Panagiotis (ship)
Encyclopedia
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
(Zante
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
), which is among the southern-most of the Ionian Islands
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e...
of Greece. Navagio
Navagio
Navagio Beach , or the Shipwreck, is an isolated sandy cove on Zakynthos island and one of the most famous beaches in Greece...
("Shipwreck"), the spot where she lies, is a valued tourist attraction on the north-western side of the island, accommodating thousands of visitors each year.
A Coastal trading vessel
Coastal trading vessel
Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled sea-going ships usually cannot....
, or Coaster
Coastal trading vessel
Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled sea-going ships usually cannot....
, the Panagiotis was built in 1937 in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
by Scotts Bowling, Yard 341, for the J. & A. Gardner and Co. Ltd. shipping company, and fitted with engines made by British Auxiliaries Ltd. At her launch, she measured 163 feet in length and 26 feet in width. She had a draft of just over 11 feet, and a gross register tonnage
Gross Register Tonnage
Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
of 452. As a Coaster
Coastal trading vessel
Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled sea-going ships usually cannot....
, her primary use was in the transportation of trade cargo through local, shallow waters. Her eventual use in the smuggling of goods may have led to her downfall in the early 1980s.
History
The Panagiotis has changed hands and names since her construction.- 1937 - Originally named the MV Saint Bedan, she was launched on Thursday, 14 January 1937 from GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. - 1964 - She was sold to Greek owners, M. Gigilinis and S. Kakassinas of ThessalonikiThessalonikiThessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
(her port of registry), who renamed her Meropi. - 1966 - She was renamed Charis.
- 1975 - She was sold by N.S. Kalfas to P. Lisikatos of PiraeusPiraeusPiraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
and renamed Panagiotis. - 1980 - She ran aground in October, on the island of ZakynthosZakynthosZakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
, and was abandoned.
Sinking
The most commonly accepted story regarding the wreck of the Panagiotis maintains that it spent the later part of its life as a smuggler ship. In 1981 (during a time of record population lows on the island of ZakynthosZakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
), Panagiotis was making its way from Turkey with a freight of contraband cigarettes (for the Italian Mafia, as some versions of the story assert). The crew was suspected by authorities, and so the Panagiotis was pursued by the Greek Navy. Encountering stormy weather, the ship ran aground in a shallow cove to the north of Porto Vromi, where the crew abandoned ship to evade the pursuing Navy. To this day, the wreck remains at the site which is now called "Navagio
Navagio
Navagio Beach , or the Shipwreck, is an isolated sandy cove on Zakynthos island and one of the most famous beaches in Greece...
" for the Greek "shipwreck."
Locals raided the cargo of cigarettes and whiskey, and for the following four years, no 'official' tobacco products were sold on the island.
Controversy
There is question about the veracity of the wreck, with VirtualGreece.net stating that some ZakynthosZakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
locals believe the Panagiotis to have been placed in the cove by the Greek Ministry of Tourism.