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Greek cruiser Elli (1912)
Sunk
Elli was a 2,600-ton Greek protected cruiser named for the First Balkan War naval victory at Elli. She was originally laid down in the United States as the Chinese cruiser Fei Hung before being sold to Greece after the Chinese order was cancelled amid the 1911-13 revolution.
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Resources
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- Navypedia: Elli Light Cruiser (1914)Website
Technical reference with design history, protection scheme, and service details useful for scale modelers.
- Wikipedia: Greek cruiser Elli (1912)Website
Overview article covering the ship's origins as the Chinese cruiser Fei Hung, her WWI service, 1920 refit, and sinking in 1940.
- WW2DB: Protected Cruiser ElliWebsite
Summary of the ship's specifications and sinking by the Italian submarine Delfino in 1940, with a timeline of her operational history.
History
Specifications
The ship displaced about 2,115 long tons standard and 2,600 long tons full load, was 98 m long with a 12 m beam and 4.3 m draft. Armament comprised three 6-inch guns, two 3-inch guns, torpedo tubes, and (after a 1920 refit) anti-aircraft guns and capacity for 100 mines; protection was limited to a protected deck rather than belt armor, making her suitable for a protected/light cruiser model kit rather than an armored cruiser.
Service history
Completed in 1913 and commissioned into the Hellenic Navy in 1914, Elli saw service in World War I, including a period under French control after the 1916 confiscation of the Greek fleet during the National Schism, before returning to Greek service in 1917. She was rebuilt in France in 1920 alongside the armored cruiser Georgios Averof, gaining AA guns and minelaying gear, and later took part in the 1919-1922 Asia Minor Expedition, including the evacuation of Smyrna.
Notable facts
Elli was sunk without warning on 15 August 1940 by the Italian submarine Delfino while anchored off Tinos during a religious festival, an incident that became a major prelude to the Greco-Italian War. Nine crew were killed; Italy later gave Greece the cruiser Eugenio di Savoia as war reparations, which was recommissioned as a second Elli in 1950.