Now For Something Completely Different, The Dreadnaught Averof

I have long had a great interest in naval history and one of my hopes of this trip was to make it to the Greek Naval Museum in Paliofaliro.

The main attraction there is the Averof

The Battleship Averof [really a heavy cruiser] is the last 'dreadnought' heavy cruiser of its kind in the world.

The first dreadnought [a category of ship named after the first of its kind HMS Dreadnought] was built in 1906 and marked a change in naval architecture.

The Averof was built in 1910 and thus features the early form modern battleships took.

Through the years the great battleships, with ever bigger armament , ever thicker armour and faster speeds, were the masters of the oceans.

This evolution would culminate in the great battleships of early WW2 when the world learned how vulnerable these ships were to air attack.

The Averof has a history of humour and distinction.

For many years it was it was the greatest weapon platform in the Aegean.











It almost single handed won two great naval confrontations against the Turks in the First Balkan War [1912-13] .

This gave the Greeks uncontested control of the Aegean following the First World War until 1941, and this ship was the reason.

It's main armament were 4 - 9.2 inch guns that could hurl a 1000 pound shell accurately over 20 miles.











This is the exterior of the magazines where the shells and propellants were stored. On the black rails, hanging from the ceiling, the munitions were run to elevators that lifted the explosives to the turrets, three decks above.

I could barely stand up in this space and had to take care not to whack my head. That door was a real challenge to get through. The further into the ship I went the more claustrophobic I became. Unbelievable that men could function here.







After surviving the Battle for Greece and the Battle for Crete [1941] the Averof served as an escort ship for convoys in the Indian Ocean.
















It remains in active service today. It is assigned to 'long term repairs' at its birth where it is a proud symbol of Greek naval ability where it also serves as a museum.

On the humorous side of this ship's history is the story of when it sailed to England for the coronation of King George V. The Greek crew was served blue cheese. They had never seen such food. They rioted- causing a near mutiny. I might rebel as well- I do not care for rotten cheese either!

This is the crew's mess. Note the bags hooked on the wall- these are their kits where each stored his entire personal belongings.







These are the officer's dinner service.

Doesn't compare very well does it?

Such was turn of the century life. Remember the Titanic where the difference between first class and third class represented world's apart.

This is how the crew's beds are arranged for sleeping.

Note the table and benches have been attached to the ceiling.

This is how it was at the turn of the century- the 'old world' separation of officer and sailor was a gulf across which few ever crossed.







Recently a wealthy Greek shipping tycoon and actress used the ship for a wedding reception, without permission, causing a scandal.

Some things never change!

This is the officers mess-

no beds in sight here-

they each had their own room!










A senior officer's  room










                               



An officer's 'head'














The captains's quarters. This space appears to match the space of all the others combined!

This was part of the disaster of WW1-

old habits, old ways, entitlement, and family hierarchy against a new world of mechanized killing that 19th century outdated values simply had not adapted to.

As a result- millions died.

The Averof represents a living example of the past rarely experienced anymore. Most all of these great ships have been destroyed in war or laid to scrap long ago.

Naval Museum Chania

The Chania Naval Museum is a collection of scale models wonderfully crafted. While I was there I found my way into the back workshop where two men were making yet another model from scratch. 


Human beings are known to have been building boats since the Metholithic [middle stone age] Period, about 13,000 years ago.

Circa 6000 BCE we begin to see advanced ships capable of real sea travel, the exercise of power and trade.

This is an example of one such design. Note the fish on the bow.

This is what an early Minoan trading ship is believed to have looked like.

Little archaeological evidence has been found of these early ships dating back 5000 years or more.

Much is conjecture from the evidence that does exist





The cutaway views are what really help us understand the nature and structure of these vessels.

Note the cargo hold and how large the capacity of these ships may have been. 

The Minoans pioneered real ship design and built the first sophisticated ships in the world.

China was also building great seafaring ships about the same time. Was there communication or a sharing of technology in the distant past? Recent evidence is suggesting windows of trade and travel opened and closed at various times in the distant past, especially in the bronze age when the Minoans reached their peak.





The advances in technology over a 1500 years are evident.

The use of human power [slaves?] speaks to the evolution of civilization.

This would have been a combat vessel with the early ram intended to 'spear' an opponent and provide a ramp for soldiers to board supported by others on the raised rampart.

This is a Greek warship that would have been built in the time of the Athenian Empire [500 BCE] which controlled the Aegean Sea and exercised power as far away as Italy.

It was these ships that held the Persian Empire at bay until Alexander the Great [300 BCE] invaded and destroyed them as a political power.







As an aside, the Jewish people of the Persian Empire gladly supported Persian rule as Persia protected their relative freedom, especially in terms of freedom of faith.

It was Cyrus who allowed the Jewish Exiles to return home in the year 539 BCE and rebuild the temple. This is when Judaism as we know it began



This is a Roman Trieme -so named because of its three banks of rowers. It was the Carthaginians that appear to have master the naval fighting ship and the Romans adopted their superior design.

It is estimated these ships could get up to 20 knots of ramming speed, for a brief time and under the right conditions.

These are the ships Augustus, Anthony and Cleopatra used at the decisive battle of Achtion that ended the Roman Civil War and began the Republic a couple of decades before Jesus was born.



This is the design of a Venetian ship circa 1200 CE. 

Can you imagine to work and patience that goes into building one of these models.

All the pieces are fashioned from scratch by these talented modelers.

The quality of the work is wonderful. Hundreds of hours go into each model.









 If I understood the one man who spoke some English in the workshop of the Museum, there are seven of them on the team who work away on various projects, some collectively and some independently.

The Museum features 6000 years of naval architecture researched from many sources and archaeological evidence.

Chania was a Venetian Port City beginning about 1200 CE.

This large model [about 8'X8'] shows how the city looked at that time.

Many of the old structures presented earlier in this blog can be located on this model.

The Museum also features more recent history.

This frigate represents some to the incredible quality of the ships as human beings approached the end of the age of sail.

If you have never visited a tall ship, it is well worth the visit to appreciate the technology of these vessels and the skill of teamwork required to work one.







At the turn of the 19th century the first sophisticated steel ships were being made into weapons platforms.

This is an example of one of these early 20th century ships






By the time of WW2, 40 years later, human beings had mastered the skill of killing one another at sea.

This is a six foot long model of a US battleship.

These capital ships came at the end of the age of battleships, as air power during WW2 revealed their vulnerability to air attack. 

The Museum has walk in displays such as this replica bridge structure of a small WW2 destroyer
















There is little here designed for comfort!










These are the mechanical parts of a German WW2 torpedo.

Again we are reminded that 80% of all the research that goes on in the world is first of a military nature.

Imagine if we could find the will to turn that number on its head and use 80% of our energy for the greater human good?




When I get to Athens next week I'm planning on visiting the naval museum in Pireaus.

On that site is the only surviving real dreadnaught in the world. These great WW1 battleships changed naval warfare.

However, if you are ever in Chania- this museum will be well worth the visit as this is just a taste of what it offers.  It is wonderfully laid out, well explained in English as well as Greek, and the old building itself is a treat with its arches, old windows and great architecture.