Maritime history · Kalafatis Bay · Mykonos
Anna IIA final tow through the storm.
The documented final voyage of the cargo vessel Anna II—caught in a Beaufort 8 northerly while carrying cement to Samos, abandoned only after every member of her eight-person crew had been brought to safety.
Research by Manolis Bardanis · 2010
Beaufort 8 · Mykonos · Aegean Sea0.7 NM from Kalafatis Bay
Construction · final voyage · wreck
The voyage unfinishedthe crew brought safely home.
Built in the Netherlands and known by four names during almost three decades at sea, Anna II ended her final passage within sight of Kalafatis Bay—but not before every person aboard had been rescued.
From Knud Sif to Anna II
Construction began on 4 May 1966 at the Bodewes shipyard of Fa Hijlkema & Zonen in Martenshoek, the Netherlands. Hull number 587 entered the water on 7 July as Knud Sif, built for I/S Knud Sif of Copenhagen.
Over the years the vessel changed ownership and identity. She became Rosa in 1987, Pola in 1992 and finally Anna II under Poseidon III. Registered in Piraeus under number 9988, she measured 62 metres, carried 1,058 tonnes deadweight and was powered by a 750 BHP Atlas MAK engine.
The last passage
At approximately 11:50 on 19 July 1995, Anna II sailed with 1,232 metric tonnes of cement bound for Samos. A strong northerly was sweeping the central Aegean. By 23:30, roughly seven nautical miles north of eastern Mykonos, the ship had developed a dangerous list to starboard in Beaufort 8 conditions.
A distress message brought vessels toward her position. The tug Leon 1, the fishing vessel Maria II and the passenger ferry Samaina arrived during the early hours of 20 July. Attempts to establish a tow could not overcome the worsening list and heavy sea.
Eight lives before the ship
At around 04:00, with the vessel no longer recoverable, all eight members of the crew abandoned Anna II and were taken safely aboard Maria II. The rescue placed human life ahead of cargo and ship—an important conclusion to a night fought against wind, darkness and the rolling Aegean.
At approximately 06:00, Anna II disappeared beneath the surface just 0.7 nautical miles from Kalafatis Bay. The cement she had been carrying toward Samos never reached its destination.
The wreck today
Anna II lies intact on her starboard side on a sloping sandy seabed. The stern rests at approximately 21 metres while the bow reaches about 36 metres. Her propeller remains in place, and the bridge and wheelhouse retain much of their form, although equipment has been removed over time.
The wreck preserves the outline of a working cargo vessel and the physical record of her final hours. From her Dutch launch as Knud Sif to her loss off Mykonos nearly thirty years later, Anna II remains a distinct chapter in the maritime history of the Aegean.
