LOST DEPTHS:

The Shipwreck of S/S Oria

Max Depth:   42 m | Temp:  15°C (24-Mar-2025)

The Norwegian steamship “S/S ORIA” was built in 1920 by Osbourne Graham & Co. Ltd. shipyards in Great Britain. It was constructed for a subsidiary of the Norwegian Fearnley & Eger group and was a cargo ship with an overall length of 86.9 meters and a gross tonnage of 2,127 tons.

The S/S “ORIA” conducted its commercial voyages without incident until the outbreak of World War II. After serving both the Allied forces and the pro-German Vichy Government, in November 1942, it fell under Axis powers’ control.

Following Italy’s armistice with the Allies in September 1943 and the occupation of the Dodecanese by German forces, the S/S ORIA found itself in Rhodes, participating in clearance operations by German troops in the area.

As part of these operations, at 10:25 a.m. on February 11, 1944, it sailed from the island’s port, bound for Piraeus. In its hold, it carried over 4,000 Italian prisoners of war from the garrisons of Rhodes and Leros, including 43 officers and 118 non-commissioned officers from all branches of service.

Around 6:30 p.m. the following day, February 12, sailing at a speed of 9 knots, the S/S “ORIA” reached the area of Sounion, where severe weather conditions prevailed, with wind speeds reaching 10 Beaufort!

Following an erroneous course and “pushed” by the strong westerly winds, at 6:45 p.m., the cargo ship collided with its starboard side against the southeastern tip of Patroklos Island.

The vessel flooded immediately and capsized within minutes. The hull broke into two pieces, with the stern sinking and disappearing into the raging waters of the Saronic Gulf, while part of its bow remained protruding from the water.

The toll of the shipwreck was tragic, as the Italian prisoners remained trapped in the ship’s holds with no possibility of escape. Only 21 Italians were rescued along with 75 Germans, the Norwegian Captain of the ship, and a Greek Engineer, a member of the crew, while 4,131 people lost their lives.

Despite the scale of the disaster, the German authorities skillfully suppressed the event, with the result that, after the end of the war, the wreck of the S/S “ORIA” was lost to the annals of history.

Its sinking constitutes the 4th largest maritime tragedy in global history and the largest in the Mediterranean. The shipwreck “resurfaced” in 1999 with the discovery of a group of Greek divers, who, after considerable effort, identified and brought it back to light.