Photos: Greek Divers Uncover Wreckage of Italian WWII Submarine in Aegean Sea

Eighty years ago an Italian submarine was sunk off the coast of Greece during World War II. In a recent interview with Reuters, Greek diver Kostas Thoctarides confirmed that he and his team members found the Italian submarine in November 2021.

Records indicate that 48 crew members were aboard when the submarine was hit by British torpedoes in July 1941. Only six sailors were able to swim to the Greek island of Delos, near Mykonos, after the blast.

Italy’s Naval History Office confirmed that the 80-year-old wreckage was in fact the Jantina, which was originally built for the Royal Italian Navy in the 1930s, and was used in the Spanish Civil War in support of Spanish Nationalists before its use in WWII.

“The wreck and the surrounding area was treated with respect as a wet grave,” wrote Thoctarides on Facebook.

The submerged vessel was discovered using the ROV Super Achilles, capturing detailed images of the wreckage. The submarine was found resting at a depth of more than 300 feet.

“Naval history is like a puzzle, and this is part of that puzzle,” Thoctarides told Reuters. “The confrontation of two submarines is a rare naval event.”

According to the diver, the Jantina was about 200 feet long with speeds of up to 14 knots (16 mph) and a maximum depth of about 262 feet.

This is the fourth submarine accredited to the findings of Thoctarides.