HMS Perseus Annual Memorial The memorial this year will be held at the HMS Perseus monument in Póros on Friday 19 June 2026 at 1100 and led by retired Royal Navy sailor Andy Walters, a Falklands veteran, assisted by other retired British Armed Forces Officers. We are very grateful for the support and encouragement of the President of Póros, Mr Odysseas Galiatsatos and the Vice Mayor Mr Nikos Kourkoumelis, both of whom will be in attendance with other Greek dignitaries. It is also hoped that for the first time the Greek Hellenic Navy will send representatives. It is often overlooked that amongst the sixty casualties was Lieutenant Nikolaos Merlin of the Hellenic Navy who was from Kefalonia. We shall pay our respects and honour him too at the memorial. We hope that many people can join us - it’s very cool on a hot day under the pine trees with the stunning views of the sea. A very beautiful and peaceful setting for the memorial.

https://youtu.be/X4ghpYqKGQA?si=n5s5eRBOQnQj8TZH UP FROM THE DEEP (John Capes) YouTube For those who are interested, Spiros Kagadis, renowned journalist and local historian from Póros, Kefalonia, has written and produced an incredible song in tribute to John Capes, the sole survivor from the sinking of HMS Perseus in December 1941 Leading Stoker Capes escape was so incredible that many people disbelieved him. It was only when the wreck was discovered and the aft escape hatch found open with a bottle of rum on the deck beneath, as described by John Capes, that his story was at last believed. The song was released today and is on around thirty global platforms. If you want a copy of the words please in either Greek or English please contact Spiros directly. Enjoy the moving song and the amazing soundtrack- a very fitting tribute indeed. Για όσους ενδιαφέρονται, ο Σπύρος Καγκάδης, διάσημος δημοσιογράφος και τοπικός ιστορικός από τον Πόρο, έγραψε και δημιούργησε ένα απίστευτο τραγούδι προς τιμήν του John Capes, του μοναδικού επιζώντος από το ναυάγιο του HMS Perseus τον Δεκέμβριο του 1941. Η ηγεσία στην απόδραση του Stoker Capes ήταν τόσο απίστευτη που πολλοί άνθρωποι τον δυσπίστεψαν. Μόνο όταν ανακαλύφθηκε το ναυάγιο και η πίσω καταπακτή διαφυγής βρέθηκε ανοιχτή με ένα μπουκάλι ρούμι στο κατάστρωμα από κάτω, όπως περιέγραψε ο John Capes, έγινε επιτέλους πιστευτή η ιστορία του. Το τραγούδι κυκλοφόρησε σήμερα και βρίσκεται σε περίπου τριάντα παγκόσμιες πλατφόρμες. Αν θέλετε ένα αντίγραφο των στίχων, παρακαλούμε επικοινωνήστε απευθείας με τον Σπύρο. Απολαύστε το συγκινητικό τραγούδι και το καταπληκτικό soundtrack - ένας πραγματικά πολύ ταιριαστός φόρος τιμής.

Very many thanks to the Type 21 Association for conducting this memorial ceremony and honouring the crew of HMS PERSEUS and to Stuart Perry for the video and photographs.

Today, 6 June 2025, a wreath laying ceremony was held at the Memorial to HMS Perseus in Poros, Kefalonia. Editorial below. Moving wreath laying at the Perseus Submarine Monument in Poro, Kefalonia! On the anniversary of the Allied Descent in Normandy (D-Day, June 6, 1944) as is customary every year now for 7 years the British tourist and member of the official group of former British officers and sailors who served on Type 21 Frigates (otherwise Amazon class) "Type 21 Club" Andy Walters testified Wreath at the Monument, Sarakiniko in Poros Kefalonia, in honor of the crew of the Perseus Submarine that sunk by impact on an Italian mine off southern Kefalonia on December 6, 1941. In this touching event of our British allies, today many other Britons also participated. Among them were retired British Officers Nick Nicholson who is awarded honorary titles by Queen Elizabeth II (MBE - Member of the British Empire and BEM - British Empire Medal) and Major Chris Gaylor to whom we admired his medals! Delivering an emotional speech, Andy Walters thanked all who came to honour the sailors of the Perseus Submarine. As reported to us, among the 59 sailors of the Perseus Submarine, there was Kefalonite Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Merlin of the Greek Submarine Glaukos as well as the only surviving British John Capes, for whom he expressed his gratitude to the Kefalonite people for protecting him from the enemy occupation for two years until his escape. Then they all exclaimed together "we will remember them" followed by a two minute silence by attendees as well as the laying of a wreath at the memorial by Andy Walters! This time the event was also honored by local rulers of our place: Deputy Mayor of Eliou Pronnos and Tourism Nikos Kurkoumelis, the President of Poros Kefalonia Odysseas Galiatsatos, the President of the Cultural Association of Poros-Kefalonia "O Pronissos" Aspasia Seriatos as well as the President of the Business Association "E. .. Τ. Β. Α. Atros" Eleftherios Stellatos! Finally, I must inform you that this event exceeded all expectations in respect, participation, brilliance and excitement, and promised to be even greater next year! Spyros Kagadis Please watch my video with the full event here.

I have just returned from a Holiday in Skala Kefalonia where I read about the remarkable submarine escape of John Capes from HMS Perseus in 1941. Attached to the 1st Submarine Flotilla, based in Alexandria and under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Edward Christian Frederick Nicolay DSO RN. The submarine sailed from Malta for Alexandria on 26 November 1941 with instructions to patrol waters to the east of Greece during her passage. At 10 pm on 6 December she struck an Italian mine off Cephalonia, 7 miles (11 km) north of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea. Of the 61 on board, the only survivor was 31-year-old Leading Stoker John Capes, one of two non-crew members hitching a lift to Alexandria. After administering a tot of rum from a bottle found loafing in the compartment, he prepared the compartment for escape; he helped three others who were injured to escape and then escaped himself from the submarine using the Twill Trunk escape hatch in the engine room wearing Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus. However, only he survived the journey to the surface and the five-mile (8 km) swim to the island of Cephalonia, where he was hidden by islanders for 18 months before being smuggled in a caïque to Smyrna in Turkey. He was subsequently awarded a British Empire Medal. The wreck, at 52 metres (171 ft) below the surface, was discovered and surveyed in 1997 by Kostas Thoctarides and his dive team who confirmed John's remarkable story. The Perseus lies on the seabed with a starboard list. On her port side, near the bow, there is a crack caused by her collision with a mine. That is the only significant damage to the vessel. The rest of her hull is in good condition. The escape hatch of the stern compartment is open. On 19 and 20 May 2000, memorial ceremonies were held in Cephalonia in honour of the Perseus' crew. It was attended by relatives of the deceased (including John Capes' daughter), members of the Submarine Old Comrade's Association, locals who hid John and a member of the caique crew who transported Capes to Smyrne amongst others. What an incredible feat of escape and survival this was, not only did he survive the shock of the exploding mine and the sinking of the submarine but he had the presence of mind to prepare the compartment for escape, help his 3 injured crew members to escape and the escape himself using equipment that wasn't really suited for escaping from 52m and then he had to swim the 5 miles to shore all this and the sea water temperature in the southern Adriatic in December would have been about 14C at most A truly remarkable achievement