Greek destroyer Vasilefs Georgios (D 14)
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| Image:- Vasilefs Georgios (D 14) | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | - |
| Laid down: | 1937 |
| Launched: | March 3, 1938 |
| Commissioned: | February 15, 1939 |
| Decommissioned: | - |
| Fate: | scuttled on May 7, 1943 |
| Current position: | - |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | standard displacement 1,414 tons tons |
| Length: | 97.5 m |
| Beam: | 9.7 m. |
| Draft: | 2.7 m. |
| Speed: | Maximum Speed 35 knots |
| Complement: | 145 |
| Armament: | Original configuration: 4 x 5 in (127 mm), 4 x 37mm A/A, 2 x 4 21 in T/T German refit: 4 x 5 in (127 mm), 4 x 37mm A/A, 4 x 20mm A/A, 2 x 4 21 in T/T |
| Powerplant: | Boilers: 3 Yarrow 3 drum boilers, Engines: 2 shaft Parsons turbines, Shafts: 2 (twin screw ship), Power: 34,000 hp, Range: 4,800 nautical miles at 19 kts |
| Armour: | |
Vasilefs Georgios (Greek: Α/Τ Βασιλεύς Γεώργιος) was a Greek destroyer, the lead ship of its class, which served with the Royal Hellenic Navy and the German Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. The ship was named after King George I, and was the second ship to bear this name.
[edit] In Greek service
Built by Yarrow & Company (Scotstoun, Scotland), along with her sister ship, the Vasilissa Olga, she was the most modern ship of the Greek Navy at the outbreak of the Second World War, serving as the flagship of the Destroyer Flotilla. During the Greco-Italian War, she operated in convoy escort duty and participated in the first and third naval raids against Italian shipping in the Strait of Otranto (14-15 November 1940, and 4-5 January 1941).
During the German invasion of Greece, on April 14 1941, while anchored in Sofikos Bay in the Saronic Gulf, she was attacked by German aircraft and suffered severe damages. Under the command of her captain, Cmdr. P. Lappas, she managed to reach the Salamis Naval Yard where she was dry docked. However, due to the rapid German advance and the inability of repairs to be completed on time, she was finally scuttled to prevent capture.
[edit] In German service
The Germans nonetheless were able to raise and repair her, and commissioned her into the Kriegsmarine as ZG 3 Hermes on March 21 1942. She was used as the flagship of the German Aegean flotilla, serving mainly in convoy escort duties, under Kapitän zur See Johannesson. On November 16 1942, near Cape Kafireas, one of these convoys came under attack by the RHN submarine Triton and resulted with the sinking of the Triton by one of the escorting vessels.
From April 1943, under Fregattenkapitän Rechel, she was employed in escorting convoys to Tunisia. There she had a success, sinking the British submarine HMS Splendid on April 21. Ten days later, however, she was attacked by Allied aircraft off Cape Bon, resulting in 23 dead and heavy damages. She was towed to La Goulette, and scuttled there on May 7, as the Allies entered Tunis.
[edit] Sources
- Summary of the ship's history from the Hellenic Navy website
- Short article in the German Naval History page
- Short summary from the Württembergische Landesbibliothek
| G and H class destroyers |
| Royal Navy |
| Grenville | Gallant | Garland | Gipsy | Glowworm | Grafton | Grenade | Grenville | Greyhound | Griffin |
| Hardy | Hasty | Havock | Hereward | Hero (later Chaudiere) | Hostile | Hotspur | Hunter | Hyperion |
| Harvester | Havant | Havelock | Hesperus | Highlander | Hurricane |
| Royal Hellenic Navy |
| Vasilefs Georgios | Vasilissa Olga |
List of destroyers of the Royal Navy List of naval ships of Greece |
