Hellenic Naval Air Service
Encyclopedia
The Hellenic Naval Air Service or ΝΑΥ was the air arm of the Hellenic Navy
Hellenic Navy
The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...

 from 1915 to 1930.

The first aviation units in the Greek Armed Forces
Military of Greece
The armed forces of Greece consist of:* The Hellenic National Defense General Staff* The Hellenic Army* The Hellenic Navy* The Hellenic Air ForceThe civilian authority for the Greek military is the Ministry of National Defense....

 were formed in June 1912. In the following 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...

, the Hellenic Navy was the first in military history to use aircraft to track down and bomb the enemy fleet (1913). The Naval Air Service was officially established during the First World War and participated with the Allies
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....

 in several missions over the Aegean
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...

. After participation in the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
The Greco–Turkish War of 1919–1922, known as the Western Front of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey and the Asia Minor Campaign or the Asia Minor Catastrophe in Greece, was a series of military events occurring during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I between May...

 a long period of peace followed during which the Naval Air Service was reorganized and upgraded, especially with the establishment of the State Aircraft Factory, which manufactured various types of aircraft. In 1930 the Naval Air Service was merged with the Hellenic Army Aviation and formed the third branch in the Greek Armed Forces, the Hellenic Air Force
Hellenic Air Force
The Hellenic Air Force, abbreviated to HAF is the air force of Greece. The mission of the Hellenic Air Force is to guard and protect Greek airspace, provide air assistance and support to the Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy, as well as the provision of humanitarian aid in Greece and around the...

.

The Hellenic Naval Air Service must not be confused with the current aviation branch of the Hellenic Navy, which includes the helicopter-equipped Navy Helicopter Command (Διοίκηση Ελικοπτέρων Ναυτικού – ΔΕΝ) and the 353rd Naval Cooperation Squadron (353 ΜΝΑΣ), run jointly with the Hellenic Air Force.

Preparations and Balkan Wars (1912–1913)

Aviation had been introduced to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 in February 1912, when Emmanouil Argyropoulos
Emmanouil Argyropoulos
Emmanouil Argyropoulos was a Greek pioneer aviator of the early 20th century. Apart from being the first Greek aviator who performed a flight over his homeland, he also became the first casualty of Greek military aviation.-First flight in Greece:...

 performed a flight, with his privately owned Nieuport IV
Nieuport IV
-External links:**...

.G aircraft, around Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

. An hour later a second flight was carried on with the Prime Minister of Greece, Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos was an eminent Greek revolutionary, a prominent and illustrious statesman as well as a charismatic leader in the early 20th century. Elected several times as Prime Minister of Greece and served from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1932...

 as passenger. Venizelos, impressed by the potential of air warfare, suggested that Greece should take advance of this new weapon. The following months a French military mission took up the development of Greek aviation by creating a fleet of four Maurice Farman MF.7
Farman MF.7
|-See also:-External links:* Contemporary technical description of the MF.7 with photographs and drawings....

 airplanes. In June 1912, aviator Dimitrios Kamperos modified one of the Farmans into a hydroplane, giving it the name of the mythical hero Daedalus
Daedalus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus was a skillful craftsman and artisan.-Family:...

.

When 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...

 broke out in October 1912, these airplanes performed a number of reconnaissance and bombing missions; the most notable was a sortie against the Ottoman fleet anchorage in the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...

, where First Lieutenant Michael Moutoussis
Michael Moutoussis
Michael Moutoussis was one of the first military aviators in the Greek Armed Forces. During the Balkan Wars he performed together with Aristeidis Moraitinis the first naval air co-operation mission in history.-Early career:...

 and Ensign Aristeidis Moraitinis
Aristeidis Moraitinis (aviator)
Aristeidis Moraitinis D.S.O. was a pioneer Greek military aviator of the early 20th century. During the Balkan Wars he performed together with Michael Moutoussis the first naval air mission in history, while in the following World War I, he became Greece's only ace with nine aerial victories in...

 spotted the Ottoman fleet and dropped four bombs. This mission is regarded as the first naval-air operation in military history and was widely commented upon in the press, both Greek and international. Meanwhile the Hellenic Navy, in the process of setting up its air arm, bought a fleet of Sopwith Gunbus
Sopwith Gunbus
|-See also:-References:*Bruce, J.M. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. London:Putnam, 1957.*Bruce, J.M. War Planes of the First World War: Volume Two Fighters. London:Macdonald, 1968. ISBN 0 356 01473 8....

 seaplanes (also known as Greek Seaplanes).

World War I

At the beginning of 1914 credits were voted for the creation of a naval aerodrome in Eleusina
Eleusina
Eleusina is a town and municipality in West Attica, Greece. It is situated about 18 km northwest from the centre of Athens. It is located in the Thriasian Plain, at the northernmost end of the Saronic Gulf. It is the seat of administration of West Attica regional unit...

, Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...

. Meanwhile, despite limited funds Aristeidis Moraitinis managed to establish the first naval aviation school and corps. In spring 1915 the establishment of an independent Naval Aviation Department within the Ministry of Naval Affairs and the incorporation of the Greek naval air fleet into the Greek Navy ensured the foundation of the Naval Air Service (NAY).
Meanwhile, disagreements between King Constantine I
Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...

 and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos was an eminent Greek revolutionary, a prominent and illustrious statesman as well as a charismatic leader in the early 20th century. Elected several times as Prime Minister of Greece and served from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1932...

 over whether Greece should enter World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, lead to political instability and the National Schism (1914–1916). Greece officially joined 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....

 at June 1917, however the anti-royalist party of the country under the leadership of Venizelos formed a Movement of National Defence
Movement of National Defence
The Movement of National Defence was an uprising by Venizelist officers of the Hellenic Army in Thessaloniki in August 1916 against the royal government in Athens. It led to the establishment of a separate, Venizelist Greek government in the north of the country, which entered the First World...

 that supported the Allied military operations in the region from December 1916.
During the following years (1917–1918), a fighter and bomber squadron, known as "Z" Squadron , was created by Greek personnel under direct Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...

 command and carried out operations in the northern Aegean
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...

, based at Moudros
Moudros
Moudros is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lemnos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lemnos, of which it is a municipal unit. It covers the entire eastern peninsula of the island, with a land area of 185.127 km²,...

 (Lemnos
Lemnos
Lemnos is an island of Greece in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos peripheral unit, which is part of the North Aegean Periphery. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Myrina...

) and Thasos
Thasos
Thasos or Thassos is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea, close to the coast of Thrace and the plain of the river Nestos but geographically part of Macedonia. It is the northernmost Greek island, and 12th largest by area...

. Moreover, a joint Army-Navy flight school was established at Moudros. The activity of "Z" Squadron included anti-submarine sweeps, attacks against targets of vital importance, as well as dogfights. Among the most significant missions were the night raids against the Gallipoli-Constantinople peninsula in June 1917, the heavy bombings of enemy positions in the Macedonian front
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...

, as well as Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...

, Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

. In 1918 the Naval Aviation had four squadrons of Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...

 biplanes and other aircraft, while each one counted ca. 10-12 aircraft.

Aristeidis Moraitinis, the commander of the Hellenic Naval Air Service, acquired the nickname the Fearless Aviator by his British colleagues and counted nine victories in total, becoming so Greece's only World War I ace. In one occasion, on 20 January 1918, Moraitinis, fought ten enemy aircraft which attacked two British Sopwith Baby
Sopwith Baby
-See also:...

 seaplanes he was escorting on their way to bomb the Turkish battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim (the former German ) and managed to shoot down three of them.

Greco-Turkish War and Interwar period

In the following Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 the Naval Aviation formed one squadron, that together with additional four of the Army Aviation Service participated in operations in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...

. This squadron initially consisted of 10 Airco DH.9
Airco DH.9
The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...

 bombers and 15 Sopwith Camel F.1 fighters.

The Asia Minor Campaign was followed by a long period of peace during which both the Hellenic Army and Naval Aviation Services were reorganized and upgraded. From 1925 new types of aircraft of British and, mainly, French manufacture were delivered. At 1925, in co-operation with the British Company Blackburn Aircraft
Blackburn Aircraft
Blackburn Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that concentrated mainly on naval and maritime aircraft during the first part of the 20th century.-History:...

, the State Aircraft Factory (KEA) was set up in Phaleron, near Athens. The factory developed a number of aircraft that were designed by Blackburn Aircraft and built under license, like the two-seat torpedo carrier, T3A Velos
Blackburn Velos
|-See also:-References:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft . London: Orbis Publishing.* Jackson, A.J. Blackburn Aircraft since 1909. London:Putnam, 1968. ISBN 370 00053 6....

 and the KEA Chelidon, as well as the Armstrong Whitworth Atlas
Armstrong Whitworth Atlas
|-See also:-External links:* *...

 and the Avro 504
Avro 504
The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during...

. On the other hand, a new Naval Aviation school was established at Tatoi
Tatoi
Tatoi, located 5 km north of Athens's suburbs, and 27 km from the Athenian Acropolis was the summer palace and 10,000 acre estate of the former Greek Royal Family, and the site of George II of the Hellenes's birth...

, Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...

, in 1926.

In 1930 the Air Ministry was founded and the Hellenic Air Force
Hellenic Air Force
The Hellenic Air Force, abbreviated to HAF is the air force of Greece. The mission of the Hellenic Air Force is to guard and protect Greek airspace, provide air assistance and support to the Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy, as well as the provision of humanitarian aid in Greece and around the...

 was established as a unified independent branch of the Hellenic Armed Forces. Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos was an eminent Greek revolutionary, a prominent and illustrious statesman as well as a charismatic leader in the early 20th century. Elected several times as Prime Minister of Greece and served from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1932...

 was sworn in as the first Air Minister and assigned the reorganisation of the branch to the veteran aviator Alexandros Zannas.

Notable personnel

  • Aristeidis Moraitinis
    Aristeidis Moraitinis (aviator)
    Aristeidis Moraitinis D.S.O. was a pioneer Greek military aviator of the early 20th century. During the Balkan Wars he performed together with Michael Moutoussis the first naval air mission in history, while in the following World War I, he became Greece's only ace with nine aerial victories in...

    , commander of the Hellenic Naval Air Service (1917–1918) and World War I ace.
  • Konstantinos Panagiotou, commander (1918).
  • Pantelis Psychas, World War I aviator, awarded the British Distinguished Service Cross
    Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
    The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...

    .
  • Spyridon Hambas, World War I aviator.
  • Dimitrios Argyropoulos, World War I aviator and the first casualty of the Hellenic Naval Air Service (1917).
  • Thanos Veloudios, distinguished during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922).

Aircraft of the Hellenic Naval Air Service

1912–1922

  • Airco DH.4
  • Airco DH.6
    Airco DH.6
    The Airco DH.6 was a British military trainer biplane used by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Known by various nicknames, including the "Skyhook", the trainer became a widely used light civil aircraft in the postwar era....

  • Airco DH.9
    Airco DH.9
    The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...

  • Ansaldo A-1 Balilla
  • Astra Hydroplane
    Astra C
    |-References:* * -See also:...

  • Bristol Scout C
  • Fairey Hamble Baby
    Fairey Hamble Baby
    -See also:...

  • Henry Farman H.F.20
  • Henry Farman H.F.22
  • Henry Farman H.F.27
  • Maurice Farman Hydravion
    Farman MF.7
    |-See also:-External links:* Contemporary technical description of the MF.7 with photographs and drawings....

  • Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c
  • Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e
  • Short 184
  • Shopwith Greek Seaplane
    Sopwith Gunbus
    |-See also:-References:*Bruce, J.M. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. London:Putnam, 1957.*Bruce, J.M. War Planes of the First World War: Volume Two Fighters. London:Macdonald, 1968. ISBN 0 356 01473 8....

     (Gunbus)
  • Sopwith 1½ Strutter Type 9400
    Sopwith 1½ Strutter
    The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a British one or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British-designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun...

  • Sopwith 1½ Strutter Type 9700
    Sopwith 1½ Strutter
    The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a British one or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British-designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun...

  • Sopwith Baby
    Sopwith Baby
    -See also:...

  • Sopwith Bat-Boat
  • Sopwith Camel F.1
  • Sopwith Pup
    Sopwith Pup
    The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...


1923–1930

  • Armstrong Whitworth Atlas
    Armstrong Whitworth Atlas
    |-See also:-External links:* *...

  • Avro 504N/O
    Avro 504
    The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during...

  • Blackburn Velos T.3A
    Blackburn Velos
    |-See also:-References:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft . London: Orbis Publishing.* Jackson, A.J. Blackburn Aircraft since 1909. London:Putnam, 1968. ISBN 370 00053 6....

  • Bristol F.2b Fighter Mk IV
    Bristol F.2 Fighter
    The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...

  • Hanriot H.41
    Hanriot H.41
    The Hanriot H.41 was a military trainer aircraft produced in France in the 1920s. It was a further development in the family of aircraft that had commenced with the HD.14 in 1920, and incorporated a number of design features that had been developed for other members of that family...

  • Hawker Horsley MkII
    Hawker Horsley
    |-See also:-Bibliography:* Jarrett, Philip. "By Day and By Night: Hawker Horsley part 1". Aeroplane Monthly, Volume 21 No 10, Issue 246, October 1993. pp. 32–40....

  • KEA Chelidon
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