Divers have laid commemorative marble plaques on the 120m-deep wreck of the hospital ship HMHS Britannic, sister-ship of the Titanic, and on the French troopship Burdigala.
The vessels sank in the same World War One minefield off the Greek island of Kea 100 years ago.
The dive-team consisted of GUE divers Nikos Vardakas, George Vandoros, Derk Remmers, Leigh Bishop, Dimitris Galon, Maurizio Grbac and Yannis Tazavelakos.
Bishop’s illustrated account of diving the Britannic in 2016 can be read in the October issue of Diver magazine (The Million-Dollar Dive).
A special memorial plaque was left on the Britannic for Carl Spencer, the British diver who lost his life on the wreck during an expedition in 2009.
The plaque-laying coincided with the three-day 100 Years of Kea Shipwrecks 1916-2016 international conference, held on the island from 30 September to 2 October.
Among the 150 attendees, who included many technical divers and maritime historians, was the Director of the Greek Ephorate of Marine Antiquities, the regional Governor and the Mayor of Kea.
Exploring the famous wrecks from a historical, exploratory and commercial standpoint, the three-day event included a film festival and a series of presentations, and culminated in the plaque-laying dive. The event was organised by the Friends of Kea association and a 100th anniversary team headed by Kea islander Byron E Riginos.
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09-Oct-16
