Greek submarine Papanikolis, 1926 Katsonis-class submarine
Greek submarine Papanikolis is a preserved conning tower from the Schneider-Laubeuf class displayed in the forecourt of the Maritime Museum at Marina Zeas harbor in Piraeus. The tower shows the characteristic shape of military submarines from the interwar period and offers a view of the construction built at the shipyards of Nantes between 1925 and 1927.
The vessel entered service on December 21, 1927 and completed 14 war patrols during the Second World War under Lieutenant Commander Miltiadis Iatridis. After Greece was liberated in October 1944 it returned home, but was decommissioned in 1945 because its mechanics and design no longer met modern requirements.
The name honors Dimitrios Papanikolis, a Greek sailor from the Independence war who became known for using a fireship to destroy an Ottoman vessel. The conning tower now stands before the Maritime Museum, showing visitors how these military vessels looked and the role they played during the Second World War.
The conning tower stands outdoors and is visible from the outside at all times, allowing visitors to walk by and observe the structure. Marina Zeas harbor is reachable on foot or by public transport from central Piraeus, and the museum sits close to the waterfront.
During the war, reports circulated that the vessel had sunk two large Italian troop carriers, but only two smaller ships from 1940 are officially confirmed. These stories were spread as propaganda to boost morale at home and remain part of the narratives surrounding the vessel today.
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