Lena Tsopouropoulou: The Greek woman who photographed the wreck of the "Britannic", the Titanic's sister ship

The Britannic as a hospital ship
CREDIT National Maritime Museum

The Titanic is a shipwreck that has attracted the interest of millions of people worldwide for over 100 years, since her sinking back in 1912.

Read the Greek version here:
http://pierrekosmidis.blogspot.gr/2013/02/blog-post.html

Few are aware though that her sister ship the Britannic, sunk during WW1 in the Aegean Sea, Greece, on November 21st, 1916, with the loss of 30 persons out of the 1065 people on board and is now resting on the seabed in almost perfect condition.

A sonar profile of the Britannic, as she rests on the seabed

A Greek diving mission brought, from a depth of 120 meters, images from a shipwreck resting in the Aegean for almost 100 years.

The “Greek Woman of the Abyss,” Lena Tsopouropoulou recorded through her lens images of a ship almost 260 meters long.

The strait between Makronissos and Kea islands, just a few miles from the Temple of Poseidon on the southern tip of Attica, is one of the busiest sea passages, since antiquity with a history of 2500 years of navigation.

The “Greek Woman of the Abyss,” Lena Tsopouropoulou

“Victim” of the First World War, the Britannic was retrofitted into a hospital ship and sank after hitting a German mine that had been laid in late October of 1916 by the German submarine U 73 and stayed for decades forgotten until the famous French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau located and identified it in 1975.

Since then, several diving and scientific expeditions have visited the wreck, which is of great interest, both because of its almost perfect condition, almost 100 years after the sinking, and because of its historical and archaeological significance.

Unlike the “Titanic” that dragged more than 1,500 people at the bottom of the sea, the “Britannic” was more… merciful since just 30 people perished with her.

“The Britannic is a major wreck with a great history,” says Mrs. Lena Tsopouropoulou and adds:

“Diving the wreck is a unique experience, the size of the ship left me speechless. It took a while until I started taking pictures”.

Mrs. Lena Tsopouropoulou highlighted the technical difficulties that the project presented: “The conditions are very demanding, both technically and for photography. It is a great challenge to be able to capture photographically such a wreck and to be able to give an overall picture of the ship”.

A scuba diver hovers in front of the Britannic

The “identity” of the Britannic

The “Britannic”, one of three almost identical ocean liners of the shipping company “White Star”, (the other two being the “Titanic” which sank in 1912 and the “Olympic” which was sold for scrap in the 1920s) is synonymous with luxury transatlantic voyages in the early 20th century.

Launched in February 1914

Requisitioned in December 1915

Sank in November 1916

Registered length: 259.80 meters

Gross registered tonnage: 48,158

Cruising speed: 21 knots

Battle of Crete: "Sadists, criminals, bandits" - How the Germans saw the "British beasts"

The Battle of Crete was still raging and the Greek newspapers published in Athens, under strict censorship by the nazi controlled puppet regime of "Quislings" were featuring stories by German war correspondents, as the one above, signed by Heinrich Rodemer, under the title "Sadists, criminals, bandits, British beasts torture German POWs and vandalise corpses".

There are vivid descriptions of survivors who claim to have seen dead German soldiers with their eyes gouged off, or with their limbs severed.

The nazi war correspondent also mentions that the "local people of Crete put up fierce resistance and will be treated as criminals after the Battle is over".

A prelude of the crimes against humanity the Germans committed after they conquered the island of Crete, murdering unarmed civilians and burning women and children and whole villages.

The Italian bomber, the...donkey and the peasants - a funny side of the "undeclared war"

During the summer of 1940, Greece and Italy were still at peace, while Mussolini's forces fought against the British. It was not until October 28th of the same year that Italy would declare war against Greece and suffer a humiliating defeat by the Greeks in the mountainous regions of northern Greece and Albania.

Let's jump back some months before that, in the summer of 1940. Italian aircraft based in the then occupied by Italy Dodecanese islands, especially in Rodos island, attack British shipping on a regular basis.

On one of those air attacks against the British, what seems to be an Italian SM79 bomber is hit by antiaircraft fire and is forced to land on a sandy beach in Crete.

Curious locals, peasants with donkeys, as well as a policeman who guards the intact aircraft, are gathered around the bomber, while a photographer immortalises the scene.

This photo appeared in Greek propaganda publications of the period and is part of my collection.

Air Ministry of Greece map of Crete dated 1935, "Signal" magazine (Greek edition) on the Battle of Crete and Hans Liska's drawing of a Ju52 loaded for Crete

Spitfire, the Legend Lives On: Unique air-to-air photos of the 55 remaining WW2 Spitfires

The Spitfire turned eighty years old on March 5, 2016, and the passion for the Royal Air Force's best-loved fighter is running at an all-time high. 

There are more than fifty Spitfires flying in the world today, and John Dibbs has shot virtually all of them, “on the wing,” in his breathtaking style.

This eye-catching book combines this unique collection of stunning photos with poignant firsthand accounts of flying the airplane in combat from some of the most famous Aces to pilot the Spitfire and from some of the forgotten pilots.

Chronicling the history of this most iconic of British aircraft, this book is a must-have purchase for aviation enthusiasts.

ORDER YOUR COPY OF JOHN DIBBS' BOOK HERE, HERE AND HERE

SOURCE OF PHOTOS

FOUND! Aldebaran: The Italian Navy Torpediniera sunk on 20 October 1941 in Greece

The Aldebaran, broken into two pieces
(© 2014 www.wetklik.gr by Milonakis Kostas and www.grafasdiving.gr)

Underwater photos by Milonakis Kostas www.wetklik.gr

Other photos as credited

Nearly 75 years have passed since the sinking of Aldebaran (code AL), an Italian warship, which met her fate at 9:40 in the morning of October 20, 1941 and was discovered and positively identified by the diving team of Antonis Grafas in 2014.

Link of the original article, published in 2014 (in Greek):
http://pierrekosmidis.blogspot.gr/2014/03/aldebaran.html

The spectacle that the divers saw, the first people who set their eyes upon the once majestic "Torpediniera", a 82-metre long wreck, for the first time since her sinking, has brought again to the surface the tragic events that unfolded on this fateful morning of 1941, a forgotten episode of World War 2, that remained lost at  a depth of 107 meters below sea level near the islet of San Georgio.

Map of the Saronic Gulf. San Georgio island is located in the entrance of the Gulf.

"Every shipwreck is a window into history" Antonis Grafas, an experienced deep diver and the leader of the research group says and adds:

"From the first moment I saw the wreck I realized that this is a ship with great historical significance. The satisfaction and pleasure that I felt were unique emotions."

RT Aldebaran (© Archivio Aldo Cherini)

Discovery and identification of the wreck

The cause of the sinking of "Torpediniera" (roughly equivalent to a Destroyer) Aldebaran (AL) was a mine laid by the British Submarine HMS Rorqual.

The minefield did not only destroy Aldebaran but also sunk her sister ship Altair, which also struck a mine in the same minefield a day before at 19:28 on October 19, 1941 and sank while she was being towed towards the port of Piraeus, at the southeast of the island of Patroklos Island the spot of one of the biggest naval tragedies, with 4,000 Italian POWs drowned in 1944.

A naval gun on Aldebaran
(© 2014 www.wetklik.gr by Milonakis Kostas and www.grafasdiving.gr)

According to British archives the deadly trap, the laying of the minefield that would sink  the two Italian ships twelve days later, the Aldebaran and the Altair, was set up on 8 October 1941.

The experienced deep scuba diver and underwater photographer Kostas Milonakis describes the moment of this historical discovery: 

"The sonar had shown a little "lift" on the bottom and I was quite skeptical about what we would see at a depth of 107 meters. 

When I began to see the wreck, I took a deep breath of satisfaction and immediately after I saw the big guns of the ship at the stern. 

It was the ship we were looking for! 

I immediately prepared my underwater camera and made a sign to my fellow diver Yannis Liardakis to enjoy this unique spectacle! 

I enjoyed it more than any other dive in my life so far! 

We found a warship lost in time and we were the first people to see her after 73 years at the seabed." 

Italian Naval cannon of 100/47 mm. O.T.O. 31 exactly like the three guns of ALDEBARAN 

(© Aldo Farccaroli)

Dimitri Galon, historical researcher

The field research proved that this is the wreck of a torpedo ship  (Torpediniera), of the Italian Royal Navy, (SPICA class, PERSEO type).

This assessment, combined with historical and photographic sources further indicated that this is obviously the wreck of the Aldebaran, which, according to the Italian Navy Directorate of History, sank at 9:40 in the morning of 20 October 1941, approximately three nautical miles north-northwest of the island of San Georgio, after hitting the allied minefield in that region, laid on October 8, 1941 by the British submarine HMS RORQUAL.

HMS Rorqual (Imperial War Museum)

According to the Italian Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare, "the ship had sailed at midnight on October 20, 1941 from the port of Piraeus, with orders to assist Lupo to tow Altair, which struck a mine on the previous day. 

Moreover Aldebaran had the order to investigate for any survivors aboard the bow of Altair and during this research Aldebaran struck a mine, which exploded beneath the hull. 

The ship, partly flooded and with a broken keel, floated for more than half an hour before it capsized and sank."

There are conflicting reports about the number of victims of the sinking of the Aldebaran. 

The Italian sources mention that out of her 150 crew, seven were killed and three died due to their injuries. 

German sources indicate that 14 were lost and 140 crew members were rescued, including fifteen injured.

Construction and technical characteristics

Name: ALDEBARAN

Distinctive code: AL

Type: Torpedo Boat (Torpediniera)

Nationality: Italian

Regia Marina Italiana

Displacement: Standard, 630 tons / Full load 1,020 tons

Length: 82 meters

Width: 8.2 meters

Propulsion: Two steam turbines power 19,000 hp

Propellers: 2

Indicative speed: 34 knots

Range: 1,910 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots / 1,700 nm with a speed of 16 knots / 60 miles a speed of 30 knots

Armament: Three naval guns of 100/47 mm. Eight Italian machine guns of 13.2 mm., Four torpedo tubes 450 mm., Two depth charges mechanisms, 20 mines.

Indicative crew: 119 persons (7 officers and 112 petty officers and sailors)

The diving team

Divers

Antonis Grafas, filmmaker, team leader

Kostas Milonakis, underwater photographer

Yannis Liardakis, diver

Tasos Tsalavoutas, safety diver

Dive team Partners

Dimitri Galon, historical researcher

Dimitris Damigos, boatmaster

Useful resources and further info:

www.grafasdiving.gr

www.wetklik.gr

The diving mission was sponsored by www.dakoutros.gr