Event· Leros· Greece — Dodecanese, Sporades & North Aegean
Battle of Leros & Vasilissa Olga commemorations (Lakki)
37° 7.9′ N · 26° 51.1′ E · approximate
Leros remembers the 52-day Battle of Leros, from the sinking of the Vasilissa Olga on 26 September 1943 to the British surrender on 16 November 1943, with a three-day memorial service and naval festival that begins every year on 26 September at the Lakki waterfront.
Practical
The main annual commemoration is in late September, not November. It includes a memorial parade, the reading of the Greek sailors' names and a rifle volley (Greeka); for the 77th anniversary in 2020 the Hellenic Navy sent the frigate Kountouriotis and the gunboat Aittitos, and the UK Defence Attaché attended. Anniversary weeks have also brought international symposia (2004, 61st anniversary) and wreaths floated over the Olga's wreck (75th anniversary, 2018). We found no published fixed programme for the November anniversary (12–16 November); for any November ceremony at the Leros War Cemetery (Alinda), ask locally or contact the British Embassy in Athens. Expect Greek Navy ships and limited berths in Lakki around 26 September. Approximate coordinate: Lakki waterfront, where Greeka places the crew memorial.
Best for
Being in Lakki for a moving naval ceremony
Season
From 26 September every year (3 days)
Nearby
- Lakki Italian rationalist architectureRight here
- Vasilissa Olga crew memorial (Lakki waterfront)Right here
- Lakki chandlery & provisions0.1 NM away
- Lakki laundry (Leros)0.1 NM away
- Lyxnari Taverna (Lakki)0.1 NM away
- Agmar Marina (Lakki)0.2 NM away
- Leros Health Center & Hospital (Lakki)0.2 NM away
- Leros Port of Entry — Lakki Port Police0.2 NM away