Freight steamer Sifnos.

Freight steamer SIFNOS (former CAP D “ANTIFER, formerly LABOR) of Piraeus registration 712, with distinctive letters SVOB, a gross registered tonnage of 2290 gt and a net registered tonnage of 1073 gt, 248 feet long, built in 1917 at the DETROIT SHIPBUILDING CO. of DETROIT in the United States of America. She was powered by a three-cylinder reciprocating engine producing 274 NHP and was owned by Themistocles Frag. Staphylopathis, purchased in 1932 against 2,750 British Pounds.

The ship, captained by Efthymios Moscholios, had sailed from Souda to Piraeus, approaching the bay of Milos. While entering the bay of Milos on the morning of April 23, 1941, she was attacked by German planes and sank at a shallow depth, resulting in the loss of 4 of her crew. The ship had set sail from Heraklion on 6/4/1941 for Piraeus loaded with 600 tons of barrels of oil, wine, soaps, sage, honey, oats, empty mail bags, but then approached Souda for carbonation and supply of 20 tons of water. She sailed from there at around 19.00 on April 22, 1941 and arrived at the entrance of the bay of Milos around 08.00 on April 23, 1941, when two German aircraft appeared. One of the plane’s bombs fell to the side of the ship into the sea and caused a strong vibration, while the bombs from the other aircraft hit the engine room.

The captain steered the rudder all the way to the right to beach the ship to its starboard which were the closest shores at the entrance but did not manage in time, because the first plane had returned and with another salvo hitting the boat at hulls No. 3 and No. 4, which disintegrated the vessel resulting in its sinking in 4 minutes. The crew of SIFNOS were:

George Sofianos, Chief Stoker, killed
Michael Fountos, Cook, killed
Leonidas Ant. Neris, Stoker, Andros, killed
Elias Andr. Karalis, First Engineer, Galaxidi, killed
Efthymios Io. Moscholios, Captain, 53 years old, Galaxidi
Vassilios Kon. Mavrikakis, Sailor, 38 years old, Symi
Efthymios El. Drossopoulos, Second Mate 54 years old, Galaxidi
George Nick. Karagiorgis, 3rd Engineer, 48 years old, Thrace
Adamantios Kryst. Sravridis, Sailor, 38 years old, Constantinople

Source:

Χρήστος Ντούνης. Τα ναυάγια στις Ελληνικές θάλασσες 1900-1950

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