline as described in newspapers of the time:
“Unfortunately, the communications department of the Ministry of Shipping with meager means was trying to look for ships in the surrounding area of the shipwreck. The Port Authorities of Piraeus, Syros and Crete reported the impossibility of sending means to provide assistance, since there were no tugs for such needs. Unfortunately, the E / G-O / G “Minos”, which was sailing 15 miles north, did not “hear” the danger signal either.
At 02:30 The then Chief of the Coast Guard is informed, immediately afterwards the Minister of Merchant Shipping and he in turn informs the Minister of National Defense. The then Navy Headquarters states that a warship located in Syros with its engines off will need at least 3-4 hours to set sail plus those hours to reach the site of the shipwreck. The hours pass and the anxiety begins to peak, some ships that received the signal indicate a change of course towards the location of Heraklion, but they are far away, some east of the Cyclades, another west of Kalamata, and two English warships NE of Crete.
At 04:30 The Chiefs and Ministers involved are in the Services for immediate information, while a departure order is given to the “Syros” Submarine of the then Royal Navy. Around 05:30 it is decided to notify the incident to the then Prime Minister Stefanos Stefanopoulos with all the developments and the individual weaknesses. After some updates on the long approach time of the ships that are already arriving, around 06: 00-06: 30 the latter informs King Constantine in Tatoi. Then the Aviation Headquarters is informed.
At 07:20 a Dakota takes off from the Elefsina military airport and a few minutes later two more follow.
At 09.45-10.00 the first Dakota arrives near the spot, where it finds the refrigerated truck floating, at the same time on the horizon was clearly the English N / C Ashton that was rushing at full speed. Then Dakota started the “search-and-rescue cycles” at an ever lower altitude, when the pilot of the second Dakota was heard almost commanding: Your Majesty, your flight is dangerous, get high quickly! The Governor of ASHTON, realizing what it was about, is heard to declare: “Your Majesty ASHTON is in your orders” and the answer – “Thank you, follow me …”, starting the throwing of smoke bombs and life jackets, where, from the air, wrecks were found.
At 12:00 The tragic event has been reported almost all over Piraeus, the first relatives who were waiting for the ship in the morning have gathered in front of the building of the shipowners Typaldos on the coast of Tzelepis.
At 17:00 the sirens of 10-12 ambulances from Athens via Piraeus Street descend Gounari and Ethnikis Antistaseos Streets, while another 7-8 ambulances from Terpsithea of Piraeus, where the First Aid Station of Piraeus was located, will move to Agios Nikolaos, was finally approaching the ship.
The traffic in front of the Piraeus Customs and around the church of Ag. Nikolaou was stopped. At 19:00 It is already night and the N / C “Ashton” entered the port of Piraeus late, carrying 2 rescued sailors, Antonios Kampouris and Dimitrios Oikonomou from Sitia, Crete, as well as the dead.
Of the 73 sailors aboard the ship and the 191 passengers, only 46 survived, the remaining 217 drowned.
Testimonies of people who survived the tragic shipwreck later shock as if they remember and narrate the events exactly as they lived them:
George Manousoudakis, then 16 years old, was traveling with his brother. “I found a life buoy and put it on while I was on the handrail of the ship, which was tilted. A wave threw me away and I escaped from the vortex of the ship. “I have never seen my brother again.”
In 1966, Mr. Giannis Lambrou worked as a bomber on the Minos ship, owned by Efthymiadis. On December 8, 1966, they started from the port of Heraklion at 8 in the morning, bound for Piraeus. “I remember the weather was bad. It had a lot of sea. The captain got the first signal for the shipwreck while we were sailing off Dia. We approached the area where we had been given the position shortly after one in the afternoon. “We went as fast as we could given the storm.”
According to the narrator, the first thing they saw was a huge refrigerator. “It was the first sign of tragedy. I turn and say to Yakoumis in the crowd’s “what are we sitting on? People are rejoicing. We saw them caught by boards and other floating objects. “We also saw the dead sailors playing their collars in the air.”
By order of the captain they lowered a boat. “I entered, the existing Dimitris Kapitsalas, Gerasimos Dalietos, Spyros Koklas and a Babis whose last name I do not remember. We managed to save five people. We only found them. There were no others to save… “
The sinking of the ship, according to the experts, was instantaneous, due to omissions in the safety conditions: poor loading of cars, incomplete construction of the security system of the “hatch”, lack of outflow system and high speed of the ship despite the sea turbulence, for maintaining its reputation as the fastest ferry on the Crete line.
The shipwreck of “Heraklion” woke up the Greek state, which proceeded to the creation of the search and rescue operations chamber at the Ministry of Merchant Shipping and the institutionalization of the prohibition of sailing for passenger ships. The shipwreck caused the collapse of the Typaldos Lines, which then dominated domestic shipping, while the first ideas for the creation of the Popular Base Shipping Companies came into play.
The trial of the accused began on February 19, 1968 in the Criminal Court of Piraeus. It was preceded by a series of revelations about the heavy responsibilities of the Ministry of Merchant Shipping in issuing forged certificates of airworthiness of the ship. Four executives of the ship-owning company sat on the bench.
The court decision was issued on March 21 of the same year. One of the owners of “Heraklion”, Charalambos Typaldos, the director of the company, Panagiotis Kokkinos, and two officers of the ship were sentenced to prison terms of five to seven years. The sentences provoked reactions from relatives, who considered them very lenient. On January 9, 1969, the court file of the case was finally closed, as the Supreme Court rejected the appeal of the four, who had been convicted in the second instance for the accident.
December 8 is a day of double mourning for Chania. Three years later, on December 8, 1969, an Olympic plane, coming from Chania, crashed in Keratea, killing all 90 passengers.
Cretalive
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