Dive | The Byron E. Riginos Blog

Athens, 31^st January 2022: or about the Ballroom of the Vampires 🧛🧛‍♀️🧛‍♂️ No. 2

1. <This is an outline for a fictional script>

I woke up today with a vivid dream in my mind. I have elaborated a little from the basic plot…

A. The Plot

i. An old retired businessman, plus amateur shipwreck diver, suffering from Parkinson’s disease is enjoying his aperitifs on an August sunset at the terrace of his French neighbor’s house and in the good company of Patrick de Guignol; his terrace features a wonderful 180 degrees uninterrupted view of the Koundouros Bay and the reef of Makriopounda where below lies Byron’s favorite shipwreck of S.S. PATRIS. A historic paddle wheeler of the 1860’s scattered around the sandy bottom at a depth of -50 meters, whilst the 1/3 fore section of the steel hull is hanging on it’s anchor chain on the outer slope of the reef at -35 meters.

A schematic rendering of the S.S. PATRIS shipwreck.

A.1 The Invention

ii. During such an idyllic set and storytelling of expeditions of the past, a revelation strikes the Oldimer’s mind of Byron, the hero and protagonist of this story…

iii. It’s about an invention by which a modified strong search light-or telescope, can penetrate into the depths of the seas exceeding 200 meters of depth and from a surface distance ranging from 1 to 10 Kilometers depending on the prevailing weather conditions and the focal length of the attached iPhone.

iv. During as the discussion heats-up, the Frenchman, with experience as a former Vice President of Global Business Partners, proposes to his guest emeritus to immediately form an Elderly Wise Men Task Force [1] aiming to exploit such a formidable idea.

2. The profile of BYRON aka BYRON66 or “Sbobyr the Laborer”

Through successful IP tracing, it has been revealed that a 72-year Byron66 is a talented multi tasked old-timer from Kifissia, Athens, Greece, who recently has officially moved residence to KATEBATH, Koundouros, Kéa, Cyclades, GreeceThrough successful IP tracing, it has been revealed that a 72-year Byron66 is a talented multi tasked old-timer from Kifissia, Athens, Greece, who recently has officially moved residence to KATEBATH, Koundouros, Kéa, Cyclades, Greece

When he participated in the formidable Kea Dive Expedition which occurred in June 1998 at his second hometown, he was a young adult aged 46. The bitter experience of losing his father in November 4th, 1974, a successful businessman representing for many years on an exclusive basis the formidable U.S. conglomerate of General Electric Corp.; the difficulties encountered by his mother to survive after becoming a widow, plus a failed first marriage in 1975, scarred the psyche of the young adult. Although he excelled in school and became a talented CEO of a pioneering Automatic Identification Company in Greece, he also pursued various of his beloved hobbies. Such as sailing ⛵️, Classic Cars Collecting, water-skiing, Diving & Underwater photography, and rich social activities often including a good cause 🙏😇🤩

3. Few other Key Players

An Italian Engineer [Luciano] who had worked for many years with a High Tech multinational company and had served time managing its subsidiary in Kobe, Japan at the period of the great earthquake. He often revisits Japan and maintains close contacts with his old colleagues. In addition, his son aged 44, is the owner-manager of a successful web development company based in Bologna.
A Greek-American [Spyros] who was the founder of a specialist IT company in Athens, an ex IBM associate with many connections in the High-Tech sector inside and outside of Greece.
In addition, one of his close friends, resident of Washington D.C., with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, now retired, was developing specialized s/w and managing the final tests of launched Communications Satellites before becoming operational.
The Technical Diver and multi-talented close friend, Dimitris Galon.
Dimitris was born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1958. He lived for many years in Athens, Greece, and since 1984 he lives permanently in the Federal Republic of Germany. He studied historic and comparative Musicology, Informatics, Philosophy, Byzantinology and Ethnology at the Universities of Cologne, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. He worked in the Ethnographic Museum and the City University of Hamburg, and since 1994 is the editor of the international publishing house, Sikorski. At the same time he deals with various issues of the marine history of the Eastern Mediterranean region. His articles have been published in the Greek magazines Efoplistis, Naftiki Epitheorisi, Greek Diver and Aiginea, in the German magazine Zenith and also in the Greek news portal www.protagon.gr.
Dimitris lives and works in Hamburg, Germany, and is member of the German Historisches Marinearchiv.

To be continued 👌

An important discovery came to light by a group of Greek amateur divers, that of a Junkers airplane, during an exploration mission from May 27th to June 2nd 2009 off the St. Niccolo Bay in Kea island, Cyclades, Greece.

This three engined Junkers 52 was a WW II German Luftwaffe transport aircraft, also affectionately known as “Tante Ju”, which has been resting intact since September 6th 1943 (i.e. for 66 year’s) at a depth of about -67 meters, in the clear blue Aegean waters.

Fore section of the Ju 52 fuselage, with the port side engine and propeller visible. (Copyright D. Galon and the Burdigala Project Team).

Ju 52 fully restored in Belgium. (Source: Joss

A Ju 52 fully restored preserved at the Brussels Air Museum in Belgium (ex OO-AGU). Copyright Radu Dobrescu - Ro Spotters.

The aircraft lays upright on sandy bottom with a south-west axis while the deepest point is at -68 meters; her condition is impeccable. There is no break at any point, nor missing of any part. She was powered by three BMW Type 132 (nine cylindered) engines of 660 HP each, propelling the 1930’s designed aeroplane to a maximum (quite slow) speed of 160 knots/290 kilometers per hour. Her autonomy was about 650 miles/1,200 km and could climb to a maximum flight altitude of about 20,600 Feet/6,300 meters. Her nasal (centrally positioned) engine is tilting downwards toward the seabed but still remains attached to the fuselage.

The central BMW Typ132 9-cylinder engine tilts downwards toward the sea bed. The pilots cockpit is frequented by fish. (KFB Collection).

The nasal BMW "Type 132" 9-cylinder engine tilts downwards toward the sea bed. The pilot's cockpit is frequented by an assortment of fish. (Copyright D. Galon and the Burdigala Project Team).

This version of Ju 52 (possibly a 3m/g7e model) with Werk Nr. 6590 belonging to S 1/TG 4, (Squadron 1/Transport Group 4, based in Kalamaki, i.e. the old Hellenikon airfield later Athens airport) was armored, carrying an MG 15, 7,92 mm caliber machine gun positioned at the upper part of the fuselage where also there is a big size cargo hatch opening, its lid fallen by the port side to the bottom. Probably the passengers escaped through this hatch after ditching the airplane into the sea, due to fuel starvation problems, as reported by a rescuing Dornier Do-24.

The MG-7 machine gun at the aft section of the fuselage, seated on a gyroscopic base; the small gunners windscreen is also evident.

The MG-15 machine gun at the aft section of the fuselage, seated on a gyroscopic base; the small gunner's windscreen is also evident. (Copyright D. Galon and the Burdigala Project Team).

The MG 15, a 7.92 mm machine gun, was the main weapon of the Junkers 52 of Kea (B-Stand). (KFB Collection).

In the cockpit, the starboard side steering column is visible between the pilot seat and flight instrument panel. (Copyright D. Galon and the Burdigala Project Team).

View of the main cabin area of the aircraft. The cockpit entrance is visible and by its side the seat of the radio operator station. (Copyright D. Galon and the Burdigala Project Team).

A WW II Luftwaffe period Ju 52. (Source: http://www.ju52-3m.ch).

A Ju 52/3m flight from 1./KGr.zbV. 600 over the Mediterranean Sea, in 1943. (Source: Stof's Ju52/3m Page).

Ju 52 three-view drawing. (Source http://www.aviastar.org/air/germany/ju-52.php).

Junkers Ju52-3m/g7e with roof cargo door & cannon. Looks same as the Kea Ju 52. (Source: http://www.junkers.de.vu).

The instrument panel of the cockpit. (Copyright D. Galon and the Burdigala Project Team).

Restored Ju52 cockpit (Copyright: Andreas Mueller - Spotterteam Graz)

A restored cockpit of Ju-52. Image copyright by Andreas Mueller - Spotterteam Graz.

It is interesting to note that in February 2009 the 150 years anniversary from the birth of Prof. Hugo Junkers, was celebrated. He was designer, inventor and founder of the Junkers Flugzeug-und Motorenwerke, AG, which was a major German aircraft manufacturer. The company produced some of the world’s most innovative and best-known airplanes over the course of its fifty-plus year history in Dessau, Germany. It was founded there in 1895 by Hugo Junkers, initially manufacturing boilers and radiators. After World War I the company switched to manufacturing airplanes. During World War II the company produced some of the most successful Luftwaffe planes, as well as piston and jet aircraft engines, albeit in the absence of its founder, who by then had been removed by the Nazis.

For further readings on the Junkers aircrafts and the famous Ju 52 three engined multi purpose aircraft model, click this Link’s assortment page: http://hugojunkers.pytalhost.com/ju_tenth_a41.htm

A 1930s collage of Junkers Co. advertising, showing the companys diverse interests. (Source: www.junkers.de).

A 1930's collage of Junkers Co. advertising, showing the company's diverse manufacturing interests. (Source: http://www.junkers.de).

See also a short video from the discovering dive expedition of late May 2009:

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