Built at Livorno in 1910, the 10,000-ton RHNS Averof had the distinction
of being the flagship, and by far the biggest warship, of the Royal
Hellenic Navy until 1951. More than a century after its construction,
she is still afloat, one of just three armored cruisers still in
existence in the world. Originally intended for the Italian navy, the
ship was bought by Greece and soon saw her first action in the Balkan
Wars. In the Battle of Cape Helles (3 Dec 1912) Averof inflicted heavy
casualties on the Turkish fleet, following it up with a victory in the
Battle of Lemnos (5 Jan 1913).
In the 1920s the ship underwent a major refit in France, which included
modernizing her armament by replacing her obsolete torpedo tubes with
more anti-aircraft guns. When the Germans overran Greece in World War
Two, Averof made a dramatic escape to Alexandria, dodging attacks by the
Luftwaffe, despite Admiralty orders that she be scuttled. In 1941 she
escorted a convoy to India, being the first Greek vessel to enter Indian
waters since the time of Alexander the Great, and continued to serve on
escort duties throughout the war.
In 1945 Averof was laid up on the island of Poros and neglected until
1984 when the Greek Admiralty decided to resurrect the ship. After years
of slow refitting and preservation, the ship is now moored at Phaleron
on the coast of Athens as a floating naval museum. As well as giving
full technical specifications and operational history, including details
of her restoration, John Carr draws on firsthand accounts of the
officers and men to relate the long and remarkable career of this fine
ship.
