Watch the Rediscovery of the Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM79 Wreck Near Poros Island

In March 2014, a significant discovery was made by a diving group led by Antonis Grafas. They revisited the site of an Italian aircraft wreck, the Savoia-Marchetti SM79 “Sparviero,” which had been initially found by diver Noulis Spurlakos a few years earlier. The aircraft was located at a depth of 59 meters off the southeast coast of Poros Island in Greece. Although the plane had been identified as a Savoia-Marchetti in 2011 by a team of divers including Giorgos Karelas, the exact position of the wreck was not well established until Grafas’s group took further action.

Detailed Documentation of the SM79 Wreck

Grafas and his team conducted several dives in the area to pinpoint the wreck’s location. They succeeded in locating, photographing, and filming the SM79, providing detailed documentation of the find. This effort was crucial in understanding more about the wreck and its historical context.

The Savoia-Marchetti SM79 was a torpedo bomber used by the Italian Air Force during World War II. The aircraft was involved in a significant operation on August 5, 1944, as recorded in the German Admiralty’s war diary of the Aegean. According to the diary, on this date, a German Ju 88 bomber was escorting Italian torpedo bombers to attack a convoy that had already been targeted by German forces near Benghazi.

Mission Details and Impact of the August 5, 1944 Attack

From the eight SM79 aircraft that took off for the mission, three managed to locate and strike the convoy with torpedoes. The attack resulted in the sinking of a 7,000-ton cargo ship and two other vessels. The convoy was heavily damaged, and the report noted three strong explosions as a result of the strikes. The enemy’s response was limited, with only a few anti-aircraft rounds fired. The attack occurred at midnight, and the aircraft returned to their base in Maleme, Crete, at 1:50 a.m. on August 5, 1944. One of the planes, unfortunately, crashed near Cape Spatha in Crete during its return flight.

The rediscovery of the SM79 wreck is not only a significant event for historical research but also provides a visual connection to the past. The wreckage, now captured in photographs and videos, offers valuable insights into the operational history of the Italian Air Force and their activities in the Mediterranean theater of World War II.

Watch the video below: