Serifos, The island that enchants everyone
June 11, 2023
This staircase leads to the… underworld. The Most Shocking Part of the Ancient Greek World.
June 15, 2023International agencies are inviting travelers to discover the treasures of the Mediterranean, among which is Leros. In fact, they even highlight the South Aegean island as a "diver's paradise". In their tributes they refer to Leros as a 'Mecca of shipwrecks'.
The seabed of the island is home to wrecks of warships and skeletons of downed aircraft. Over ten shipwrecks are located in close proximity to the coast.
Most impressive is the Greek destroyer "Queen Olga", sunk in the harbour at Lakki since 1943, when it was bombed during a German air raid. One of the most legendary destroyers of the Greek Navy. She is lying at a depth of 32 meters.
One of the most inexpensive ships of the Royal Navy and still the most successful Greek warship during World War II.
On her last patrol she sailed on the morning of 26 September to the largest natural harbour (after Souda) in Greece at Lakki, Leros. A short time later she was hit by a German air raid and sunk, with the captain and 69 crew members killed. More generally, she assisted in the invasion of Sicily, mainland Italy and the Dodecanese.
In anticipation of the German attack on Greece, the government decided to transfer the gold and currency reserves of the Bank of Greece to Crete, a mission undertaken by Queen Olga and King George. The transport started on 3 March and the two ships arrived at Souda on 4 March, unloaded the crates with the valuable contents and returned to Piraeus on the same day.
