1910年在利沃诺建造的10000吨级RHNS Averof号在1951年之前一直是希腊皇家海军的旗舰，也是迄今为止最大的军舰。建造一个多世纪后，它仍然漂浮在水面上，是世界上仅存的三艘装甲巡洋舰之一。这艘船最初是为意大利海军设计的，后来被希腊买下，很快就在巴尔干战争中首次亮相。在海利斯角战役（1912年12月3日）中，阿维洛夫给土耳其舰队造成重大伤亡，随后在莱姆诺斯战役（1913年1月5日）中获胜。
20世纪20年代，该舰在法国进行了一次重大改装，包括用更多高射炮取代过时的鱼雷发射管，从而实现武器现代化。当德国人在第二次世界大战中攻占希腊时，阿维洛夫戏剧性地逃到了亚历山大港，躲过了德国空军的袭击，尽管海军部命令她被击沉。1941年，她护送一支护航队前往印度，这是自亚历山大大帝以来第一艘进入印度水域的希腊船只，并在整个战争期间继续担任护航任务。
1945年，阿维洛夫号被搁置在波罗斯岛上，直到1984年希腊海军部决定修复这艘船时才被忽视。经过多年的缓慢改装和保存，这艘船现在停泊在雅典海岸的法莱隆，作为一个漂浮的海军博物馆。除了提供完整的技术规格和操作历史，包括修复的细节，约翰·卡尔还利用了官兵的第一手资料，讲述了这艘优秀船只漫长而卓越的职业生涯。
阅读更多
RHNS Averof
Built at Livorno in 1910, the 10,000-ton RHNS Averof had the distinction of being the flagship, and by far the biggest warship, of the Royal Hellenic Navy until 1951. More than a century after its construction, she is still afloat, one of just three armored cruisers still in existence in the world. Originally intended for the Italian navy, the ship was bought by Greece and soon saw her first action in the Balkan Wars. In the Battle of Cape Helles (3 Dec 1912) Averof inflicted heavy casualties on the Turkish fleet, following it up with a victory in the Battle of Lemnos (5 Jan 1913).
In the 1920s the ship underwent a major refit in France, which included modernizing her armament by replacing her obsolete torpedo tubes with more anti-aircraft guns. When the Germans overran Greece in World War Two, Averof made a dramatic escape to Alexandria, dodging attacks by the Luftwaffe, despite Admiralty orders that she be scuttled. In 1941 she escorted a convoy to India, being the first Greek vessel to enter Indian waters since the time of Alexander the Great, and continued to serve on escort duties throughout the war.
In 1945 Averof was laid up on the island of Poros and neglected until 1984 when the Greek Admiralty decided to resurrect the ship. After years of slow refitting and preservation, the ship is now moored at Phaleron on the coast of Athens as a floating naval museum. As well as giving full technical specifications and operational history, including details of her restoration, John Carr draws on firsthand accounts of the officers and men to relate the long and remarkable career of this fine ship.
Read more
OR
