Martin Baltimore wreck

The Martin Baltimore wreck in Feroi Bay, Ikaria, is a twin-engine light reconnaissance bomber (serial number FW401) of the Royal Hellenic Air Force 13th Light Bombardment Squadron (13 ΜΕΒ). On April 20, 1945, while on a flight exercise originating from Hassani Airfield (now Ellinikon) near Athens, the aircraft encountered adverse weather over the central Aegean and suffered sudden mechanical failure in its right engine. Unable to maintain altitude on one engine, the pilot attempted an emergency sea landing off southern Ikaria near Magganitis. The violent impact on the water claimed the lives of two crew members—Radio Operator Flight Sergeant Sotirios Vathis and Airman Ioannis Zacharopoulos, who were lost at sea—while Pilot Sergeant A. Dimopoulos and Navigator Reserve Sergeant Vassilios Demertzis survived and swam ashore. Discovered and documented in 2017, the aircraft rests remarkably intact on a flat sand floor at 16 to 18 meters depth. Aviation historians believe it represents the only surviving example of the 1,574 Martin Baltimore aircraft manufactured during World War II.