--- title: "A Greek Navy Minehunting Vessel Got Sliced In Two By A Container Ship" description: "The odds were stacked against the Greek Navy vessel when it collided with a huge container vessel in waters close to Athens." date: "2020-10-27" modified: "2020-10-27" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/37293/a-greek-navy-minehunting-vessel-got-sliced-in-two-by-a-container-ship" categories: - "Around The Globe" - "Europe" - "Naval Mines" - "Naval Munitions" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "Sea" tags: - "collision" - "Evropi" - "fiberglass" - "Greek Navy" - "Hellenic Navy" - "Hunt class" - "Kallisto" - "Lithuanian Navy" - "Mine Countermeasures" - "Mine Warfare" - "minehunter" - "Royal Navy" - "Vosper Thornycroft" --- # A Greek Navy Minehunting Vessel Got Sliced In Two By A Container Ship ![]() *www.twz.com* In a dramatic incident off the Greek port city of Piraeus, near Athens, the Greek Navy minehunter *Kallisto* was involved in a collision with a commercial freighter. The force of the impact left the warship cut in two, tearing off the vessel’s stern. “On Tuesday, October 27, 2020 and around 07:30 in the sea area of the Saronic Gulf, a merchant ship collided with NTHI KALLISTO,” the Greek Navy, also known as the Hellenic Navy, [said in a statement](). "The Navy undertakes all the necessary actions to deal with the incident.” Two Greek Navy sailors were injured in the accident and taken to Athens Naval Hospital. The other members of the minehunter’s 27-person crew were reportedly safe and sound. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1321018228580274178 The commercial vessel involved was the [*Maersk Launceston*](), a Portuguese-flagged container ship. At the time of writing, there were no reports of injuries on that ship and it’s unclear what damage it might have suffered. In a tweet, Maersk said: “The vessel has activated its emergency response procedures and the crew has been participating in the rescue operation for the seafarers of the naval vessel.” The 870-foot, 50,700-gross-tonnage *Maersk Launceston* had departed Piraeus and was said to be bound for the port of Çanakkale in Turkey. The ship’s present owner is the Essberger company, based in the German port of Hamburg, which describes itself as a “leading operator of chemical tankers within Europe.” ![message-editor%2F1603814384266-screenshot2020-10-27at16.43.00.jpg]() *The position of the *Maersk Launceston* in waters off Piraeus as of the afternoon of October 27, 2020, following the collision., *VESSELFINDER.COM SCREENCAP** The exact cause of the accident remains unclear, but [local media]() reports described the freighter “passing over” the mine Greek Navy minehunter as the latter was leaving port. The captain of the *Maersk Launceston* has reportedly been [arrested](). Photos taken after the impact show the 197-foot *Kallisto* listing heavily to starboard in the water before being towed to the naval base on the nearby island of Salamis, minus its stern section, as seen in the accompanying video. https://youtube.com/embed/EO9-X-h\_k44 One of two [*Hunt* class]() minehunters in service with the Hellenic Navy, the *Kallisto* was originally built by Vosper Thornycroft for the British Royal Navy as HMS *Berkeley* and was launched in 1985 before seeing service during mine-clearance operations in the 1991 Gulf War. Together with its sister ship HMS *Bicester* (now named *Evropi*), it was transferred to Greece between 2000 and 2001. A total of 13 *Hunt* class vessels were built for the British Royal Navy. Six of these ships remain in Royal Navy service. Another two were transferred to the Lithuanian Navy. ![message-editor%2F1603814280657-04101062.jpg]() *HMS *Berkeley* while serving with the British Royal Navy., *CROWN COPYRIGHT** These vessels were originally designed to perform both minesweeping and mine-hunting duties, meaning they could both find mines and neutralize them, with provisions for a team of divers, unmanned submersible mine-disposal systems, and a mine-hunting [sonar system](). In Royal Navy service, their minesweeping equipment was subsequently removed, turning them into pure minehunters. When the first *Hunt* class ships were introduced in the 1980s, they were also the largest warships ever built with fiberglass hulls. Mine countermeasures ships are typically built with non-metallic hulls, in part to help reduce their vulnerability to magnetic mines. This also reduces their acoustic signature, which, in turn, makes them less likely to trigger acoustic mines. Considering the damage inflicted on the *Kallisto,* it might be considered fortunate that injuries were limited to two crewmembers. The extent of the damage will likely put the *Kallisto* out of action for good, although certain items can be recovered and used as spares for the *Evropi*. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1321111187707211781 Should the Hellenic Navy opt for a direct replacement for the *Kallisto*, the U.K. government has another *Hunt* class vessel [for sale](). The former HMS *Atherstone* is currently laid up at Portsmouth in the United Kingdom and has been offered for sale since December 2017. It’s worth noting that the Greek Navy isn’t the only one to have suffered this kind of mishap recently. A month earlier, [a similar accident]() befell the Russian Navy’s *Parchim* class corvette *Kazanets*, which collided with a civilian cargo ship in the Baltic Sea. The damage to the *Kazanets* was less severe and the Russian warship was able to continue under its own power, although the impact was sufficient to breach the hull of the cargo ship above its waterline. In 2017, the Russian Navy intelligence-gathering ship *Liman* [also sunk]() in Turkey’s Bosphorus strait, after colliding with a freighter loaded with sheep. The U.S. Navy also suffered [two notable collisions]() that year. In separate incidents, the *Arleigh Burke* class destroyers USS *Fitzgerald* and USS *John McCain* hit commercial vessels, leaving 17 sailors dead, in total. This morning’s incident in the Aegean emphasizes the dangers inherent in crowded shipping lanes. In this case, it seems the *Kallisto*’s structural integrity may have prevented a far worse accident. At the same time, with the hull ripped in two, it’s likely also due to the crew’s efforts to mitigate the damage that the *Kallisto* remained afloat long enough to be salvaged. *Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()