Heinz Schön, the survivor of the greatest naval disaster of all time and his last will to be buried at the wreck of the Wilhelm Gustloff
By Pierre Kosmidis Underwater photos by Tomasz Stachura Many ships have sunk with horrible loss of life, but never have so many lives been lost with a single ship. When the Wilhelm Gustloff was torpedoed by a soviet submarine and sank, it was an event unlike any in naval history, because of the sheer […]
Samuel Côté – Shipwreck hunting in Canada
By Pierre Kosmidis Samuel Côté is a Canadian shipwreck hunter, who focuses on enriching the maritime history of Canada. He has located or identified many historic shipwrecks and always approaches them with respect to their history. Here is what Mr. Côté has to say: Describe your project. What is your purpose? Here is our mission: We […]
FOUND! The Italian minesweeper RD7 sunk in 1942
By Pierre Kosmidis The diving team of Antonis Grafas documented the story of an unknown shipwreck in the Saronic Gulf, Greece. A few lines in the war diary of the German commander of maritime defense of Attica, dated June 15, 1942, stated that “at 07:15 hrs. the Italian minesweeper ship RD7 sank after hitting a mine. Ships from Aegina […]
WW2 Shipwreck exploration by Kevin Denlay: “Going back in time and bringing the ships back to life” – PART 1
By Pierre Kosmidis – August 2017 Photos by Kevin Denlay (unless otherwise noted) Historical Photos: Kevin Denlay Collection READ PART TWO: The WW2 shipwrecks that disappeared: Underwater explorer Kevin Denlay’s interview on the lost fleet of the Pacific – PART 2 As the saying goes “only a diver knows the feeling of discovering and diving on […]
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The 73 year Odyssey of a lost seaman’s family and the submarine lost in 1943
By Pierre Kosmidis Read more here: Submarine HMS P311, sunk in January 1943: “Only the forgotten are truly dead” Massimo Domenico Bondone, the experienced Italian deep wreck scuba diver, who is credited with the recent discovery and the identification of the ill-fated British submarine P311 received the following message from Paul Denison, a family member of a […]
The sinking of Bartolomeo Colleoni in Crete, 19 July 1940
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos: IWM The Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni was sunk during the naval battle off Cape Spatha in north west Crete, on 19 July 1940. Out of her crew, 555 were eventually rescued by Allied warships, while 121 perished with the ship. The battle started when Allied ships in the Aegean saw two Italian […]
Mystery shipwreck located in Smyrni, Asia Minor – Could it be a Greek vessel sunk in 1922?
By Pierre Kosmidis Source of photos and additional information: Scientists and maritime archaeologists from the Dokuz Eylül University (DEU) Marine Action in Science and Technology Institute have located a shipwreck in the Gulf of Smyrni, Asia Minor, Turkey, which may belong to a Greek vessel sunk in 1922, during the last chaotic days of the Greco-Turkish […]
Steamship “Patris”: Sitting upright on the seabed for 89 years
By Pierre Kosmidis An unknown wreck was positively identified near Patroklos island in the Saronic Gulf by the diving team of Antonis Grafas in 2014. The steamship “Patris” (“Homeland” in English), formerly the French “Saint Rémi”, sank in the early hours of June 15, 1927, after being rammed by the steamer “Moschanthi Toya”, formerly the British yacht “Catania”, due to […]
HMS Rover: The unknown story of the submarine in Souda Bay, Crete, 1941
By Pierre Kosmidis In this rare and previously unpublished photo, dated April 1941, HMS Rover is seen in Souda Bay, Crete Few are aware of the fact that Souda Bay in Crete, a large naval base used by the British in early WW2, is in a way similar to Pearl Harbor, Scapa Flow and Truk […]