Greek battleship Psara
Encyclopedia
The steel ironclad warship
Psara , named for one of the Aegean Sea
islands that played a key role in the war at sea during the Greek War of Independence
, served in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1889 - 1929.
The ship, along with her two sister ships of the Hydra class
(Spetsai
and Hydra
), was ordered from France
in 1885 during the premiership of Charilaos Trikoupis
, as part of a wider reorganization and modernization of the Hellenic armed forces, which had proved themselves inadequate during the Cretan
uprising of 1866 and the Russo-Turkish War
of 1877-1878.
The ship saw limited action in the Greco-Turkish War (1897)
. In 1899 she visited officially Marseilles for the celebration of the anniversary of the foundation of the city and in 1902 represented the Greek government in the coronation of Edward VII of the United Kingdom. By the outbreak of the Balkan Wars
in 1912, Psara was already obsolete, however she did take part in the war under the command of Captain Andreas Miaoulis. She, along with the other two Hydra class battleships, took part in the two decisive naval battles of Elli
and Limnos
.
During World War I, Greece belatedly entered the war on the side of the Triple Entente
and the Hydra class ships served as coastal defense. Afterwards Psara became a school for quartermasters and later a school for junior boys at Poros, until she was sold for scrap in 1932.
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
Psara , named for one of the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
islands that played a key role in the war at sea during the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
, served in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1889 - 1929.
The ship, along with her two sister ships of the Hydra class
Hydra class battleship
The three Hydra-class ships, Hydra, Spetsai and Psara, were ordered from France in 1885 during the premiership of Charilaos Trikoupis, as part of a wider reorganization and modernization of the Greek armed forces, which had proved themselves inadequate during the Cretan uprising of 1866 and the...
(Spetsai
Greek battleship Spetsai
The Spetsai was a Greek steel battleship serving in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1890 until 1920. She was named after the Saronic Gulf island of Spetses, which played a key role in the war at sea during the Greek War of Independence.The ship, along with her two sister ships of the Hydra Class, was...
and Hydra
Greek battleship Hydra
The Ironclad warship Hydra , named for one of the Saronic Gulf islands which played a key role in the war at sea during the Greek War of Independence, served in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1889 - 1929....
), was ordered from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1885 during the premiership of Charilaos Trikoupis
Charilaos Trikoupis
Charilaos Trikoupis was a Greek politician who served as a Prime Minister of Greece seven times from 1875 until 1895....
, as part of a wider reorganization and modernization of the Hellenic armed forces, which had proved themselves inadequate during the Cretan
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
uprising of 1866 and the Russo-Turkish War
Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878
The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Eastern Orthodox coalition led by the Russian Empire and composed of numerous Balkan...
of 1877-1878.
The ship saw limited action in the Greco-Turkish War (1897)
Greco-Turkish War (1897)
The Greco-Turkish War of 1897, also called the Thirty Days' War and known as the Black '97 in Greece, was a war fought between the Kingdom of Greece and Ottoman Empire. Its immediate cause was the question over the status of the Ottoman province of Crete, whose Greek majority long desired union...
. In 1899 she visited officially Marseilles for the celebration of the anniversary of the foundation of the city and in 1902 represented the Greek government in the coronation of Edward VII of the United Kingdom. By the outbreak of the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
in 1912, Psara was already obsolete, however she did take part in the war under the command of Captain Andreas Miaoulis. She, along with the other two Hydra class battleships, took part in the two decisive naval battles of Elli
Naval Battle of Elli
The Battle of Elli , also known as the Battle of the Dardanelles, took place near the mouth of the Dardanelles on as part of the First Balkan War between the fleets of Greece and the Ottoman Empire...
and Limnos
Naval Battle of Lemnos
The Battle of Lemnos , fought on , was a naval battle during the First Balkan War, which defeated the second and last attempt of the Ottoman Empire to break the Greek naval blockade of the Dardanelles and reclaim supremacy over the Aegean Sea from Greece....
.
During World War I, Greece belatedly entered the war on the side of the Triple Entente
Triple Entente
The Triple Entente was the name given to the alliance among Britain, France and Russia after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907....
and the Hydra class ships served as coastal defense. Afterwards Psara became a school for quartermasters and later a school for junior boys at Poros, until she was sold for scrap in 1932.