S/S VOLOS (formerly S / S THASOS)

S/S VOLOS (formerly S / S THASOS)

Antonis Grafas, in the context of documentation and presentation of the wrecks of the Greek seas on his website, dived with his associates and with the support of Costas Kontos (Aqua Core Divers) in October 2020 in the wreck of the steamer VOLOS (former S / S THASOS) on the “Lefteris” reef in the prefecture of Magnesia. S/S VOLOS was built as the THASOS cargo steamer for the German shipping company DLL (Deutsche Levante Linie), based in Hamburg, Germany, in 1902 and had the following technical characteristics:

Name: VOLOS (formerly THASOS)
ISS: RBJV
Type: Freight steamer
First flag: German
Construction: 1902
Launch: 12.3.1902
Completion: 15.4.1902
GRT: 1,905
KKX: 1.145
Length: 85.6 meters (Kampouni 8.8 m., Akomodesio 49.9 m., Kassaro 7 m.)
Width: 12.5 meters
Immersion: 5.5 meters
Propulsion: Locomotive, reciprocating three-cylinder, 178 NHP (A.G. “Neptun”, Rostock) Propellers: 1 Indicative speed: 9 knots
Shipbuilding company: Aktien Gesellschaft “Neptun”, Rostock, Germany Construction number: 205

With the outbreak of the First World War the ship was ordered and joined on 4.8.1914 as a transport, with the lateral insignia “G” (Munitionsschiff G), in the German Imperial Navy (Kaiserliche Marine), to be returned on 20.11.1914 to its original owners. In 1917, a year before the end of the war, it ran aground near the town of Lulea in northwestern Sweden, causing severe damage. In 1918, after the end of the war, it was lifted and towed to Germany where it remained unrepaired until 1921. That year the German shipping company HAPAG (Hamburg-Amerika Linie), based in Hamburg, bought it, repaired and incorporated it to its fleet, on 18.6.1921, renaming it VOLOS. The ship was managed by its former owner, the DLL, until its sinking.

The accident and the sinking

On February 21, 1931, the ship, loaded with tobacco, resin and general cargo, coming from Istanbul and having a destination of Hamburg, crashed due to a shipping error on the “Lefteris” reef, west of Skiathos, and sank without losses. The crew was rescued by the Swedish ship S/S BELOS and transported to the port of Volos. The German newspaper Hamburgischer Correspondent of 3 April 1931 reported the following about the sinking of the S/S VOLOS: “His captain on the Deutsche Levante Linie belonging to a VOLOS steamer, Captain F. Pietsch, who on the night of February 21, 1931 with an eastern wind of 8-10 Beaufort coming from Volos, looked at the lighthouse of the North-North and North Left at 19.00 the lighthouse Pontikonisi East-Southeast. At 19.45 the lighthouse of Lefteris Northeast and Pontikonisi Southeast. At 20.05 she changed course to the right and to the Northeast in order to neutralize the unusual sea current which existed. The lighthouse of Lefteris could be seen far away and was quite far from the left side of the ship. Suddenly the lighthouse appeared brightly lit and the First Officer spotted foaming waves breaking on the left side of the ship and for this reason ordered an immediate reversal of the rudder to the right. At 20.14 the ship ran aground with force and despite the immediate attempt to release it, putting it backwards, there was no result. With the constant blows of the waves and the stormy sea, she was pushed high on the rocks. On the deck of the ship were, in addition to the captain, Officer Bohl and DG Bargmann. Immediately after the grounding, the news was received from the engine room that the area was no longer watertight and that there was water penetration through the water indication pipes. Shortly afterwards, notice was received that the hull number three had water penetration which was spreading through the tunnel to the lower part of the ship. The engine was then shut, and the crew transferred to the deck. Lifebuoys were distributed and the two lifeboats were launched to the rails, but without being manned.

The radio operator and the First officer were constantly sending SOS signals but to which there was no response due to a short circuit in the antenna. It was later found that the rig on which the antenna was mounted had broken. Meanwhile a strong wave shifted the right rudder. The ship rose so high that people could no longer hold on to their feet and began to fall. At 21.30 the generator stopped and for this reason oil lamps had to be used. Around 22.00 a steamer became visible with resulting in the First and Second officers sending sounding alarm signals with the steam-powered whistle of the ship. The incoming steamer was visible for about an hour when a second ship appeared and then the attempt to send distress signals began with the ship’s cannon, sparklers and the burning of chemicals. The two steamships passed without realizing anything. The ship was rocking and creaking on all sides as she received huge amounts of water on deck, lower deck and superstructures. During the night the crew found refuge in the superstructure of the mid ship. On the morning of February 22nd, the first officer placed an antenna on the forearm, through which the communication with the representative of the company in Thessaloniki was restored and a rescue ship was requested to be sent. In the morning, the weather improved so that there was no longer any danger to the crew. Shortly after the signal was sent, the Turkish lifeboat LA VALETTE arrived at the scene of the accident and stated that it agreed to aid. The VOLOS was no longer shaking and was in a calm state. The hatches were opened, and it was found that all the hulls, even the engine room and the boiler room, were full of water. At 13.40 the company’s agent from Thessaloniki announced that the rescue ship BELOS was on its way.

On 17.12 a telegram was received from Hamburg, via Thessaloniki, informing that the steamer MEXICO located in Piraeus would be heading to the place of the stranded VOLOS. The next morning the rescue steamer BELOS arrived, the diver of which assessed the damage, according to which there was serious damage to the hull of the ship. The boiler and the engine were cut off from their place and were severely damaged. As it was no longer possible to save the ship, the crew, apart from the captain, the First officer and the First engineer, boarded the BELOS which transported it to Volos. On the 24th of February, a large empty schooner arrived at the scene of the accident and moored, and on the 26th of the month, the loading of the naval instruments and other useful objects began on the BELOS steamer, and the next day the transshipment of the transported cargo by the VOLOS. After that the VOLOS was abandoned to its fate as it had completely turned into a shipwreck and had to be abandoned. VOLOS, a steel ship built in 1902 at the Neptun Shipyard in Rostock, 1904.81 gross tonnage, was insured for $ 45,000. During the interrogation, what is mentioned in this report was confirmed by both the captain and the First officer of the ship. Both, naval experienced in the Greek sea area, attributed the accident to a particularly strong sea current which was not perceived at the right time.

The state representative (Reichskommissar) accused the captain and the First officer of the VOLOS steamship that they did not do what was required with due care and naval skill, otherwise the ship would not have reached the point of running aground. In his opinion, the sighting of the Lefteris lighthouse was not taken correctly and with the proper naval skill the sea current should have been perceived in time. The Ministry of Shipping issued the following announcement: On February 21, 1931, the steamer VOLOS ran aground on the Lefteris rock in the Aegean Sea and was characterized as a total imputed loss. The accident is due to an unusual sea current, but with the correct naval handling, the grounding could have been avoided. “The actions taken after the accident were correct.”

After the sinking

In June 1942, the Austrian marine biologist and researcher Hans Hass visited the wreck of the S/S VOLOS as part of a diving mission, which was supported materially and organizationally by the German occupation army. The German Kriegsmarine assigned to Hans Hass’s team the coastal “M” of the German 12th Attica Fleet, which under the command of Captain Paul Thie made a research voyage to the sea areas of southern and northern Evia, north Sporades in Skyros as well. The visual material of the mission was edited in 1947 by Ursula Hühne and with music composed by Herbert Windt was presented for the first time, as a standalone documentary, by Kulturfilm-AG IRIS-Film, on 24.6.1947 in Zurich, Switzerland. This documentary, entitled “Menschen unter Haien” (Humans and Sharks), is now one of the most classic films of early underwater exploration. In the middle of the documentary there are scenes that were filmed underwater at the wreck of S/S VOLOS.

The shipwreck

The wreck of the S/S VOLOS was cut and rolled over the years το deeper waters, at depths ranging from 35 to 57 meters. The shipwreck consists of two parts of which the bow is still in a relatively good condition, maintaining its original form. This section starts at 36 meters and extends to a depth of 57 meters, where is the bow which faces east. The rest of the steamer is located a few meters to the south and is broken into parts, some of which are amorphous, while others are sufficiently distinct, such as one side of the ship on which portholes and capons can be seen.
DG

Sources

Stegemann, Richard: 50 Jahre Deutsche Levante-Fahrt. 1889–1939. Hrsg.: Deutsche Levante-Linie. Selbstverlag, Hamburg 1939
Hamburgischer Correspondent 3.4.1931
Lloyds Register of Shipping
Thie, Paul: Mit Hans Hass im Ägäischen Meer, Bertelsmann-Lesering, Berlin 1951
Wiborg, Susanne / Wiborg, Klaus: 1847–1997, Mein Feld ist die Welt – 150 Jahre Hapag-Lloyd. Festschrift herausgegeben von der Hapag-Lloyd AG, Hamburg 1997