Cargo ship VERA
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VERA as MARGRIE TANJA. (Collection Ald Makkum) -
The bow of the shipwreck at a depth of 33 meters. -
VERA as MARGRIE TANJA at its launch. (Collection Ald Makkum) -
The mast in the forearm of the wreck. -
The stern of the ship resting on the seabed on the left side. -
The stern of the ship. -
The stern of VERA. -
The interior at the stern of the ship. -
Inside the engine room. -
VERA as MARGRIE TANJA with its distinct loading masts. (Collection Ald Makkum) -
Video from the shipwreck Vera
The cargo ship VERA was built in 1956 as MARGRIE TANJA by the shipbuilding company C. Amels Zoon – Scheeps werf & Machine fabriek “Welgelegen” in Makkum, the Netherlands, with construction number 196, for the company of the shipowner Evert Smid based in Groningen, the Netherlands. It was launched on March 24, 1956 and delivered to its owner on May 22 of the same year.
The ship had the following characteristics:
Type: Cargo
COX: 498
KKX: 307
Length (m): 57.9
Width (m): 9.19
Depth (m): 2.89
Propulsion: Six-cylinder diesel engine
Power: 750 BPH
Propellers: 1
Speed (k): 10, 5
After its delivery the management of the ship was taken over by the Dutch company Kamp’s Scheepvaart-en Handel maatschappij N.V. (Groningen) until 30.05.1969 sold to Cornelis Jzn’s company based in Harlingen, the Netherlands. On June 10, 1975 it was bought by Spyridon Alexandratos (Piraeus) and renamed APOLLONIA II with the insignia SV 3958. In 1983 it passed to Eleni I. Bastardi and was renamed VERA. In 1986 the ship belonged to Vassilis Papoutsoglou and in 1993 it passed to the company VERA I Shipping Co based in Thessaloniki.
Chronicle of the sinking
On February 10, 1999, at 11.45, the ship sailed loaded with 1160 tons of iron ore from the LARCO facilities, in the northern Evia, to Thessaloniki. At 19:00 on the same day and while the ship was in the channel between Skiathos and the coast of Magnesia, guided by the autopilot, the rudder blocked resulting in the ship turning to the right and ran aground on the reef “Lefteris” at 19.30. An immediate influx of water occurred and as a result of which the ship soon took a tilt with the risk of sinking. The crew left VERA in the evening of the same day, boarding the fishing boat KOULA which had rushed to the aid of the shipwrecked. The newspaper VRADYNI of 12.02.1999 reports the following about the incident:
Seven sailors and a passenger of the cargo ship “VERA” were rescued from the fishing vessel “KOULA”, which on Wednesday night [10.02.1999] struck the “Lefteris” reef, located between Skiathos and Magnesia. The risk of the ship sinking was high, as it filled with water from the rift caused on the ship’s reefs. Besides, the weather conditions were bad. Therefore, shortly after 10 pm, the seven Greek sailors and the company representative (based in Thessaloniki) left the ship. “They were transported safely by the fishing boat that transported them to Platanias, Magnesia.”
The shipwreck
The shipwreck of VERA is located at a depth of 33 meters, in the southern part of the “Lefteris” reef. The wreck is situated on the reef where it is broken in two parts of which the bow is located on the keel, with a slight inclination, facing south, while the stern is located on the left side at the bottom facing east. The substrate at this point consists of sand and a few rocks. The fact that no parts of the wreck are missing indicate that no attempt was made to salvage it and that the ship sank at its location due to adverse weather conditions.
DG
Sources
Lloyds Register of Shipping
Dounis, Christos: The Shipwrecks in the Greek Seas, vol. BD, published by FINATEC, Athens 2001
EVENING (newspaper) of 12.02.1999