The oldest lighthouse in Greece - Its unknown story on the reef "Lefteris"

In the middle of the sea lies one of the most impressive lighthouses, considered to be the oldest to protect sailors, from the harshness of the sea, as the entire area is full of reefs and shallows that make navigation extremely dangerous.

The maritime route between southern Pelion and Skiathos, however simple as it may be, is just 2.5 miles wide, one of the most difficult crossings in the entire Aegean, and has been characterized as extremely dangerous since antiquity.

There, in the middle of the sea, lies one of the most impressive lighthouses, considered to be the oldest to protect sailors, from the harshness of the sea since the whole area is full of reefs and sinks that make navigation extremely dangerous. The most dangerous is the reef "Lefteris", on which the lighthouse is mounted.

The story of Lefteris unknown

For many, the story of "Lefteris" is unknown, but for the few who know it and the experts, the lighthouse of the canal is Xerxes's famous alley, as it is the most ancient lighthouse of mankind and the oldest of the Lighthouse. of Alexandria. There, the waters are really shallow, with water depths of 1-2 meters, in a 2.5 mile wide bay between Skiathos and Magnesia, nothing to risk. On the Skiathos side, it is the shallow "Elena" that make the passage impossible even for small boats that reach 2 meters deep.

According to Herodotus, the Persians lost many triremes when they descended on the Aegean and sought to conquer Ancient Greece during the failed second Persian invasion.

That is why Xerxes in 480 BC built an alley (tall tower), considered the oldest known security building in navigation, 250 years before the Alexandria lighthouse was built. In fact, dolomite was used for its construction from the mines of Sipiada in southern Pelion. Each piece of dolomite rock weighed up to half a ton, until the stone column was completed to prevent new shipwrecks. Parts of the fallen building were lifted by divers from the Navy in 1928 and are today in the courtyard of the Piraeus Naval Administration.

Reference point

In modern times, Alexander the Great, Alexandros Papadiamantis (1851-1911), wrote to the "Poor Saint" that "Lefteris occasionally liberated the ships of the burden of burden, and the navy of the precious burdens of life."

Speaking to RES-EIA, the mayor of Skiathos Theodoris Tzoumas, who was also president of the Cultural Association for many years, said that "the lighthouse on the reef Lefteris should be widely known for its importance and, above all, to be prominent. protection of navigation, which is still unknown to the general public. We aim to get in touch with the Maritime Administration so that we can intervene and make it a point of reference. "

Despite the lighthouse on the Boulevard between Pelion and Skiathos, the Lefteris reef has caused two more wrecks during the previous century, when in 1999 a 60-meter-long VERA freighter straddled the depths and its wreck lies at depths of 17 to 17 degrees. 28 meters, broken in two and easily accessible to divers.

The shipwreck

The other major shipwreck is that of the steamboat "Volos", which has been operating the Hamburg-Istanbul route for years. On February 21, 1931, at 8.14 in the evening, with bad weather, stormy sea and winds of 8 to 10 Beaufort, it fell on the reef "Lefteris".

Despite the considerable experience of the captain and the first officer in the Greek seas, the intensity of the storm and the strong currents resulted in the ship being stranded. They tried to send SOS but failed, although two ships passed by, until a storm repaired antenna allowed the SOS broadcast to crash and the Swedish ship "Bellos" arrived for help.

The next day the crew was transferred to the port of Volos, while the captain, first officer and chief engineer stayed on the ship for three more days to avoid any attempt by third parties to find it and seek rescue rights while the ship's rescue operation was in progress. ongoing.

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