S/S KYRA LENI

The S/S Kyra Leni (originally built in 1949 by Trondhjems Mekaniske Verksted in Norway as Otta) was a 99-meter commercial cargo vessel of 2,240 GRT (3,658 DWT). On January 6, 1978, the ship was navigating the Saronic Gulf when it was caught in an intense winter storm with hurricane-force winds reaching 10 to 11 on the Beaufort scale. Seeking refuge in the lee of Patroklos Island, the ship suffered sudden engine failure and was swept onto the rocky southern shore by severe whirlwind currents, causing catastrophic hull punctures in the engine room and cargo hold #2. The vessel carried 18 crew members along with the wives of the Captain and Chief Mate (20 people total). Remarkably, there were zero casualties: all 20 individuals successfully abandoned the grounding vessel using a rope ladder onto the rocks, trekked across the rugged island terrain in the dark to the island guard's cottage, and were rescued the following morning by the salvage tug TITAN. The ship later slipped down the submarine incline and split in two on a sandy seabed, with the bow at 17 to 18 meters and the stern at 30 to 32 meters, forming a vibrant artificial reef.