SS Heraklion [SEP] manufacturer
SS Heraklion
The SS "Heraklion" (sometimes spelled out in books as the "Iraklion") was a car ferry operating the lines Piraeus – Chania and Piraeus – Irakleio between 1965 and 1966. The ship capsized and sank on 8 December 1966 in the Aegean Sea, resulting in the death of over 200 people.
Background.
SS "Heraklion was built as the SS "Leicestershire by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Glasgow in 1949, for the Bibby Line to operate the UK to Burma route. She
. Winter capacity was 35 trucks with an average weight of 10 tons. SS "Heraklion" had her last survey on 29 June 1966.
Sinking.
At 20:00 of 7 December 1966, and under extreme weather conditions, with winds blowing at Force 9 on the Beaufort scale, the "Heraklion" sailed from Souda Bay, Crete for Piraeus, after a two-hour delay, allegedly in order to embark a refrigerator truck that according to most accounts contributed to the sinking. Nowadays, passenger ships operating in Greek