Greek cruiser Elli

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Career
Elli
Ordered:	1914
Laid down:	May 12, 1913
Launched:	May 4, 1912
Commissioned:	1914
Decommissioned:	August 15, 1940
Fate:	sunk by Italian submarine Delfino
Current position:	near Tinos
General Characteristics
Displacement:	Full load 2,600 tons, standard displacement 2.115 tons tons
Length:	98 m.
Beam:	12 m
Draft:	4.3 m.
Speed:	Maximum Speed 26 knots
Complement:	238
Armament:	3 x 152 mm (6 in) (3x1) 2 x 76 mm (3 in) 3 x 40 mm 2 x 483 mm (19 in) torpedo tubes Transportation capacity for 100 mines.
Powerplant:	three propellers, 26 knot maximum speed
Armour:	unknown

Elli (Greek: Κ/Δ Ελλη) was a 2,600 ton Greek light cruiser (in greek Εύδρομο (interwar period term) or Ελαφρύ Καταδρομικό (World War II terminology)) named for a naval battle of the First Balkan War in which Greece was victorious.

She was originally ordered built as the Fei Hung by the Chinese government, but due to the Nationalist revolution in 1912-13, the order was cancelled. Completed in 1914 by New York Shipbuilding in the United States, she was purchased by Greece as part of their program of naval expansion after the Balkan Wars. She saw action during World War I and in the Asia Minor Expedition.

In 1920 she underwent a reconstruction in France along with Averof. In that reconstruction she obtained modern Anti Aircraft armament and the equipment to carry and lay 100 sea mines.

Image of the explosion of the torpedo to wharf of Tinos harbor in August 15 1940. Elli can be seen at right and the bell tower of the Church of the Dormition can be seen to the left of the power pole

She was sunk during peacetime, on August 15, 1940, 8:25 am while she rode at anchor, by the Italian submarine Delfino near the island of Tinos. The Elli was in Tinos participating in the celebrations of the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. One of the four torpedoes fired hit the Elli under the one operating boiler and she caught fire and sunk. Nine petty officers and sailors were killed and 24 were wounded. The same submarine attempted to torpedo the passenger ships M/V Elsi and M/V Esperos anchored in the port. This attempt failed and only a section of the port's wharf was damaged by torpedoes.

Fragments of the torpedoes were recovered, and identified as Italian in origin. The Greek government however, trying to avoid a confrontation with Italy at the time, announced that the nationality of the attacking submarine was unknown, an act that did not prevent the Greco-Italian War two months later, and did not convince the Greek people who were well aware of the real perpetrator.

After war, as compensation for the sinking of Elli, Italy gave Greece the cruiser Eugenio di Savoia which was commissioned in June 1950 for the Royal Hellenic Navy with the name Elli. She served until 1973. Since 1982, a Standard Class frigate, F-450 Elli, the lead ship of the Elli class bears the same name.