Greek wreck researcher Kostas Thoktaridis and his team have uncovered the wreck of the SS Arcadian, which sank in 1917 after being torpedoed by a German U-boat.
Arcadian sinking after being torpedoed
The Arcadian, built initially as the RMS Ortona in 1899 and later converted into a troopship during World War I, was en route from Salonika to Alexandria, transporting soldiers and medical personnel, when it was attacked on 15 April, 1917 and sunk by the German U-boat SM UC-74, resulting in the tragic loss of 279 lives.
The Arcadian had just completed a boat drill when a single torpedo hit it between the bridge and the foremast and sank within six minutes. 1,058 people were rescued
The wreck was identified by the researcher Kostas Thoktaridis and his team southeast of Sifnos, at a depth of 163 meters. The wreck, which was located and identified using an underwater remote-operated vehicle (ROV), was reportedly discovered in excellent condition and is one of the most impressive wrecks in Greece as it is intact.
“It appears that the bow of the Arcadian initially landed on the bottom of the Aegean, with the result that the deformations of the plates are visible. Due to the length of the ship (152.4 m) and the depth of the sea area which is only 163 meters, the bow thrust helped to align the hull on the bottom,” Kostas Thoktaridis told the Athens Macedonia News Agency (AMNA).
Fact file
SS Arcadian was an ocean liner launched in Barrow-in-Furness in 1899 by Vickers, Sons & Maxim Ltd for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company as Ortona. She was renamed Arcadian when the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company acquired her in 1906. She was chartered for the Royal Navy in 1915
