VonHelsching
05-18-06, 05:36 PM
Something for the shipbuilders to drool on. A piece of history for both WWI and WWII.
On Saturday I went with my son and a friend to the Greek Naval Museum to see the HMS Averof (or Averoff) and I took some pics. Just wanted to share them with fellow Kaleuns.
Cover of the museum leaflet
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/8889/averofinaction4fm.th.jpg (http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=averofinaction4fm.jpg)
Technical Specs
Shipyard: Fratelli Orlando 8c c, Livorno 1911
Length:140 m.
Width (max): 21m.
10.200 tn.
Speed: 23 kn.
Radius: 2480 nm
Engines:
Two twon four stroke 19.000 HP
Two propellas
22 [not sure about translation here] hydraulic boilers, Beauville type
Guns
2 twin towers Armstrong 234 mm
4 twin towers Armstrong 190 mm
The following have been removed
8 76 mm guns
4 AA 76 mm
6 AA 37 mm
3 torpedo tubes
Crew
During peace: 670
During war: 1200
The model of the Averof, inside the ship
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2891/averofmodel2kh.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=averofmodel2kh.jpg)
Best view from the pier
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/770/hsmaverof4dq.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hsmaverof4dq.jpg)
Bow section, looking the captain's bridge
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7118/averofbow9qb.th.jpg (http://img72.imageshack.us/my.php?image=averofbow9qb.jpg)
Aft Section
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/9058/averofaftsection4cg.th.jpg (http://img72.imageshack.us/my.php?image=averofaftsection4cg.jpg)
Port Gun and Ship chapel
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1279/sidegunandshipchapel7xm.th.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sidegunandshipchapel7xm.jpg)
Officers dining room
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/9739/officersdiningroom0ld.th.jpg (http://img62.imageshack.us/my.php?image=officersdiningroom0ld.jpg)
Some history from the Wikipedia:
At the beginning of the 20th century, Greece decided to reinforce its fleet, whose ships were fast becoming obsolete due to the fast-moving naval arms race of the era. The authorities procured four destroyers (then a relatively new type of ship), but the most important addition was Averof. The vessel was being built at Orlando Shipyards, at Livorno in Italy when the Italian government cancelled the project due to budgetary concerns. The Greek government immediately stepped in and acquired the ship with a 1/3 down payment, paid with the help of a wealthy Greek benefactor, George Averoff, whose name it received.
The ship was launched on March 12, 1910 and sailed in Faliron, near Athens, on September 1, 1911. Averof was at the time the most modern and powerful ship in the navies of either the Balkan League or the Ottoman Empire. As such, with the outbreak of the First Balkan War she took part, as the flagship of the Hellenic Royal Navy under the command of Rear Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis, in the liberation of the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean. During the naval battles at Elli (December 3, 1912) and Lemnos (January 5, 1913) against the Ottoman Navy, she almost single-handedly secured victory and the undisputed control of the Aegean Sea for Greece. In both battles, due to her superior speed and armour, she left the battle line and pursued alone the Turkish Fleet. During the Battle of Elli, Kountouriotis, frustrated by the slow speed of the three older Greek battleships, hoisted the Flag Signal for the letter Z which stood for "Independent Action", and sailed forward alone, with a speed of 20 knots against the Turkish fleet. Averof succeeded in crossing the Turkish fleet's "T" and concentrated her fire against the Ottoman flagship, thus forcing the Ottoman fleet to retreat in disorder. Likewise, during the Battle of Lemnos, when the older battleships failed to follow up with Averof, Kountouriotis did not hesitate to pursue independent action. During both battles, the ship suffered only slight damage, while inflicting severe damage to several Turkish ships. These exploits propelled the ship and her Admiral to legendary status in Greece. After Lemnos, the crew of the Averof affectionately nicknamed her "Lucky Uncle George", while the Turks nicknamed her the "devil ship".
After World War I, Averof sailed with other Allied ships to Constantinople, receiving an ecstatic welcome from the city's Greeks. She continued as the flagship of the RHN, participating in landings in Eastern Thrace and bombardments of the Turkish Black Sea shore during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) and helped in the evacuation of the refugees after the Greek Army's catastrophic defeat. In the 1920s she underwent a major reconstruction, in which received modern anti-aircraft armament, a new foremast, improved fire control equipment, while the obsolete torpedo tubes were removed.
After Germany's attack against Greece in 1941 and the collapse of the front, the ship's crew disobeyed the orders to scuttle the ship to avoid capture by the Germans, and sailed to Alexandria, under the constant threat of German air strikes (which had sunk HMS Kelly, the ship commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten, and many other Greek and British warships during the evacuation of Greece). The Commanding Officer embarked from a rope ladder when the ship was already underway. During the next few years it was assigned to convoy escort and patrol duties in the Indian Ocean, based at Bombay and Port Said. On October 17, 1944, once again as the flagship of the exiled Hellenic Navy, she carried the Greek government-in-exile back to liberated Athens. The ship was decommissioned in 1952 and anchored at Poros from 1956 to 1983.
In 1984, the Navy decided to restore her as a museum, and in the same year the ship was towed to Faliron, where it is anchored up to this day as a museum, promoting the historical consolidation and upkeeping of the Greek Navy's heritage. The ship is regarded as in active service, carrying the Rear Admiral's Rank Flag a square blue flag with white cross, like the Greek jack, with two white stars in each of the two squares on the flagstaff side (see [1] and [2]) on the top of the mainmast with the Masthead Pennant (a long triangular blue flag with a white orthogonal Greek cross) displaced downward. Every Hellenic Navy ship entering or sailing in Faliron Bay honours the Averof while passing. The crew are ordered to attention (with the "Still to" order) and from the relevant Boatswain's pipe (or bugle call) every man on decks stands to attention, officers saluting, looking to the side where the Averof is in sight until "Continue" is ordered.
Other naval museum exibits
The "Velos" -Fletcher class- exUSS Charrette (DD-581)
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/805/velosfletcherclass1cq.th.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/my.php?image=velosfletcherclass1cq.jpg)
This ship is the symbol for the democratic tradition of the Greek Navy. It defied the Greek militaly govenment (junta) and left the fleet during a NATO excercise, to ask for refuge in Italy (1973). An uncle of mine was the XO.
Trireme (ramming point)
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/8958/trireme5wb.th.jpg (http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=trireme5wb.jpg)
On Saturday I went with my son and a friend to the Greek Naval Museum to see the HMS Averof (or Averoff) and I took some pics. Just wanted to share them with fellow Kaleuns.
Cover of the museum leaflet
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/8889/averofinaction4fm.th.jpg (http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=averofinaction4fm.jpg)
Technical Specs
Shipyard: Fratelli Orlando 8c c, Livorno 1911
Length:140 m.
Width (max): 21m.
10.200 tn.
Speed: 23 kn.
Radius: 2480 nm
Engines:
Two twon four stroke 19.000 HP
Two propellas
22 [not sure about translation here] hydraulic boilers, Beauville type
Guns
2 twin towers Armstrong 234 mm
4 twin towers Armstrong 190 mm
The following have been removed
8 76 mm guns
4 AA 76 mm
6 AA 37 mm
3 torpedo tubes
Crew
During peace: 670
During war: 1200
The model of the Averof, inside the ship
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2891/averofmodel2kh.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=averofmodel2kh.jpg)
Best view from the pier
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/770/hsmaverof4dq.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hsmaverof4dq.jpg)
Bow section, looking the captain's bridge
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7118/averofbow9qb.th.jpg (http://img72.imageshack.us/my.php?image=averofbow9qb.jpg)
Aft Section
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/9058/averofaftsection4cg.th.jpg (http://img72.imageshack.us/my.php?image=averofaftsection4cg.jpg)
Port Gun and Ship chapel
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1279/sidegunandshipchapel7xm.th.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sidegunandshipchapel7xm.jpg)
Officers dining room
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/9739/officersdiningroom0ld.th.jpg (http://img62.imageshack.us/my.php?image=officersdiningroom0ld.jpg)
Some history from the Wikipedia:
At the beginning of the 20th century, Greece decided to reinforce its fleet, whose ships were fast becoming obsolete due to the fast-moving naval arms race of the era. The authorities procured four destroyers (then a relatively new type of ship), but the most important addition was Averof. The vessel was being built at Orlando Shipyards, at Livorno in Italy when the Italian government cancelled the project due to budgetary concerns. The Greek government immediately stepped in and acquired the ship with a 1/3 down payment, paid with the help of a wealthy Greek benefactor, George Averoff, whose name it received.
The ship was launched on March 12, 1910 and sailed in Faliron, near Athens, on September 1, 1911. Averof was at the time the most modern and powerful ship in the navies of either the Balkan League or the Ottoman Empire. As such, with the outbreak of the First Balkan War she took part, as the flagship of the Hellenic Royal Navy under the command of Rear Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis, in the liberation of the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean. During the naval battles at Elli (December 3, 1912) and Lemnos (January 5, 1913) against the Ottoman Navy, she almost single-handedly secured victory and the undisputed control of the Aegean Sea for Greece. In both battles, due to her superior speed and armour, she left the battle line and pursued alone the Turkish Fleet. During the Battle of Elli, Kountouriotis, frustrated by the slow speed of the three older Greek battleships, hoisted the Flag Signal for the letter Z which stood for "Independent Action", and sailed forward alone, with a speed of 20 knots against the Turkish fleet. Averof succeeded in crossing the Turkish fleet's "T" and concentrated her fire against the Ottoman flagship, thus forcing the Ottoman fleet to retreat in disorder. Likewise, during the Battle of Lemnos, when the older battleships failed to follow up with Averof, Kountouriotis did not hesitate to pursue independent action. During both battles, the ship suffered only slight damage, while inflicting severe damage to several Turkish ships. These exploits propelled the ship and her Admiral to legendary status in Greece. After Lemnos, the crew of the Averof affectionately nicknamed her "Lucky Uncle George", while the Turks nicknamed her the "devil ship".
After World War I, Averof sailed with other Allied ships to Constantinople, receiving an ecstatic welcome from the city's Greeks. She continued as the flagship of the RHN, participating in landings in Eastern Thrace and bombardments of the Turkish Black Sea shore during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) and helped in the evacuation of the refugees after the Greek Army's catastrophic defeat. In the 1920s she underwent a major reconstruction, in which received modern anti-aircraft armament, a new foremast, improved fire control equipment, while the obsolete torpedo tubes were removed.
After Germany's attack against Greece in 1941 and the collapse of the front, the ship's crew disobeyed the orders to scuttle the ship to avoid capture by the Germans, and sailed to Alexandria, under the constant threat of German air strikes (which had sunk HMS Kelly, the ship commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten, and many other Greek and British warships during the evacuation of Greece). The Commanding Officer embarked from a rope ladder when the ship was already underway. During the next few years it was assigned to convoy escort and patrol duties in the Indian Ocean, based at Bombay and Port Said. On October 17, 1944, once again as the flagship of the exiled Hellenic Navy, she carried the Greek government-in-exile back to liberated Athens. The ship was decommissioned in 1952 and anchored at Poros from 1956 to 1983.
In 1984, the Navy decided to restore her as a museum, and in the same year the ship was towed to Faliron, where it is anchored up to this day as a museum, promoting the historical consolidation and upkeeping of the Greek Navy's heritage. The ship is regarded as in active service, carrying the Rear Admiral's Rank Flag a square blue flag with white cross, like the Greek jack, with two white stars in each of the two squares on the flagstaff side (see [1] and [2]) on the top of the mainmast with the Masthead Pennant (a long triangular blue flag with a white orthogonal Greek cross) displaced downward. Every Hellenic Navy ship entering or sailing in Faliron Bay honours the Averof while passing. The crew are ordered to attention (with the "Still to" order) and from the relevant Boatswain's pipe (or bugle call) every man on decks stands to attention, officers saluting, looking to the side where the Averof is in sight until "Continue" is ordered.
Other naval museum exibits
The "Velos" -Fletcher class- exUSS Charrette (DD-581)
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/805/velosfletcherclass1cq.th.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/my.php?image=velosfletcherclass1cq.jpg)
This ship is the symbol for the democratic tradition of the Greek Navy. It defied the Greek militaly govenment (junta) and left the fleet during a NATO excercise, to ask for refuge in Italy (1973). An uncle of mine was the XO.
Trireme (ramming point)
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/8958/trireme5wb.th.jpg (http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=trireme5wb.jpg)