Perhaps investigation, in this context, is a grandiose term for wanting to see a 50 year old shipwreck and take a few pictures. However, I have heard a dastardly rumour as to how this vessel ended up immobilised - more on that later.
During my research prior to visiting Romania, I found there was a cargo ship beached just off the shore of the Romanian coastline, on the Black Sea.
I love abandoned places, I think they’re fascinating. They can be a window into the past and allow you to rediscover a location. Few people venture into them, which builds allure and the sense of discovery in this charted world.
Having visited the Abandoned Sniper Tower and Aircraft Hangar in Bosnia & Herzegovina, the prospect of seeing an entire cargo ship beached approximately 200m from the shore filled me with excitement.
Built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the UK Ministry of War Transport, the Evangelia was originally named ‘Empire Strength’ and was was launched on 28th May 1942.
During its lifetime, the Evangelia had four names: the ‘Saxon Star’ in ‘46, ‘Redbrook’ in ‘61 and ‘E Evangelia’ in 1965. She was bought by Greek shipowners in 1965 and wrecked in 1968 where she lays in her final resting place to this day.
Fast forward 50 years and you have a rusted husk on the shores of Romania.
Sitting in a hostel kitchen in Constanța, I invited the other guests to join me to see this great beast. A Danish lady, Marianne, joined me for the atypical quest to Costinești.
We walked down Strada Pescarilor, which runs perpendicular to the coast, heading towards the seafront. From the elevated position of the banks, you have a perfect view looking over the great wreck; I was ecstatic.
I snapped a few pictures of a pooch with her fresh pups, before climbing down the bank to reach the sea wall.
Along the embankment I found something rather unexpected: World War II era pillboxes. There were three hardened gun emplacements which had fallen into the Black Sea.
Further up the path, I considered commandeering a rowing boat to take a closer look but then reason kicked in and I chose to avoid Grand Theft Marine.
It is certainly possible to take a boat and survey the site, some even swim out to it.
The water was a little too choppy for my liking. Confined to land, I was going to enjoy myself.
Marianne walked further down the beach whilst I took pictures. One reason I love being left to my own devices is that I can take as long as I please, and take silly shots like this:
It vexes me greatly to be rushed, especially when I have such unique opportunities like this. It’s reminiscent of when I visited Chernobyl (keep an eye out for that visual feast soon!) and was running around the abandoned city of Pripyat, every 10 minutes someone would call my name to catch up, even people in the group that didn’t know me.
You can see from the portside, the Evangelia has fractured in the center. The perfectly corroded hull has given up and began sinking ass first.
There's a theory that when the Evangelia was sailing from Rijeka, in modern day Croatia, to Constanța, 30km north from this site, it was intentionally run aground to collect on insurance money. Though never confirmed, considering how close to its destination port and sailing in well mapped waters, insurance fraud does seem likely.
Looking on the starboard side there is a far more dramatic view; a great deal of plating is missing from the rear and the center has collapsed.
Short of climbing into the stern, I had a great day. I can’t imagine the ship will be safely accessible for much longer and the hazards are high. From a half century of decay, you'd be rolling the dice if you decided to enter, even if you'd had a tetanus shot!
Walking back to the beach town, you can see much of the coastline is being reclaimed by the sea. Eventually the Evangelia too will secum to the elements.
You can even see the ship from the main beachfront, 2km away.
Perhaps one day I'll get out onto it and discover what remains. I'm pretty cautious of such things, as about a year and a half ago I fell through the floor of an old bunker; entering a maze of rust sounds enticing but also (w)reckless...
If you enjoyed this, you may also like: Inside Mostar's Abandoned Sniper Tower & Abandoned Relics of War: Exploring a deserted Yugoslavian Aircraft Hangar.