Each year on April 15, hundreds of different stories are related about the most famous maritime tragedy in modern history. It was on this day in 1912 that the Titanic, the largest British passenger liner ever constructed, sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.
Of
the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died,
making it one of modern history’s deadliest commercial marine disasters
during peacetime.
Another story, certainly less well-known and
without the glamour of the world-famous film adaptations, is the tale of
four Greek men whose fate is forever intertwined with that of the giant
ship. They were the only Greek passengers to ever sail on the Titanic.
Panagiotis
Lymberopoulos, Vassilios Katavelos, Apostolos Chronopoulos and
Demetrios Chronopoulos all came from the same village, Agios Sostis in
the Messinia region. The last two men were brothers.
Like many of
the passengers, the four friends were young – the oldest one was only 33
years old – and they wanted to go to America in search of a better
life. Tragically, their dreams, like those of so many others who
perished on that starry night, never came true.
They all died in the most famous shipwreck in maritime history, and the bodies of the two brothers have never been found.
The
bow of the wrecked RMS Titanic, as it rests on the ocean floor at a
depth of more than 15,000 feet (4600 meters). Photographed in June 2004.
Source: Wikipedia
Lymberopoulos was the owner
of a small factory in New York who had traveled back to Greece to visit
his homeland for his son’s baptism. Despite his wife’s warning, he
decided to return to America after the baptism — and he took the
Chronopoulos brothers with him.
Lymberopoulos was the only one who
managed to be on one of the lifeboats since his knowledge of English
helped him find his way to the deck. However, the lifeboat he was on was
never found. The tragedy of his death was compounded by the fact that
he had changed his ticket, along with Katavelos, just so the four could
travel together on the Titanic.
A small memorial erected outside
the local church in their village in Messinia serves as the only
memorial their families will ever have of the men. It is also a small
piece of the history of the Titanic disaster, and an eternal reminder of
the unforgiving sea.
The international music industry finally seemed to take its first notice of Greece during the turbulent decade of the 1960’s. International singers gave new, modern twists to the unique melodies of the country, while portraying an image of Greece as a sunny Mediterranean country with open-hearted, smiling, hospitable people who enjoyed life to the fullest. This decade, known as one of the most prolific eras of popular music, marks the first time […]
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