THE SHIP OF HOPE
KYRENIA
The city of Kyrenia, capital of the district bearing the exact same name, is the smallest and most beautiful town on the island of Cyprus. Situated on the northern shores of the island, opposite the coast of Turkey, the district of Kyrenia has been inhabited from antiquity by Greeks from various origins and many of its towns and villages still bear their ancient names to the present day. Kyrenia is separated from the rest of Cyprus by the imposing mountain range of Pentadaktylos. Castles and fortresses that formed the island’s defense shield have fortified both Kyrenia and its mountain range since the Byzantine times. Both the city and the district of Kyrenia have been under Turkish occupation since 1974.
THE SHIPWRECK
In November 1965, while diving for sea-sponges, Andreas Kariolou, a Kyrenian diver, discovered at the bottom of the seabed off the coast of Chrysocava, which is situated half a mile east of the Kyrenia harbour, a Hellenistic shipwreck that sailed during the lifetime of Alexander the Great.
Between 1967 and 1973, a team of fifty-four archaeologists, divers and other scientists, under the guidance of Professor Michael Katzev of the University of Pennsylvania, lifted this unique archaeological treasure from the seabed, which proved to be the best preserved shipwreck in the world with more than 60% of its hull remaining intact.
After raising the wreck, which was done by breaking it up into smaller pieces each undergoing a particular conservation process, the ship was reconstructed by Professor Richard Steffy of the University of Texas and was put on display in the Castle of Kyrenia where it still lies today, imprisoned and estranged from its fellow Kyrenians.
THE SHIP’S AGE, BUILT AND CARGO
This relatively small merchant ship, measuring just 15 meters long, was constructed using Aleppo pine timber felled in around the year 389B.C. as was established by the “Carbon-14” dating method. It was estimated that the freshly harvested almonds she was carrying when she sank were collected around the year 289B.C., which leads us to believe that the ship was a relatively old ship that must have been in operation for more than 80 years before she sank, even though she underwent at least 2-3 major repairs.
The ancient ship was constructed using the only method used in shipbuilding in those times known as the “shell first method” that involved the building-up of the planks first, in contrast to the technique used in modern wooden shipbuilding, where, after laying the keel, the frames are placed first.
She carried on board 400 mostly Rhodian wine amphorae, as well as some from the island of Samos and from Palestine, and 29 millstones from the island of Nisyros. Other findings included four sets of domestic utensils (plates, saucers, drinking cups, oil jugs, sieves and traces of wooden spoons) indicating a crew of four, 5 copper coins dating from the period of Demetrius the Conqueror (306B.C.), a cargo of 10,000 almonds which had probably just been collected from Cyprus and remnants of foods such as lentils, figs, grapes and olives.
The fact that no traces of precious or personal belongings were found on the wreck together with the discovery of iron spearheads underneath the hull and embedded in the sides of the ship led to the suspicion that the ship had been attacked by pirates although other theories why the ship had sunk include the shifting of its cargo due to rough seas.
“KYRENIA II”
In 1985, with the initiative of Mr. Harry Tzallaqw, President of the Hellenic Institute for the Preservation of Nautical Tradition, and with the help of Professors Katzev and Steffy, an exact replica of the ancient Kyrenia ship, appropriately named “Kyrenia II”, was built in Perama, Greece, using the same methods applied by ancient shipwrights.
Kyrenia II and its crew that included several Kyrenian citizens, has travelled the world over (New York, Seville, Hamburg, Japan, etc. as Cyprus’ and Greece’s ambassador of history and culture at sea and became a beacon of hope for Kyrenians as regards the return to their homeland.
Kyrenia II’s construction method and its wear and tear due to age currently prevent the ship from continuing its mission to sail the seas. It will, however, continue to serve our culture as an exhibit in the “Thalassa” museum in Ayia Napa, Cyprus.
KYRENIA CHRYSOCAVA CULTURAL FOUNDATION
In 2002, a team of Kyrenians sharing the same vision and adopting the efforts of a few members of the Kyrenia Nautical Club founded the Kyrenia Chrysocava Cultural Foundation. The name Chrysocava carries a momentous and historical importance, as it was an ancient chapel on a rocky shore just across from the location that the shipwreck was found. The Foundation’s objectives, apart from building another ship replica of the ancient Kyrenia prototype, include among others a number of scientific, research, archaeological, educational, cultural, environmental and athletic aims, all of which are related to Kyrenia and the sea in general.
“KYRENIA-LIBERTY”
The new replica was built with modern wooden shipbuilding techniques and the “Charalambos Avgousti & Sons” shipyard in Limassol Cyprus, with financing from the Cyprus Government,
KEDKE (Central Committee of Municipalities and Local Authorities of Greece), Nautical and others.
The launching ceremony took place on the 10th of November 2002 with primary benefactors the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Glafkos Clerides and the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Costis Stephanopoulos and Mrs. Tasoula Kariolou, wife of the ever-remembered Kyrenian diver Andreas Kariolou, in the presence of thousands of bystanders.
The new ship was given the name “Kyrenia-Liberty” representing the desire of all Kyrenians to return to their beloved city of Kyrenia and enjoy their fathers’ lands without any restraint.
THE FOUNDATION’S ACTIVITIES
Despite the relatively short time span since the founding of Kyrenia Chrysocava Cultural Foundation, it has achieved numerous remarkable accomplishments, including among others the following:
- Gathering money for the construction of Kyrenia-Liberty.
- Training of Kyrenia-Liberty’s crew members.
- Co-operating with foreign universities to carry out numerous scientific and research programs.
- Performing educational presentations in primary and secondary schools as well as the University of Cyprus and several other interested parties.
- Collaborating with a number of television channels (Finland’s, Germany’s ZDF, Italy’s RAI).
- Entertaining foreign officials on board Kyrenia-Liberty.
- Creating 400 Rhodian amphorae and attempting experimental loading and storing of the amphorae on board Kyrenia-Liberty.
- Combining forces with American oceanographic research organizations NAUTICAL and SEAWORD for the raising of a Hellenistic shipwreck that was found at a depth of 3000 meters off the coast of Paphos, and others.
AUTONOMOUS TRIP TO GREECE
Another major activity planned by the Foundation on the occasion of the Athens Olympic Games was the completion by Kyrenia-Liberty of an autonomous and strictly scientific trip to Greece, on which it carried symbolic gifts from the cities of Cyprus and the islands she visited on the Aegean Sea to the municipality of Athens, organizer of the Olympic Games.
Departing from the port of ancient Amathounta in Cyprus on April 17th, 2004, and after visiting the city of Paphos and 11 islands of the Aegean, Kyrenia-Liberty arrived in the port of Piraeus on May 15th, 2004. Reception festivities were organized in association with KEDKE in every port she docked, with the celebrations reaching their zenith in Piraeus and Athens where the symbolic gifts she was carrying were presented to the city of Athens in an exclusive ceremony.
In addition to the numerous archaeological nautical experiments that were performed during her voyage, the trip that turned into a Pan-Hellenic cultural festival, proved above all, that Kyrenia-Liberty could carry out its autonomous trip from Cyprus to Greece. At the same time, her symbolic name helped to enlighten the international community about Cyprus’ political problem and conveyed the undying desire of Kyrenians for the return to their homeland and final vindication of their basic human rights.