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Gramvousa shipwreck

Imeri Gramvousa island, Kissamos, Chania / Northwestern Crete

By Desolation Road

September 15^th, 2020

For more than half a century a rusty carcass of a ship that is rapidly disintegrating has achieved a strange and unexpected match with the exotic landscape of the Gramvousa islands, at the northwestern tip of Crete, as it lies since 1968 between the wild and barren land of the islands in the blue waters and in the scorching sun.

The 146-feet “Dimitrios P.” motorship ran aground at this point on an icy noon on January 8, 1968. Ten days earlier, it had begun the journey of transporting 440 tons of cement from the island of Chalkida, in central Greece, to the coasts of North Africa.

Gramvousa shipwreck

However, the rough winds and the turbulent sea forced the captain to anchor first on the island of Kythira, outside the southeastern Peloponnese, and then on the island of Iremi Gramvousa near the coast of Crete. The captain dropped both anchors, but at about 1:15 p.m. on January 8, 1968, the right anchor chain broke.

Despite his anxious efforts to keep the ship in balance with the help of the engines, the ship leaned to the left, and the engine room was flooded. By his order, the sailors abandoned the ship and were forced, due to bad weather, to stay for two days and nights on the deserted Imeri Gramvousa island, until they were picked up by the "Ierax" (hawk, in Greek) torpedo destroyer ship of the Greek navy, which came to their rescue from the nearby Souda naval base.

"Dimitrios P.", also known by the Evangelia, Amphipolis, Birgit and Pentelikon names as it tamed the seas for 46 years after its construction at the Flender Werk shipyards in North Germany in 1921, was never pulled from its sea dying place, between the azure coves of Imeri Gramvousa.

Gramvousa shipwreck

Gramvousa shipwreck

Gramvousa shipwreck

Gramvousa shipwreck

Gramvousa shipwreck

Gramvousa shipwreck

Gramvousa shipwreck

Gramvousa shipwreck

Gramvousa shipwreck

Visiting Gramvousa Shipwreck

If you wish to visit the “Demetrios P.” shipwreck you must do it fast, because it is deteriorating. Already, most of the ship is now below the surface of the water. To get there, you have to travel about an hour on a tourist boat from Kissamos, in the area of the Chania municipality of Crete. The famous Balos lagoon is just two miles away. Along with the shipwreck, you can see the fortress of Gramvousa (where it is rumored that there is still a hidden treasure from the time of the pirates) and swim in the clear waters. As the site belongs to the Natura 2000 program, overnight stays and camping there are prohibited.

Gramvousa shipwreck

Gramvousa shipwreck

Footnotes

Copyright © Desolation Road / (Main photo © gramvousa (3) by Jose Téllez is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

FootNotes

Copyright © Desolation Road / (Main photo © gramvousa (3) by Jose Téllez is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

© 2026 Desolation Road

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