My Greece/Turkey cruise in 1987 was aboard the Oceanos which was was built in 1952. Little did I know that it would become famous a mere 4 years after I sailed on it. Highlights for this itinerary were the Greek Islands of course and spending the day zipping around Rhodes on a scooter. Plus the day visiting Ephesus in Turkey was amazing, the ruins that they have uncovered were jaw dropping.
How the ship became famous was that it sank off the coast of South Africa on Aug 4th, 1991 All 571 onboard were saved but Captain Yiannis Avranas was accused by the passengers of leaving them behind with no one other than the ship’s onboard entertainers to help them evacuate. Avranas claimed that he left the ship first to arrange for a rescue effort, and then supervised the rescue from a helicopter. A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster.
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