Location information

Journey through history

SKALA (Village) KEFALLONIA
The area's archaeological site is rich in very important Roman pebbledash (floor mosaic), dating back to the 3rd century BC. One of them depicts two men sacrificing a bull and another, the Envy being torn up by wild beasts. In Aghios Georgios, about 2 km away from Skala and on the way to Poros, you can visit a picturesque country church, situated at a very beautiful site. It was built with valuable pieces of an ancient temple of 7th century BC, which was devoted to the worship of Apollo. Next to it, lie the ruined foundations of the ancient temple and some sections of its columns. The races and swimming games, taking place during the feast of St.George have survived as a custom through ancient years, when the Apollo festivities were held here. Further, in the Sakkos cave and in Mounta were discovered several findings of the Stone Age.

Skala Community WebPage
• http://www.skala-kefalonia.gr/english/history.htm (2 img.)

The British Submarine "PERSEUS"

MAVRATA (Village) KEFALLONIA

The wreck of the British Submarine "Perseus"

  The British Submarine "PERSEUS" set-off on 24-11-1941 from Malta for an offensive Patrol mission in the gulf of Taranta in the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. On 6-12-1941 she struck a mine off the coast of Kefalonia and went down taking with her 60 officers and lower ranked men.
  The British crew member (stoker) John Capes was the sole survivor as he managed a daring last minute escape from the sunken submarine. Using a special escape apparatus named DAVIS he performed a "second to none", a superhuman effort to succesfuly ascent from the Perseus Shipwreck, to the surface of the cold Ionian sea water and also to his saviour...
  He swam to the nearest shore of Kefalonia Island, a beautiful island which was then under the Italian occupation. There he was found by the island inhabitants who medicaly treated and took him into shelter. Having been in good hands for more than 18 months he was helped to escape to safety in Smyrna.
  John Capes extraordinary survival adventure was difficult to be taken seriously. No one believed his stories as they seemed too far fetched. As such no one ever understood what this man had really gone through, this was more like a journey from hell to paradise. It had never happened before, for someone to escape from such a depth. Today, 56 years later the Diving Research Team of Costas Thoctarides sheds some light into the mysteries of how the sinking of the HMS Perseus happened.
  Unfortunately John Capes is no longer with us so that his daring escape story could be brought to justice, with the verification of his escape…

• http://www.navy.gr/ENGLISH/default_en.htm (4 img.)