Mai 1974. The Kyrenia shipwreck

One of the most celebrated wrecks of the Mediterranean took place at the end of the 4th c. BC about 1 km from the port of Kyrenia in Cyprus. On the seabed, at a depth of 30 meters, the sand and mud had covered the wreck. A few amphoras were still visible, however, and this was spotted by a local diver, Andreas Kariolos, in 1967. The ship was carrying a cargo of wine from Rhodes and Chios, oil from Samos, and almonds. The importance of this marine archaeological site lies less in the cargo the ship was carrying and more in the actual vessel itself: roughly three quarters of the hull, measuring some 14 meters in length, was preserved in the seabed.

Nikos Tsouchlos’ photographic expedition

Nikos Tsouchlos was a man driven by insatiable curiosity and the will to explore, to discover new people, new places, new experiences.

Marine archaeology was his great love. It was only a matter of time before he too went to Kyrenia to see the conservation work being carried out on this major marine archaeological find. Time was running out, however: just two months after his visit in May 1974, northern Cyprus was invaded and occupied by Turkish forces. He photographed the Crusaders’ Castle of Kyrenia and the ancient hull which, lifted from the seabed nearby, was undergoing conservation work. His photographs thus provide a unique record of this new phase in the life of this remarkable boat.

These photographs remained in the archive of Nikos Tsouchlos, kept neatly in their folder, until a new development took place:

In 2001, he mentioned to the HIMA committee that he had these photos in his possession and wished to publish them in a volume dedicated to his visit to the site of Kyrenia back in 1974. He tried to communicate with the director of the excavation, Michael Katzev, to let the latter know of his plan to publish the photographic material. Katzev unfortunately died shortly afterwards, before granting official permission to Nikos to go ahead with the publication. Nikos then continued work on the volume, intending to acquire publication rights via Katzev’s widow. But fate had it that Nikos too would not live to see his volume published.

The Kyrenia ΙΙ ship

In 1982, Haris Tzalas, chairman of the Hellenic Institute for the Preservation of Nautical Tradition, suggested to Professor Michael Katzev that they attempt to make a full-scale replica of the ancient vessel. Katzev gladly accepted the proposal, and thus began a major naval archaeological reconstruction project.

The American Institute of Nautical Archaeology and naval architect Richard Steffy, who had reassembled the ancient hull, recreated the original plans of the boat and provided scientific supervision, and in November 1982 construction of the Kyrenia II merchant vessel began at the boatyard of Manolis Psaros in Perama, Greece, using period tools and materials.

Kyrenia II was launched in June 1985 by the Greek minister of culture, Melina Merkouri. In September 1986, it set out on its maiden voyage from Zea to Cyprus, covering the distance in 25 days.

The return voyage took place in April 1987, and this time lasted 19 days. Throughout the voyage, Greek archaeologists and foreign observers recorded every detail of the boat’s performance at sea.

Kyrenia II took part in various events in Greece and abroad, such as New York in 1986, Osaka in 1988, and Hamburg, representing both Greece and Cyprus.

Today the ship is housed in a museum built for the purpose by the Pieridis Foundation at Agia Napa, Cyprus.