Souda Bay Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete . The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide , and a deep natural harbour . It is formed between the Akrotiri peninsula and Cape Drapano , and runs west to east . The bay is overlooked on both sides by hills , with a relatively low and narrow isthmus in the west near Chania . Near the mouth of Souda bay , between the Akrotiri and the town of Kalives , there is a group of small islands with Venetian fortifications . The largest island is Souda Island , giving its name to the bay . Souda Bay is now a popular tourist destination although there are no real public beaches due to the presence of the naval base . Villages such as Megala Chorafia and Kalives afford fine views of the bay , and house - building , particularly for foreigners and tourist companies , is spreading along the bay . History . Ancient and Medieval . There have been port facilities on the bay since ancient times , previously serving the city of Aptera . Aptera was founded in the 7th Century BC and was an important city during the ancient and early Byzantine periods . It was destroyed by the Saracens in AD 823 . The nearest large ancient city was Kydonia , which flourished in the Minoan era on Crete ; moreover , during a portion of the first millennium BC Kydonia held influence over Aptera . Venetian rule . The Venetians occupied the area in 1207 . In 1571 an Ottoman military force landed at Souda and caused major destruction in the Chania area . The Venetians fortified Souda Island between 1570 and 1573 , in order to protect the area from Ottoman raiders and pirates . However , Souda Bay remained a pirate infested area during the 15th , 16th and 17th centuries . The Venetians managed to hold on to the strategic islands within Souda Bay until 1715 , over thirty years after the fall of Crete to the Ottoman s . Ottoman rule . In 1822 an Egyptian army of approximately 10 , 000 under Hassan Pasha landed at Souda to defeat the Cretan Revolution of 1821 . After the Cretan Revolution of 1866 – 1869 the Ottomans built fortresses at Aptera and Kalami , barracks , a military hospital and a naval base . They also built the town of Souda at the head of the bay , as the new port of the nearby city of Chania . The fortress at Kalami is still in use as prisons . The naval base was officially inaugurated in 1872 , in the presence of Sultan Abdul Aziz . Cretan State ( 1898 – 1913 ) . In the period of the semi - independent Cretan State the area attracted international interest , as it offered port facilities to foreign naval vessels enforcing the Cretan autonomy . The first High Commissioner , Prince George of Greece , disembarked at Souda Bay on December 9 , 1898 . The church of Saint Nicholas was built during this period . Union with Greece to WW II ( 1913 – 1940 ) . In 1913 , events marking the union of Crete with Greece took place on Souda Island . On February 1 the metallic Ottoman flag , the last symbol of Ottoman rule , was removed and replaced by the Greek flag on May 1 . Also the ruined chapel was rebuilt and dedicated to Saint George . In 1916 the British liner SS " Minnewaska " , requisitioned by the British Army as a troops carrier , struck a mine and was beached at Souda Bay . After 1923 the area was used as an Hellenic Army base , housing the artillery units of V Infantry Division . 1940 – 1945 . During World War II British and Commonwealth troops withdrew from mainland Greece in April 1941 and 25 , 000 men , mainly from New Zealand and Australia , disembarked at Souda Bay . In May 1941 , during the German attack named " Operation Merkur " , Allied troops retreated from the Souda area to Sfakia in the south of the island . The Germans occupied the area until 1945 . The principal Allied War Cemetery of the island , designed by architect Louis de Soissons , is located at Souda . Current military activities . Naval Dock Crete . Souda is an important port for freight ships with a regular ferry service to Piraeus . It also is a strategic Hellenic Navy and NATO naval base ( " Naval Dock Crete " , , pron . " Nafstathmos Kritis " ) . The modern Hellenic Navy base was founded in 1951 . The base occupies an area of 500 hectares , including the old artillery barracks of Hellenic Army V Division and later land acquisitions . The facilities include a dry dock , workshops , a fuel depot and an ammunition depot . The Naval Dock is commanded by a Commodore or Captain of the Hellenic Navy . The " Forward Logistics Site Souda Bay " ( FLS Souda Bay ) is under the operational control of NATO COMNAVSOUTH . The Hellenic Navy radio communications station SXH is also located since 1929 at Mournies , near Souda . Since 2007 Souda Bay naval base is host of " NATO Maritime Interidiction Operational Training Centre " ( ΝMIOTC ) , which is located at the Northern Sector of the base ( Marathi ) . Souda Air Base . The strategic importance is enhanced by the Souda Air Base ( LGSA ) on Akrotiri Peninsula ( ) , serving Hellenic Air Force 115 Combat Wing and US Navy units operating under the title US Naval Support Activity Souda Bay , as well as regular and chartered civil aviation flights as Chania International Airport . NAMFI . " NATO Missile Firing Installation " or " NAMFI " ( ) is an extensive missile firing range located north of Souda Air Base . NAMFI was established in 1968 as a NATO training facility for Air Defence Systems and it takes advantage of clear atmospheric conditions throughout the year . Currently NAMFI is regularly used by the armed forces of Greece , Germany , the Netherlands , Belgium , and the United States . In the past it was also used by Denmark , France , and Norway . Today the firing range is used mostly for Patriot and Hawk launches , although a wide range of surface to air and air to surface missiles are fired occasionally . As the trajectories of the missiles cross busy air and sea areas , an Air and Sea surveillance radar system is used to resolve possible conflicts . Philately and Postal history . During Turkish rule an Ottoman post office operated in Souda until 1892 . The Cretan State post office opened officially in 1912 , although a postal agent operated there previously , possibly since 1908 . A special local stamp depicting Souda Island was issued on November 15 , 1913 to commemorate the union with Greece and was sold only by Cretan post offices . This stamp , printed by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company in the United Kingdom , is commonly called the " Souda Issue " .