Averof Battleship Museum

Averof Battleship Museum

Found anchored at its Trocadero Quay home in Palaio Faliro you will find the Averof warship, which served as the flagship of the Royal Hellenic Navy and now has been converted into a floating Museum.

There are daily guides through all the working areas – where you can view the crew quarters, the weaponry, the gigantic cannons, as well as  discovering the glorious history of the ship from 1911 till 1952.
 

The unique armored cruiser saw its first action in the First Balkan War of 1912 under the command of Admiral Pavlos Kontouriotis. The battleship ruled the northeast Aegean and was an important part in the liberation of Mount Athos and the islands of Limnos, Thasos, Samothraki, Tenedos, Agios Eustratios, Mitilini, and Chios. The power of this ship and the success in the Aegean kept the Turkish Sultan from challenging the Greek Navy and kept the Turkish Navy out of the Aegean. In the Battle against the Turkish fleet Kountouriotis sent the message to the ships of his fleet which have become famous:

“By the power of God and the wishes of our King and in the name of justice, I sail towards the victory against the enemy of the Nation.”


The Averof flew the Greek flag in Constantinople with the victorious allied troops at the end of World War I, and carried Greek troops to Smyrna during the Asia Minor campaign. When World War Two broke out and Greece had to evacuate its army and government the Averof sailed to Egypt and then was sent to Bombay to patrol the Indian Ocean. In September of 1944 the Averof brought the government back from Egypt to the liberated Greece. In 1952 the ship was decommissioned and moved to the island of Poros where it was used as a training ship.

It was later abandoned for close to 30 years after being disarmed, until 1984, when the Hellenic Navy raised funds for its restoration to its current state of being.

Every Hellenic Navy ship entering or sailing in Faliron Bay honors the Averoff while passing. Crew members on decks stand to attention and officers salute, looking to the side where the Averoff is in sight until "Continue" is ordered.

By means of this museum, the second part of the wealthy benefactor, George Averoff's) dream has been achieved – that of providing national security and now education for generations to come.