Dimitrios P., Shipwreck on Imeri Gramvousa, Crete, Greece

Dimitrios P. is a shipwreck resting on Valtaki Beach near Gythio, in the southern Peloponnese of Greece. The rusted hull of the old cargo ship lies partly on the sand and partly in the water, and its full outline is still visible from the shore.

The ship was built on 7 July 1921 as Pentelikon for HAPAG at the shipyard in Lübeck-Siems. It changed owners and names several times: Birgit in 1922, taken over by Norddeutscher Lloyd in 1928, ceded to Greece as Amfipolis in 1946, sold as Evangelia in 1955 and renamed Dimitrios P in 1957. On 8 January 1968 it ran aground in a bay of Imeri Gramvousa during a heavy storm it had tried to ride out there.

The wreck lies in a bay on Imeri Gramvousa, northwest of Crete, and is reached by boat trips from the Gramvousa area; there is no road access to the islet. Landing depends on sea conditions, and the rusted hull should be viewed from a distance rather than boarded.

Despite its reputation as a ghost ship, the real story behind the wreck is far more ordinary, rooted in a captain's illness, unpaid debts, and a storm. The beach where it rests is also a nesting area for sea turtles, which adds a layer of natural interest to the site.