Karpathos Shipwreck

Location: Makris Gialos

On the southeastern coast of Karpathos, on a remote promontory close to Karpathos airport, there is a series of small rocky beaches. One of them, known as Likki or Papa Sakelli Beach, is best known for the shipwreck of a Turkish merchant ship, Gemar I, which has been lying there since 1982.

Gemar I measured 57.6 meters in length and was on its way to Italy, when, on the night of November 16, 1982, it ran aground near the coast of Karpathos. Ever since, the winds and the sea have been gradually eating it away, so that a few rusty pieces of iron are all that remain today.

Characterized by rugged cliffs, the barren Cape Likki is completely secluded, with just a few dirt roads. As the land belongs to Karpathos airport, which is also a military airbase, access to it has been cut off, and the shipwreck cannot be approached in any way. It is also not recommended to get there by boat, as the sea at that place is very shallow and filled with dangerous rocks.