Lloyds
List of April 22nd 1983, reported:
"GIANNIS
D (Greek). London Apr 21 - Information received, dated Apr 20, states: Mv
Giannis D, (from Rijeka), cargo sawn softwood for discharge at Jeddah and
Hodeidah, grounded at Shab Abu Nuhas, approximate position lat. 27.35N, long.
33.56E, last night. Crew abandoned vessel, which is listing, and taken by an
Egyptian tug to Santa Fe platform and then by helicopter to Ras Shoke. Owners
signed Lloyd standard form with salvage tug Salvanguard, which proceeding to
vessel." By the time this was being read in London, however, the Giannis D
had been declared a total constructive loss.
"This was the last words come from
the old lady".
The Giannis
D
 |
| GIANNIS D |
The Giannis D sailed under her original name until 1975 at which
time she was sold and re-named the Markos. Interestingly, that name is still
discernible on the vessels hull and there are those who insist on calling her
by the misnomer "Markos D!" Further rumours of another shipwreck
called the Markos (sometimes spelled Marcus) also appear from time to time when
no such vessel exists. In 1980, the ship was then sold again to the Dumarc
Shipping and Trading Corporation of Piraeus, Greece. This was when she was
given the name Giannis D and a large capital "D" was emblazoned onto
her funnel.
In April 1983, the Giannis D was being loaded with sawn softwood at
the Croatian port of Rijeka. Part of this cargo was destined for the Saudi
Arabian Port of Jeddah, with the remainder to be off-loaded at Hodeidah on the
coast of Yemen. It was a beautiful Spring morning as the ships Captain ordered
the mooring lines slipped and the Pilot guided his charge out into the Adriatic
before disembarking a short time later.
The journey down through the azure-blue waters of the Adriatic and
then across the Mediterranean Sea were uneventful - with the ship in the hands
of the Officer of the Watch. They made good time to Port Said where the Captain
took charge of his vessel once again.
Like any other country, the Egyptian authorities have a number of
routine checks for any vessel entering their territorial waters. Although
things had been generally quiet for some time, the Arab-Israeli War was still
ongoing - making these difficult and volatile times in the Middle East.
Naturally, those authorities had to be satisfied that neither contraband nor
weapons were being smuggled either into or through their country under the
guise of Cargo. For law-abiding vessels, like the Giannis D, the many rules and
additional checks were as time-consuming and tiresome as they were necessary.
Having satisfied all the various requirements and checks, the Giannis D was finally
allowed to proceed through the Canal, which proved to be just another of the
many safe passages completed every day.
Once into Suez Bay, the Giannis D stopped long enough to allow the
Pilot to disembark. For him, it would soon be another ship and a return journey
to Port Said. For the Giannis D, however, there now came one of the busiest and
most testing stretches of water to be found anywhere in the world.
The Giannis D was now in the upper reaches of the Gulf of Suez - a
long narrow stretch of water festooned with small islands and Coral Reefs.
Whatever their size, at least the islands were visible but Coral Reefs are very
different and lurk menacingly just below the surface like an unseen enemy
waiting to rip the hull from any careless vessel - as many a Captain has
discovered to his cost.
The Master of the Giannis D knew these waters well and was not too
proud to trust his more junior officers with the important task of navigation.
Setting his usual course, he checked every element of the ships position and
made sure his orders were fully understood before leaving the bridge.
Eventually, they were approaching the Straits of Gobal and, as the
Sinai coast began to fall away to the east and the Egyptian mainland even
further away to the west, the Captain was satisfied that the more dangerous
stretches of water had been safely negotiated once again and finally he could
relax.
Shab Abu Nuhas is a magnificent Coral plateau that barely
reaches the surface and, from a distance, is not easily seen at all. Unfortunately,
as far as shipping is concerned, it lies right at the very edge of the busy
shipping lane called the Straits of Gobal - found at that extreme northwest
corner where the Red Sea begins to narrow before it becomes the Gulf of Suez.
For ships outbound from Suez, Shab Abu Nuhas has always been the very last
obstacle between them and the open Red Sea and it comes just as many a Captain
has taken his eye off the ball...
With Jeddah another 600 miles further south and, thinking that only
the open Red Sea was between him and his destination, the Captain relaxed in
his cabin and was soon fast asleep. He had, however, not reckoned with Abu
Nuhas and it was not long before he was very rudely awoken by an event that
would signal the end of his much loved ship. With the engines set at "Full
Speed Ahead" the Giannis D was seen to suddenly wander from her allotted
course and drive hard onto the north west corner of Abu Nuhas Reef. The date
was April 19th 1983.
Diving
Information
The ship is lying on the bottom in roughly three separate sections
parallel to the reef, with the crumpled bow lying at 10 meters, the cargo area
amidships being a jumble of steel and remains of the cargo, and the aft section
with an intact A-frame located forward of the superstructure. The stern of the
wreck is lying at 24 meters. The bow lies fully on its port side and the
superstructure aft lies at about a 45-degree angle. At the stern, the ship’s
bent propeller lies partially buried in the sand on the bottom. All along the
deck areas on the aft section are deck fittings, bollards, winches, and the
boat davits. Penetration into the superstructure is easiest by entering the
pilothouse, which has been stripped of all of its equipment, and then heading
aft and down the companionway into the engine room, which hasn’t been salvaged.
Because of the angle of the ship it can become a bit disorienting for the first
time wreck diver here. The engine room is filled with catwalks and handrails,
all at odd angles, with the diesel engine lying to one side. Exit from the
engine room can be easily made by ascending up through one of the skylights
above the diesel where you find yourself beside the ship’s smokestack.
The mast of the ship reaches upwards to almost 4-meters below the
surface and is a good place to make your safety stop. The wreck is populated
with numerous varieties of aquatic life with glassfish, scorpionfish, wrasse,
the occassional napoleon, crocodile fish, and blue-spotted stingrays along the
bottom. This is really a fun wreck dive for divers of all certification levels.
Location:
|
27 34 42" N, 33 55 24.
Northwest corner of Shaab Abu Nuhas Reef
|
Access:
|
Day or Safari boat
|
Minimum Depth to Wreck
|
6m (above Bridge)
|
Maximum Depth to Seabed:
|
27m (at Stern)
|
Average Visibility:
|
30-35m
|
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