 Aerial view of the wreck of theCaptayannis in 2023. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Greece | |
| Name | MVCaptayannis |
| Owner | M.& S.J. Paleocrassas Bros.,Piraeus, Greece |
| Port of registry | Piraeus |
| Builder | A/SNakskov Skibbs |
| Launched | 15 June 1946 asNorden[1] |
| Renamed | Captayannis, 1963 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5415212 |
| Fate | Sunk, 27 January 1974 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Merchant vessel |
| Tonnage | 4,576 GRT |
| Length | 396 ft (121 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 4 in (17.17 m) |
| Draught | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
TheCaptayannis was aGreek sugar-carrying vessel that sank in theFirth of Clyde,Scotland in 1974. Known as theSugar Boat locally.[2][3]
On the evening of 27 January 1974, a severe storm caused the 4,576 GRTCaptayannis to drag her anchor while she was waiting at theTail of the Bank to deliver sugar to theJames Watt Dock inGreenock.[2][4] Her captain ordered the engines to be started with the intention of running for the more sheltered waters of theGareloch but before she could be brought to power she drifted onto the taut anchor chains of theBPtankerBritish Light.[2] The tanker suffered no damage but her anchor chains holed the sugar boat below the waterline, allowing water to pour in.[5]
Captayannis's Captain Theodorakis Ionnis, realizing that water was flowing in so fast that she was in imminent danger of sinking, opted to beach her in the shallow waters over the sandbank and steered to the desired spot where she stuck fast.[6] The pilot boats, the tugLabrador and Clyde Marine Motoring's 20 metre passenger vesselRover came to assist. The vessel heeled over so far that it was possible for the crew to jump onto the deck of theRover.[6] 25 of the crew were taken ashore aboard theRover, but the Captain and four crewmen waited on theLabrador, standing off the stricken vessel. The ship finally succumbed the next morning, rolling onto her side.[6] She has lain there ever since.
The wreck has been looted extensively leaving just steel hull and superstructure. Some of the wooden decking remains in remarkably good condition after more than 50 years in the sea. The hull remains sound, though her thinner deck plates are starting to rust through with holes opening up in places. Through timeCaptayannis has become 'home' to marine life and birds. She has never been removed as confusion surrounds the identity of her owners and insurers – no one accepts responsibility for her removal. She is known to many locals simply as the "sugar boat".[6]
Boat Tours from Greenock are available.[7]
The wreck is a familiar sight near the Tail of the Bank and can be seen on satellite images.[8][9] The wreck is not to be confused with that of the French warshipMaillé Brézé which sank nearby in 1940,[10] but was later removed and cut up in Port Glasgow in 1956.
In June 2025 it was reported by the BBC[11] that recent harsh weather over the winter, includingStorm Éowyn, had accelerated the vessel's decline.
Media related toCaptayannis (ship, 1946) at Wikimedia Commons