The Monument of the Hand - Chania, Crete, Greece - Disaster Memorials on Waymarking.com

The SS Heraklion memorial is known as "The Monument of the Hand". It features a bronze hand reaching up to the sky against a background of some angled metal shapes representing the bow of a ship sinking beneath the waves.

The sculpture is a memorial to victims of the 1966 SS Heraklion ferry that sank between Chania and Piraeus on December 8, 1966 near the uninhabited Falkonera Island. The ferry sank under extreme weather conditions with winds blowing at Force 9 on the Beaufort scale. Although the exact number of passengers who died is unknown, records suggest around 200 people drowned. The number could be even higher since it was common for people to board ferries and purchase their tickets on board.

The memorial was installed in September 1990. A plaque on the sculpture is inscribed in Greek letters. The first fours lines contains the dedication. They translate to:

The monument was built up
in the memory of the Victims
to the wreck of the S.S. HERAKLION
near Falkonera at 8-12-66

Disaster Date: 12/08/1966 Date of dedication: 09/15/1990 Memorial Sponsors: City of Chania Disaster Type: Natural Relevant Website: [Web Link] Parking Coordinates: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log   07/09/2023 endeavour3 visited it 05/18/2023 Rymyhomie visited it

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