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The Shipwreck of C/S Retriever

Max Depth: 52m | Temp: 15°C (16Apr2022)

The British cable steamship “Retriever” was constructed at the “Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. Ltd.” shipyard in Great Britain. Built in 1909 for the West Coast of America Telegraph Company, it measured a total length of 57.97 meters.

With the outbreak of World War II, cable-laying ships were called upon for crucial missions, including cable repairs due to natural wear or sabotage, destruction of enemy cables, and laying underwater loops for enemy submarine detection.

On the night of April 11, 1941, the C/S “Retriever” was en route from Lemnos to Piraeus, having completed another mission for the Combined Signals Board. Shortly before midnight, the cable ship was spotted off Glyfada by the Luftwaffe, and a German aircraft managed to approach it unseen, delivering the fatal blow. A bomb penetrated the main deck and detonated in the forward hold, causing the ship to explode.

Eleven crew members, out of a total of 46 men consisting of Britons, Maltese, Egyptians, and Greeks, were the tragic toll of the shipwreck, including 28-year-old Greek Athanasios Chrysoloras.

A short video by Top2Bottom Diving Team