The Panagiotis (Greek: Παναγιώτης) is a picturesque shipwreck lying in the white sands of an exposed cove on the coast of Zakynthos (Zante), which is among the southern-most of the Ionian Islands of Greece. Navagio ("Shipwreck"), the spot where she lies, is a valued tourist attraction on the north-western side of the island, accommodating thousands of visitors each year.
A Coastal trading vessel, or Coaster, the Panagiotis was built in 1937 in Glasgow by Scotts Bowling, Yard 341, for the J. & A. Gardner and Co. Ltd. shipping company[1], and fitted with engines made by British Auxiliaries Ltd. At her launch, she measured 163 feet in length and 26 feet in width. She had a draft of just over 11 feet, and a gross register tonnage of 452. As a Coaster, her primary use was in the transportation of trade cargo through local, shallow waters. Her eventual use in the smuggling of goods may have led to her downfall in the early 1980s.
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The Panagiotis has changed hands and names since her construction.
The most commonly accepted story regarding the wreck of the Panagiotis maintains that it spent the later part of its life as a smuggler ship. In 1981 (during a time of record population lows on the island of Zakynthos), Panagiotis was making its way from Turkey with a freight of contraband cigarettes (for the Italian Mafia, as some versions of the story assert). The crew was suspected by authorities, and so the Panagiotis was pursued by the Greek Navy. Encountering stormy weather, the ship ran aground in a shallow cove to the north of Porto Vromi, where the crew abandoned ship to evade the pursuing Navy. To this day, the wreck remains at the site which is now called "Navagio" for the Greek "shipwreck."
Locals raided the cargo of cigarettes and whiskey, and for the following four years, no 'official' tobacco products were sold on the island.
There is question about the veracity of the wreck, with VirtualGreece.net stating that some Zakynthos locals believe the Panagiotis to have been placed in the cove by the Greek Ministry of Tourism.[2]