Cruiser Georgios Averof

For this Sunday entertainment I decided to visit the Cruiser Georgios Averof (Γεώργιος Αβέρωφ) that was moored down in Flisvos, next to the marina. The cruiser is a one of a kind still left floating, any others have long already been sank or scrapped and relegated to the annals of history.

G. Aberof general arrangement

(courtesy of FB group Ships general arrangement plans)

The cruiser is named after a very successful Greek merchant of the same name from Metsovo in northern Greece. He made a fortune trading in Egypt and Sudan, and he probably also dabbled a bit in questionable goods as the former slave trading post in Omdurman still carries his name (Abu Ruf). 

G. Aberof in grey livery, 1911

(courtesy of FB group Ships general arrangement plans)

G Aberof in camouflage livery, 1941

(courtesy of FB group Ships general arrangement plans)

Nevertheless, his success was great and as such he donated to many great causes in Greece and his last donation was in his will the sum of 300000 GBP for commissioning a battle cruiser, for this, the Greek Navy named the said cruiser after him.

G. Aberof

(courtesy of FB group Ships general arrangement plans)

As per Wikipedia she was initially commissioned by the Italian Navy but they ran out funds and the yard as such offered the cruiser to the international market, here the Greeks stepped in having the donation from Georgios Averof and so they acquired her in 1909. She was then launched in 1910 and arrived Greece in 1911.

G Averof, view from bow to aft

She saw a lot of action starting with the Balkan War and then fighting the Turkish Navy and further on participated in WWI. In WWII she was already slow, outdated and prone to breakdowns but she managed to escape the Axis powers to Egypt. The Allied then put her in use as convoy escort in the Indian Ocean and Suez Canal. In 1944 she carried back the Greek Gov't in exile after the Germans had been ousted. In 1952 she was decommissioned and moved to Poros Island where she stayed 1956 - 1983. In 1984 she was reinstated as a museum ship and moved to Faliro, Athens. In 2017 she was refitted extensively to be seaworthy and then towed to Thessaloniki for a 53 day visit, which apparently was quite a spectacle.

GA plan onboard, aft section

Well, I went onboard and as it was Sunday there was lots of people about, also because she's still commissioned there was a lot of Naval personnel about and the ship wasn't that accessible at all. Basically I couldn't get any useful shots of places of interest like her bridge and engine room as they were closed off for the public. Nevertheless, an interesting walk around and to top it off I got a coffee mug from the gift shop.

GA plan onboard, mid section

GA plan onboard, forward section

Georgios Averof particulars 

Builder: Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando, Livorno
Laid down: 1907
Launched: 12 March 1910
Commissioned: 16 May 1911
Decommissioned: 1 August 1952
Nickname(s): "Lucky Uncle George"
"Seitan Papor" ("Devil's Ship") by Turks
Status: Ceremonially commissioned; museum ship

General characteristics
Class and type: Pisa-class armored cruiser
Displacement: 9,956 lt (10,116 t) (standard), 10,200 lt (10,400 t) (deep loaded)
Length: 140.13 m (459.7 ft)
Beam: 21 m (69 ft)
Draft: 7.18 m (23.6 ft)
Installed power: 22 × Belleville boilers 19,000 shp (14,000 kW)
Propulsion: 2 × compound-expansion steam engines 2 × shafts
Speed: 23.5 knots maximum, 20 knots operational
Range: 2,480' at 17.5 knots 
Complement: 670, maximum capacity: 1200
Armament: 

Original configuration:
2 × twin 234 mm (9.2 in) guns
4 × twin 190 mm (7.5 in) guns
16 × single 76 mm (3 in) guns
4 × single 47 mm (1.85 in) guns
3 × 430 mm (17 in) torpedo tubes
After refit:
2 × twin 234 mm (9.2 in) guns
4 × twin 190 mm (7.5 in) guns
8 × single 76 mm (3 in) guns
4 × single 76 mm (3 in) AA guns
6 × single 36 mm (1.42 in) AA guns
Armor Belt: 200 mm (7.9 in) midships, 80 mm (3.15 in) at ends
Deck: up to 40 mm (1.6 in)
Turrets: 200 mm (7.9 in) at 234mm turrets, 175 mm (6.9 in) at 190mm turrets
Barbettes: up to 180 mm (7.1 in)
Conning tower: up to 180 mm (7.1 in)

G Averof in Flisvos, view from aft

G Averof in Flisvos, view from aft