Wartime shipwreck hunter vows to never stop searching and telling stories of the fallen
A former Greek Navy Seal who has discovered hundreds of shipwrecks says he never intends to stop his search of the oceans.
Kostas Thoctarides' most recent find was the lost British Second World War submarine HMS Trooper - one of many wartime British vessels he has located.
He found the T-class submarine 253 metres (830ft) down in the Icarian Sea and has recorded more than 20,000 hours in underwater navigation with his company Planet Blue.
In an exclusive interview with BFBS Forces News, Mr Thoctarides explains what drives him to find the shipwrecks and why he has no intention of halting his adventures.
Early career
Mr Thoctarides said: "I've been involved with naval history since 1989 and with ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) since 1999.
"I believe and hope that each new expedition will be even better than the previous one, and that is how it is actually done because we have improved our research procedures by paying a lot of attention to the use of primary sources and the processing of facts before going out to sea.
"When I was 21 years old I had just graduated from my military service as a Navy Seal in the special forces, and as a civilian now an event happened to me that changed the way I would view ships and their history."
Experience beneath the waves
Having served as chief pilot as part of a research team and working as a submersible pilot in France, he gained a deep understanding of underwater exploration and rescue work.
For five-and-a-half years he served at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research as a submersible pilot, where he undertook many scientific missions.
He also began working on the exploration of ancient wrecks, and the recovery of helicopters and aircraft that had crashed into the sea.
He has explored more than 500 shipwrecks on the ocean floor and discovered more than 200.
But he says he doesn't count in numbers, as he is more interested in the "qualitative characteristics of the ships, that is their history and especially those stories that have not been told".
"We always find great interest in people's personal stories which make a huge difference... history is written by people, not ships, people whose actions are often inconceivably heroic or profoundly human," he said.
"Our mission is to highlight these people, to illuminate these unknown aspects of history and to commemorate them, because they are often the forgotten heroes in the abyss of the sea, patiently waiting for their turn to tell their own story."
Inspiration
Mr Thoctarides credits his inspiration for searching for lost vessels and shipwrecks to an experience he had when he visited the Naval Museum of Greece.
During the early stages of his career, and despite not having a personal connection to shipwrecks, he found inspiration as he visited the museum in Piraeus.
He said: "I had started working as a young commercial diver. In fact, I have graduated from all the schools in England and found myself as a visitor at the Naval Museum of Greece located in Piraeus.
"As I was there watching the museum exhibits, a well-dressed old gentleman who was walking beside me gave me an amazing tour that I will never forget.
"He sparked my imagination through his amazing and educated descriptions."
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