editHS Averof today (2006) as a museum ship in its original paint scheme.
Georgios Averof (1909 – today) – A Pisa-class armored cruiser (the only ship of this type still in existence), she served as the flagship of the Hellenic Royal Navy during the Balkan Wars, World War I and World War II, now a floating museum at Palaio Faliro. The ship, although currently a hulk, is still commissioned, has a skeleton naval crew and flies the ensign, jack and commission standard.
Velos (D16) (1959–1991) – The ex-USS Charrette is preserved at Faliron Bay (Marina Floisvou) as HS Velos – museum of the struggle against dictatorship (1967–1974)
Adrias (D06) (1946–1963) – The ex-HMS Tanatside was acquired on loan as a replacement for the first Adrias (L67). She was returned to the Royal Navy in 1963.[4]
Adrias (L67) (1942–1945) – The ex-HMS Border was seriously damaged by mines on October 22, 1943. Although the ship survived, it was not fully repaired and was decommissioned in 1945.
Aetos (D01) (1951–1991) – The ex-USS Slater was used extensively as a training ship. She is preserved as Museum ship USS Slater at Hudson River, Albany, NY.[1]
Ierax (D31) (1951–1991) – The ex-USS Ebert was used as a target and sunk in July 2000
Ermis (A-373) (1988–2002) Ex-German Navy (class 422) fleet service vesselOker (A53) (1961–1988) The former 1500 tn trawler Hoheweg, converted to an electronic surveillance ship by the German Navy in 1961 and sold to Greece in 1988
Evros A415 (1976–2009), Ex-German Navy Schwarzwald (A1400). A 2500 tonnes ammunition ship built by Dibigeon Shipyard, Nantes, France. Armed with two 40 mm twin Bofors guns.[5] Decommissioned on April 2, 2009.
Kostakos (P25) (1980–1996) Sunk on November 4, 1996, at Avlakia, off Samos Island (37°49′N26°50′E / 37.817°N 26.833°E / 37.817; 26.833), after being rammed by F/B Samaina, with loss of 4 crew members. She was salvaged on May 15, 1997, but was never repaired and recommissioned.[9]
Batsis (P17) (1972–2004), ex-HS Kalypso (P54) The ship was transferred to the Georgian Navy and renamed Dioskuria. It was severely damaged in the 2008 South Ossetia war and afterwards scuttled by the Russians.[10]
Twelve WW II British landing craft (LCT) were transferred on loan to the Royal Hellenic Navy in 1945/1946. They were used for military transport and also for civilian transport due to the poor state of the railway system. Four were returned to the UK in 1953. The remaining were sold in 1963, with the exception of Kythira and Milos.[13]
Anafi
Kandanos
Kommeno (1945–1953)
Kythira (L185). Ex RN LCT-1198. Kythira remained in use as a naval personnel transport until the 2000s
Malakassi (1945–1953)
Milos (L189). Ex RN LCT-1300. Milos remained in use as a naval personnel transport until the 2000s
Lesvos (L172) (1960–1990), ex-USS Boone County (LST-389)HSLesvos was involved in combat action in Cyprus on July 20, 1974 (CO Lt Cdr E. Handrinos, HN). She was in the Paphos area on a scheduled mission, carrying replacement personnel to the ELDYK, the permanent Greek military force based in Cyprus. There she attacked the Turkish Cypriot garrison of Paphos with her 40 mm gun and forced them to surrender[15]
Ypoploiarchos Merlin (L166) (1958–1972), ex-LSM-557 On November 15, 1972, she sunk 3 nm off Piraeus harbour after a collision with VLCC tanker World Hero (IMO 7033915), with the loss of 44 crew members[19]
Klio (M213) (1968–2006), ex-USS MSC-317 Originally named Argo (M213) in Greek service. Used as a target and sunk in Cretan Sea on April 30, 2009 with Exocet missiles launched by HS Kavaloudis (P24) and HS Xenos (P27).[22]
Dafni (Μ247) (1964–2004), ex-USS MSC-307
Kissa (M242) (1964–2010), ex-USS MSC-309
Thalia (Μ210) (1969–2004), ex-USS MSC-170, ex-Belgian Navy Blankenberge (M923)
Sotir (A384), ex-RFA SalventureAKing Salvor-class salvage vessel, built by William Simons & Co (Renfrew) and equipped with a decompression chamber. Ships of this class had a displacement of 1780 tons and measured 65.4 m in length, 11.3 m in beam with a 3.9 m draught. They were powered by a triple-expansion, 6-cylinder 1500 hp reciprocating steam engine with two shafts and had a speed of 12 knots. She was commissioned in the Royal Hellenic Navy on May 5, 1947, on loan from the Royal Navy and decommissioned on April 24, 1976. Sold for scrap on behalf of the British Government in 1978.[24][25] The ship was used during the post-war salvage of a number of wrecks in Salamis Naval Base and other port facilities in Greece.
SS Corinthia The former liner Oranje Nassau of the Royal Dutch Line. Built in 1911 by Royal Schelde, Flushing. Bought in 1939 by Aktoploia Ellados and renamed Corinthia. Requisitioned by the Royal Hellenic Navy in 1940 and used as a troopship. During the Axis occupation of Greece she was based in Alexandria, Egypt and used as a submarine tender. After the war she returned to passenger services in the fleet of Hellenic Mediterranean Lines until 1955. She was scrapped in 1959.[26][27]
Steamer Maximilianos (1837–1846) The first steamship built in Greece (Poros Naval shipyard). An unarmed 180 ton paddle steamer used as a royal yacht and for mail services. Out of service due to engine problems after 1841.
Steamer Othon (1838–1864) Greece's first "modern" military ship, built in Poros Naval shipyard. Powered by two 120 hp steam engines and armed with two 18 lb long guns and four 32 lb carronades.
Matrozos (Υ-7) (1942–1945) The ex-Italian Perla, was captured by the British Royal Navy and transferred to Greece. Named after the naval hero of the Greek Revolution, Georgios Matrozos.[31]
Delfin (1912–1920) – The first submarine in history to launch a torpedo attack, during the First Balkan War
Gryparis
Nordenfelt I – The first submarine designed by Thorsten Nordenfelt. It was a 56-tonne, 19.5-metre-long vessel similar to George Garrett's ill-fated Resurgam II of 1879, with a range of 240 km and armed with a single torpedo and a 25.4 mm machine gun. She was manufactured by Bolinders in Stockholm in 1884–1885. She operated on the surface using a 100 hp steam engine with a maximum speed of 9 knots, then she shut down the engine to dive. She was purchased by the Greek Government, was shipped to Greece in parts and assembled by the Ifaistos machine works in Piraeus; she was delivered to Salamis Naval Base in 1886. Following the acceptance tests, she was never used again by the Hellenic Navy and was scrapped in 1901.[32]
Seven former German Navy Type 141 torpedo boats. Four Esperos class torpedo boats (Esperos, Kyklon, Lelaps, Typhon) were sold in public auction on May 18, 2009.
Esperos, P50 (1977–2004) Ex-P-196, formerly German Navy P-6068 Seeadler
Lailaps, P54 (1977–2004) Ex-P-228, formerly German Navy P-6070 Kondor
Kataigis, P197 (1976–1981) Formerly German Navy P-6072 Falke
Kentavros, P52 (1977–1995) Ex-P-198, formerly German Navy P-6075 Habicht
Kyklon, P53 (1976–2005) Ex-P-199, formerly German Navy P-6071 Greif
Skorpios, P55 (1977–1995) Ex-P-229, formerly German Navy P-6077 Kormoran
Typhon, P56 (1976–2005) Ex-P-230, formerly German Navy P-6073 Geier
The remaining three boats of the class (P-6069 Albatros, P-6074 Bussard and P-6076 Sperber) were also transferred to the Hellenic Navy and used as sources for spare parts.
Aigli (M246) (1995–2008), ex-USS MSC-299 A former minesweeper (1965–1995), she was used after 1995 as a training ship by HN Naval Training Command.[38] Decommissioned on 19 November 2008, she remained in storage at Souda Bay until 18 November 2009, when she was used as a target for a MM-38 Exocet missile.
Aris (A74) (1979–2004) Former training ship, mainly used by the Hellenic Naval Academy and capable of being used as a hospital ship in time of war, build by Salamis Shipyards.[39] The ship had displacement 2400/2630 tonnes, length 100 m, beam 14.7 m and draught 4.5 m. It had a diesel powerplant of 10,000 hp and two shafts. It was armed with a 3 in gun, two Bofors 40 mm/70 guns and four Rheinmetall 20 mm anti-aircraft gus. There was accommodation for 370 cadet officers (midshipmen). After decommissioning (2004) she is moored at Naval Dock Crete, Souda Bay and used by NATO Maritime Interdiction Operations Training Center (NMIOTC) as a training facility.[40]
^Vice Admiral C. Paizis-Paradellis, HN (2002). Hellenic Warships 1829–2001 (3rd ed.). Athens, Greece: The Society for the study of Greek History. p. 24. ISBN960-8172-14-4.
^Vice Admiral C. Paizis-Paradellis, HN (2002). Hellenic Warships 1829–2001 (3rd ed.). Athens, Greece: The Society for the study of Greek History. p. 68. ISBN960-8172-14-4.
^Vice Admiral C. Paizis-Paradellis, HN (2002). Hellenic Warships 1829–2001 (3rd ed.). Athens, Greece: The Society for the study of Greek History. ISBN960-8172-14-4.
^The Late Francis E. McMurtrie and Raymond V.B. Blackman, Jane's Fighting Ships 1949-50, p. 203. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1949.
^Vice Admiral C. Paizis-Paradellis, HN (2002). Hellenic Warships 1829–2001 (3rd ed.). Athens, Greece: The Society for the study of Greek History. p. 165. ISBN960-8172-14-4. Wrongly named as RFA Salventure Reclaim in this reference, RFA Reclaim was another ship of this class.
^Vice Admiral C. Paizis-Paradellis, HN (2002). Hellenic Warships 1829–2001 (3rd ed.). Athens, Greece: The Society for the study of Greek History. p. 99. ISBN960-8172-14-4. Wrongly spelled as Korinthia in this reference.
^Vice Admiral C. Paizis-Paradellis, HN (2002). Hellenic Warships 1829–2001 (3rd ed.). Athens, Greece: The Society for the study of Greek History. p. 133. ISBN960-8172-14-4.
