MV Rawnsley: Sunk off Crete on 12 May 1941, a treasure trove of WW2 artifacts and marine life
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, used by permission and information by George Metaxakis At a depth of 27 metres, off Ierapetra city in Crete, the tragic events that lead to the sinking of the British transport ship MV Rawnsley, are now covered in marine life. George Metaxakis, an experienced scuba diver from Greece, shared with www.ww2wrecks.com […]
27 May 1941, when the hospital ship “Gradisca” almost sunk in Piraeus, by Vincenzo Giacomo Toccafondi
By Vincenzo Giacomo Toccafondi While writing the book “Le Navi Ospedale Italiane dopo l’Armistizio” I bought a certain number of photographs on ebay Germany. One of these portrayed the hospital ship Gradisca, the torpedo boat Lupo and what I believed to be the destroyer Carducci photographed from the stern, showing the two letters CD on the […]
The wreck of the Polish Destroyer ORP Kujawiak – The history of a heroic ship sunk in 1942
Text by Marinos Giourgas, submitted to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission Photos: www.aegeantec.gr © Marinos Giourgas and Vasilis Spyropoulos, published under license ORP Kujawiak was originally a British Hunt-class Type II destroyer built as HMS Oakley. She had a length of 85m and was weighing more than 1,000 tonnes. She was handed over by the Royal navy to […]
Book presentation: Le Navi Ospedale Italiane Dopo l’Armistizio (The Italian Hospital Ships After the Armistice), by Vincenzo Giacomo Toccafondi
From the presentation of the book by Amm Isp. Capo (c.a.) Vincenzo Martines Vincenzo Giacomo Toccafondi has already explored the world of Italian hospital ships with the recent valuable publication of the “Story of a white ship: Wandilla-Fort St.George- Cesarea- Arno 1912-1942” which ended with the sinking of the latter by of a British torpedo […]
Αναδύεται στη μνήμη η τραγωδία του “Marguerite”
By Pierre Kosmidis Σαν σήμερα, ακριβώς πριν από 69 χρόνια στις 13 Οκτωβρίου του 1943 μια τραγωδία εκτυλίχθηκε στον Πατραϊκό Κόλπο, η οποία χρειάστηκε σχεδόν 65 χρόνια για να έρθει και πάλι στην επιφάνεια, χάρη στην ιστορική έρευνα και τις επιτόπιες καταδύσεις από ομάδα Ελλήνων αυτοδυτών. Μια υπόθεση γνωστή στους καταδυτικούς κύκλους, αλλά όχι και […]
Tenente di Vascello Giuseppe Brignole and the Torpediniera Calatafimi in the Greek seas during WW2, by Vincenzo Giacomo Toccafondi
By Vincenzo Giacomo Toccafondi The performances of the Italian Royal Navy during World War II were modest overall and were marred by painful defeats, such as the air raid in Taranto and the disaster of Cape Matapan. The story of the torpedo boat Calatafimi and its commander T.V. (Tenente di Vascello) Giuseppe Brignole is a […]
“Moudros”: A WW2 wreck at a depth of 100 metres in the Saronic Gulf
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and video: © Marinos Giourgas, published under license Aegeantec on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aegeantec/?hl=en Marinos Aegeantec on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marinos.aegeantec.9 Mr. Marinos Giourgas is an experienced technical scuba diver and Instructor, credited with the exploration of several WW2 Wrecks in Greece. Recently, along with a technical scuba diving team, consisting of Vasilis Spyropoulos OC diver, and Tasos Papapanos and Antonis Strouzas […]
Lazarettschiff Brigitte and Torpedo Boat Lira in Thessaloniki, by Vincenzo Giacomo Toccafondi
By Vincenzo Giacomo Toccafondi I recently found on a well-known online auction website a very interesting image of the port of Thessaloniki 1. It shows the French ocean liner Theophile Gautier in the background, and two units that were directly involved in Operation Merkur: The small hospital ship Brigitte and the Regia Marina Torpedo Boat Lira. Photos of Brigitte are quite rare […]
HMS Urge: The story, the loss and the ceremony at sea, by Professor Timmy Gambin
Photos submitted to www.ww2wrecks.com by Professor Timmy Gambin and used by permission An 80-year-old maritime mystery has finally been put to rest with the unveiling of a memorial to a Royal Navy submarine lost off Malta. Serving Submariners from Naval Base Clyde and relatives of the crew of HMS Urge travelled to the Mediterranean island […]
1941-2017: Η “Μακεδονία” φλέγεται, 22 Απριλίου 1941
By Pierre Kosmidis Έρευνα, ιστορική τεκμηρίωση: Γιώργος Καρέλας READ THE STORY IN ENGLISH: Then and Now: Stuka attack on Greek steamer “Macedonia”, April 22, 1941 Ο διακεκριμένος ιστορικός ερευνητής και έμπειρος αυτοδύτης Γιώργος Καρέλας έχει συμμετάσχει σε πολλές έρευνες ναυαγίων πλοίων και αεροσκαφών του Β’ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου στην Ελλάδα. Παράλληλα, έχει αφιερώσει πολύ χρόνο στην […]