Georgios Averof

Type

Armored Cruiser

Period

20th Century

Nation

Other

Overview: Georgios Averof is a modified Pisa-class armored cruiser built in Italy for the Royal Hellenic Navy in the early 20th century, and remains the only ship of her type still in existence, preserved today as a museum ship. Though technically an armored cruiser, she is popularly known in Greece as a battleship (thorikto). Specifications: The ship displaced roughly 9,956 long tons standard (up to 10,200 long tons deep load), measured 140.13 m in length with a 21 m beam and 7.18 m draft, and was powered by 22 Belleville boilers driving two compound-expansion steam engines generating 19,000 shp for a maximum speed of 23.5 knots. As a modified member of the Pisa class, she shared her basic design with the Italian sisters Pisa and Amalfi, though with a differing armament and equipment fit reflecting mixed international sourcing. Service History: Launched in March 1910 and commissioned in May 1911, Averof became the most modern warship in the Aegean and served as flagship of Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis during the First Balkan War, playing a major role at the battles of Elli and Lemnos against the Ottoman Navy. She went on to serve through World War I, the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922, and World War II, evading capture by Germany in 1941 to continue operating with the Allies, before being decommissioned in August 1952. Notable Facts: She carries the nickname "Lucky Uncle George" among other affectionate wartime monikers reflecting her reputation for surviving hardship undamaged. After decades laid up at Poros, she was restored and reopened in 1984 as a floating naval museum at Palaio Faliro, Athens, and in 2017 was towed to Thessaloniki for a widely attended public exhibition tour.