Wreck of Greek ship that met a tragic fate during WWII discovered after 80 years

Eight decades after the Greek minesweeper Sperchios sank, the shipwreck has been discovered at the bottom of the sea.

Of the 136 people on board, the minesweeper dragged 98 people into the depths after a fateful combination of circumstances on the second of May 1945, six days before the surrender of Nazi Germany.

The vessel, which was reportedly designed to carry only 75 people, was overloaded with passengers and goods. The boat leaned dangerously to the left during its last voyage, so the people on board were advised to gather at the right bow, but when it started to rain heavily everyone went inside. After several navigational errors, the captain changed course in an attempt to avoid a minefield, causing the vessel to capsize, fill with water and sink. Only 38 crew members could be saved.

Underwater footage from the Sperchios shows fish swimming in and out of the rusty wreck, about 9 kilometers off the coast of the Greek island of Hydra. “The wreck is located in international territorial waters northeast of Hydra, at a depth of 153 meters,” said Greek diver Kostas Thoktaridis.