Express Samina: It was September 26, 2000 when fate decided that the passenger ferry ’66, ready to be withdrawn from service, would remain forever at the bottom of the Aegean Sea, dragging 81 innocent souls to their deaths.
A number that would be much higher if on the same night in the Piraeus the 19-year-old was not boarding Vassilis Rahoutis. Or in other words, the child who was destined to go down in history as «Infantry soldier Vassilis Rahoutis, the ”invisible” hero of the fatal shipwreck off Paros».
The «Samina Express» starts from the port of Piraeus on the evening of 26th ofof September to operate the route Piraeus - Paros - Ikaria - Samos - Fournoi. According to the minutes - because information indicates a much larger number - it is carrying 447 passengers and 64 crew members, including 21 soldiers returning to Samos from leave. A detail that would shortly afterwards prove to be a lifesaver.
The story from this point is more than familiar. The news of the wreck of the «Express Samina» is a tragic memory for every Greek who experienced those moments either as a castaway or as a relative of the people who found themselves at the mercy of the criminal lack of professionalism and the unacceptable indifference of most of the crew.
The beginning of the end begins shortly after ten o'clock at night, when the «Express Samina», sailing with the use of an autopilot in winds of 8 Beaufort (!), deviates from its course and hits the rocky islet complex known as «Portes», two nautical miles from the port of Paros, at a speed of 18 knots. The damage to the ship's hull is much greater than originally believed and reported to the media by the Ministry of Merchant Marine.
The crew fails to close all watertight doors, resulting in rushing water flooding the ship within minutes. As soon as it tilted to starboard, everything was over.
The sinking had begun. Until the last moment, however, the officials asked the passengers to stay on board as «there was no danger at all»!
And there was no end to the misfortunes.
The water caused immediate damage to the electrical system, leaving passengers struggling to save themselves without even seeing. The backup generator didn't work either.
Shouts, cries, desperate attempts to communicate with relatives and friends and a dramatic lack of interest on the part of the crew in the situation that prevailed, made up the embarrassing picture of the end of the «Express Samina».
By now, the channels had been informed of what was happening and the Ministry was forced to admit defeat, mobilizing the Paros Port Authority to rush to help. In addition to the Coast Guard boats and British warships on exercise, even the island's fishermen arrived at the scene to retrieve as many shipwrecked people as they could.
Many of the passengers ended up in the rough waters before the ship sank in an attempt to save themselves.
In less than 25 minutes - some say as little as 15 - the ship had sunk and more than 500 people found themselves struggling with the waves.
However, the 21 soldiers returning to Samos were not among them. They had a much more difficult mission. And indeed, dozens of passengers owed their lives to them.
The only name that is remembered to this day is that of the Infantry soldier Vassilis Rahoutis from Fthiotida, who paid with his life for his refusal to leave the ship early and board the first available boat - one of the few that existed.
As soon as the collision became known, his father pleaded with him to get off the ship and try to save his life. Which the 19-year-old did not do. This was because he considered himself «stronger» than the women and children who were at the mercy of the waves.
Vassilis was lost trying to save an infant, having first helped his mother to ensure her own salvation. The baby was saved, but he was not. He drowned on the night of the 26th.of September, having first managed, together with the rest of the soldiers, to save the lives of dozens of passengers.
The responsibilities? Many. But no one has been found to take them on. After the tragedy of the loss of 81 people, crew members blamed each other for fatal errors and omissions. From the captain to the lieutenant and from the engine room officers to... the helmsman who disobeyed the command of the hand that would likely save the ship from its horrible fate, survivors and relatives of the victims spent years seeking justice.
Whose responsibility was it after all? The crew, the shipowner? The government? Maybe they were all to blame, each in their own way. A typical example is that of the lieutenant who - always according to testimonies - was watching the «Panathinaikos - Hamburg» Champions League match at the time of the collision.
The only one, however, who could not bear the burden of the tragedy was the shipowner, vice-president and managing director of the shipowning company «Minoan Flying Dolphins», Pantelis Spinias, who two months later, on 29 November 2000, fell from the 6ο on the first floor of his company's building on Akti Kondyli in Piraeus, ending his life at the age of 55.
Finally, after a dance of blame and compensation, the case was closed with the name of a hero written on it: Vassilis Rahoutis. Today, few people remember his name, but those who were saved by his hands never forgot him.
His bust in Kamena Vourla proves that his self-sacrifice was recognised and that this child was indeed the unsung hero of the unprofessional «Samina Express».
Soldiers of the Lamia Unit once reported that Vassilis« father went to visit them in order to treat them to his cathis »for the soul of his child"... He was, you see, his only son.
And the most tragic of all? The «Samina Express» would close the cycle of its voyages about a year later, on 31 December 2001, having completed 35 years of life. The law would order its retirement.
But fate had other plans...
