Sunken cargo vessel found after almost 50 years
A cargo ship that sank in 1976 with the loss of nine lives after colliding with another vessel as it exited the Corinth Canal has been found in the Megara Gulf.
The “Mini Lord” was found at a depth of 222 meters, some 7.67 nautical miles east of the Corinth Canal.
The stricken vessel is “tilted on a four-degree angle to the port side” and had a visible hole in its hull, researcher Kostas Thoktaridis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
Carrying iron from Italy, on November 20, 1976 the “Mini Lord” was heading to the port of Piraeus for refueling when it collided with the “Costis TAF,” another freighter en route from Perama to Slovenia.
The bow of the “Costis TAF” breached the “Mini Lord” on the port side. With both engines operating at full capacity, the latter, along with eight crew, sank within minutes.
Despite a swift search and rescue operation that included nearby ships and the coast guard, none of the eight crew members were found.
A subsequent report attributed the blame for the collision to the “Mini Lord’s” captain, who had failed to see the “Costis TAF.”
It is believed that the captain was on a call via VHF up until two minutes before the accident and had veered sharply to the left when he became aware of the approaching vessel.
