X-Nico

12 unusual facts about Hellenic Navy


Charles F. Adams-class destroyer

Four ships of this class were transferred to the Hellenic Navy in 1992, but those have also been decommissioned.

Greeks in Egypt

George Averoff has also helped for the building of the National Technical University of Athens, the Evelpidon Military Academy and the donation of the Greek battleship Georgios Averoff to the Hellenic Navy.

Hellenic Aerospace Industry

Furthermore, it has been approved and certified as a maintenance center for the C-130 aircraft by Lockheed Aeronautics, King Air aircraft by Raytheon and P-3 aircraft by the Hellenic Navy.

Hellenic Navy

Plagued by internal strife and financial difficulties in keeping the fleet in constant readiness, the Greeks failed to prevent the capture and destruction of Kasos and Psara in 1824, or the landing of the Egyptian army at Modon.

To that end, its commander-in-chief, Rear Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis, established a forward base at the Moudros bay at Lemnos, directly opposite the Dardanelles straits.

The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War.

Both governments embarked on a naval armaments race, with Greece purchasing the obsolete battleships Lemnos and Kilkis and the light cruiser Elli as well as ordering two dreadnoughts, the Vasilefs Konstantinos and the Salamis and a number of destroyers.

La Combattante IIIb-class fast attack craft

The Hellenic Navy has decided to modernize the Fast Attack Craft Missile Class La Combattante III and La Combattante IIIb.

Niki-class destroyer

The Niki class of destroyers were ordered by the Royal Hellenic Navy before World War I when the Greek government embarked on a naval buildup after losing the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.

Sofia Vembo

At the same time, she offered 2,000 gold pounds from her own fortune to the Hellenic Navy.

Spyros Kokotos

In 1959, Spyros Kokotos was drafted in the Hellenic Navy and received a military commission as an ensign (Greek: Επίκουρος Σημαιοφόρος) in December 1959.

Spyros Markezinis

In 1973, the predominantly royalist Hellenic Navy staged an abortive attempt to overthrow the military regime.


Nikephoros II Phokas

On 19 November 2004, the Hellenic Navy named its tenth Kortenaer class frigate in his honour as Nikiforos Fokas F-466 (formerly HNLMS Bloys Van Treslong F-824).