Dimitrios shipwreck at Valtaki

What it is

The Dimitrios is a rusting cargo ship stranded in the sand of Valtaki beach, about 5 km from the port of Gytheio, on the Gulf of Laconia. It has been there since 23 December 1981. It is one of the most photographed sights in the south of the Peloponnese: the tilted hull, red with rust, on an easily reached sandy beach. The stop is short and free, and fits into any day around Gytheio or on the way to Mani.

The ship's story

It was a small cargo ship, 67 m long and 965 gross register tons, built in Denmark in 1950 under the name Klintholm and later registered in Piraeus as Dimitrios.

Many rumours surround its end. The most repeated says it was used to smuggle tobacco between Turkey and Italy, that it was seized at Gytheio, deliberately cast loose so the sea would drag it away and then burned to destroy evidence. Another, less common, speaks of a ghost ship of unknown origin.

The documented version is less novelistic. According to the book by former Greek Coast Guard chief Christos Dounis on shipwrecks in Greek waters, the ship put into Gytheio in an emergency on 4 December 1980 because its captain was seriously ill. Then came financial problems with the crew, engine breakdowns and seizures. In June 1981 it was declared unsafe and the authorities asked for it to be taken out of the port. On 9 November 1981 a storm dragged it about two miles; it was anchored provisionally, but the sea carried it off again and on 23 December it ran aground where it now lies. Nobody tried to recover it.

Getting there and parking

Valtaki is on the coast of the Gulf of Laconia, near Gytheio, about 5 km from the port. By car you can reach the beach itself: it is one of the reasons it is so visited. Park beside the sand, without blocking the track. If you come from Mani via Areopoli, Gytheio is 27 km and about 35 minutes away; the Gytheio KTEL station has buses to Sparta and Athens, but to reach the beach the practical option is the car.

What to do there

See the ship from the sand, photograph it and, in season, have a swim. The beach is sandy and enters the water gently, good for children. Morning and evening light bring out the best colour in the rust; at midday the sun is flat and hot. Allow half an hour to an hour.

Safety

Do not climb on the hull or go inside it. It is rusted scrap after more than forty years at sea, with loose plates and sharp edges, and it is deteriorating. Do not swim right next to it either: there may be debris underwater.

When to go

All year; the ship does not move. For swimming, June to September. In August there are more people; outside summer it is a quiet place.

Combine it

If you sleep at Mavrovouni beach, the Gythion Bay Camping and the Camping Meltemi are south of Gytheio, a few minutes by car. Fill up at the Gytheio petrol stations before crossing into Mani: from there you continue to Areopoli and the Diros caves.