The Last Descent: Transforming a Submarine into a Living Museum

Beneath the crisp Athenian sky, the legendary submarine Proteus completes its final voyage – not through the depths, but across the surface, toward a new life as a maritime museum in Faliro. Weighing 800 tons and having traversed 260,000 nautical miles in service, this 54-meter-long Cold War-era vessel has anchored at the site of the planned Hellenic Maritime Heritage Park. The transformation is as technical as it is symbolic – engineers devised seismic-resistant foundations to preserve the vessel for future generations. The Proteus is now more than a relic; it is a portal to the nation’s naval history, embodying Greece’s enduring bond with the waves. [Stelios Tsikas]