Georgios Averoff
1911
(Hai 440)
- Class: Pisa - 1 armoured cruiser of 1907
- Displacement: 9,958 tons
- Dimensions: 462 x 69 x 25 ft
- Machinery: Triple expansion, 2 screws, IHP 19,000 = 22.5 knots
- Armor: Main belt 8 in, deck 2 in
- Armament: 4-9.2in (2x2), 8-7.5in (4x2), 16-76mm (16x1); 3-18in TT
- Complement: 670
- Builder: Orlando & Co., Livorno, Italy
- Laid Down: 1905
- Launched: Mar 1910
- Completed: 1911
- Notes: Laid down as a sister to the Italian armored cruisers Pisa and Amalfi, the Georgios Averoff was bought by the Greek Navy while still on the stocks. Named for the Greek millionaire who bequeathed money for improving the navy, she became the flagship of the Greek Navy in 1911. As the strongest unit in the Balkan navies, she played an important role in defeating the Turkish forces at the Battles of Helli on 3 Dec 1912 and Lemnos on 5-6 Jan 1913. Underwent two refits during the 1920s, trading in torpedo tubes for improved AA. Following the German invasion of Greece in the spring of 1941, she escaped to Alexandria and served as a convoy escort in the Indian Ocean until 1944. Decommissioned in 1946, she served as an accomodation ship and is now preserved as a museum ship at Poros. She is the only surviving armored cruiser
of the early 20th century.
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