The amount of research done by the author for this book is good but not exhaustive, since there aren't many sources available and the only ones that can be based upon are in Greek. The first 50 pages of the book attempt to cover three thousand years of Greek naval history, and I would say that this was not absolutely necessary for a work of this modest size. There are few references and much of the text relies exclusively on the memoirs of two Greek admirals (Koundouriotis and Sakellariou) who had their own axes to grid and cannot be considered as totally objective.
RHNS "Averof" was built in Livorno at the Orlando Bros shipyards according to the most advanced naval architecture of the time, was completed in 1910 and was bought by the Greeks with the crucial help of a renowned Greek arms dealer while archenemy Turkey also wanted her badly in order to modernize its navy, and made a desperate bid to acquire her. At 10,200 tons "Averof" was one of the largest vessels ever to enter service in the Greek navy from antiquity to the present time (and quite unlikely to be surpassed in the foreseeable future!), and therefore the flagship. Soon saw action in the Balkan Wars and played a crucial role in two great naval battles near the entrance of the Dardanelles: the Battle of Cape Helles (December 1912) and the Battle of Lemnos (January 1913). These two battles resulted in the Turkish fleet (or what was left of it) to be bottled up for good in the Sea of Marmara and the whole Aegean to pass under Greek control thereafter. The two naval battles were so important that the Greek navy regularly named some of its most prestigious vessels after them, a habit that was kept even in the 1980s with the first two new Kortenaer class frigates been purchased from the Netherlands.
After a major refit and modernisation in 1920 at Toulon, France, "Averof" became a pawn in the hands of military figures who attempted revolutions, coups and counter-coups. When the Germans overran Greece in 1941, she managed to escape to Alexandria despite the fact that the Luftwaffe had almost total control of the air in the Aegean Sea, and despite the fact that the Chief of Naval Staff ordered her to be scuttled! After reaching Egypt, she then escorted a few convoys into the Indian Ocean but gradually became of limited value because she remained a coal-fired warship in an era of oil-fired fast destroyers, cruisers, battleships and aircraft carriers and her modernisation was judged as too expensive for her remaining lifetime. Thus she spent most of her time docked in India and when she returned back to Egypt in 1944 she became again the scene of mutinies organized by communists among her crew. In 1945 the Averof was laid up at the small island of Poros and neglected for almost 40 years. Then, after years of refitting and preservation, she was moored at Phaleron bay, Athens, as a floating naval museum where it remains until the present day.
The book contains some minor mistakes (like that of the ship's guns' caliber being 9.5 in instead of 9.2 in, or that the officers of the "Averof" were sentenced in 1942 up to 20 years of imprisonment in India, whence these sentences were enforced only to junior ranks of mutineers) and has a nice collection of 5 maps and 55 b&w images. This as a very good account of a little-known but extremely lucky and important ship and it will probably be very interesting for people who plan to visit Greece and have the chance to board this old warrior of the seas.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2016
Top reviews from other countries
Ralph Cook
Poorly researched, highly biased and lightweight.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2014
xxxx
delivery service was very good book content was hard to read and told you ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2014