View source for Greek destroyer Vasilefs Georgios

{{Short description|Greek lead ship of Vasilefs Georgios-class}}
{{other ships|Greek ship Vasilefs Georgios}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Greek.destroyer.bas.georgios.jpg
|Ship caption=''Vasilefs Georgios''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Greece
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Greece|royalnavy}}
|Ship name=''Vasilefs Georgios'' (ΒΠ ''Βασιλεύς Γεώργιος'')
|Ship namesake=King [[George I of Greece]]
|Ship ordered=29 January 1937
|Ship builder=[[Yarrow Shipbuilders|Yarrow & Company]], [[Scotstoun]]
|Ship laid down=February 1937
|Ship launched=3 March 1938
|Ship commissioned=15 February 1939
|Ship fate=[[Scuttled]], 20 April 1941
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=[[Nazi Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}}
|Ship name=''ZG3''
|Ship commissioned=21 March 1942
|Ship renamed=''Hermes'', 22 August 1942
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship fate=*Scuttled, 7 May 1943
*[[Marine salvage|Salvaged]], 1943, then [[ship breaking|scrapped]] after 1945
|Ship acquired=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(as built)
|Ship class=[[G and H-class destroyer#Royal Hellenic Navy ships|G and H-class]] [[destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1371|t|LT|abbr=on}} ([[Standard displacement|standard]])
* {{convert|1879|t|LT|abbr=on}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|97.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|9.7|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|2.7|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|34000|shp|lk=in|abbr=on}}
* 3 [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts; 2 geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|36|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|3760|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|20|kn}}
|Ship complement=162
|Ship armament=*4 × single {{convert|12.7|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} guns
* 4 × single {{convert|3.7|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} [[AA gun]]s
* 2 × quadruple {{convert|1.27|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} AA machine guns
* 2 × quadruple {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
* 2 × [[depth charge]] launchers and 1 depth charge rack
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''''Vasilefs Georgios''''' ({{langx|el|ΒΠ Βασιλεύς Γεώργιος}}) (''King George'') was the [[lead ship]] of [[G and H-class destroyer#Royal Hellenic Navy ships|her class]] of two [[destroyer]]s built for the [[Royal Hellenic Navy]] before the [[Second World War]]. [[Flagship]] of the navy's Destroyer [[Flotilla]], she participated in the [[Greco-Italian War]] in 1940–1941, escorting convoys and unsuccessfully attacking Italian shipping in the [[Adriatic Sea]]. While under repair during the [[Axis invasion of Greece]] in 1941, ''Vasilefs Georgios'' sank when the [[floating drydock]] that she was in was either [[scuttled]] or sunk by German aircraft.

The ship was later [[Marine salvage|salvaged]] and repaired by the Germans who [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] her into the ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' (German Navy) in 1942 as ''ZG3'', later renaming her as ''Hermes''. They generally used the ship to escort convoys to and from [[North Africa]] and islands in the [[Aegean Sea]]. In addition, the Germans occasionally used the ship to lay [[naval mine|mine]]s and to ferry troops and supplies. After ''Hermes'' was transferred to the Central Mediterranean, she sank a British submarine about a week before she was crippled by [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] aircraft in late April 1943. The ship was towed to [[Tunisia]] and was scuttled as a [[blockship]] shortly before the Allies occupied Tunisia in early May. They refloated the wreck and it was [[ship breaking|scrapped]] after the war.

==Design and description==
The ''Vasilefs Georgios''-class ships were derived from the British G-class destroyers, modified with German guns and [[fire-control system]]s.<ref>Friedman, p. 223</ref> They had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|98.4|m|ftin|sp=us}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|10.05|m|ftin|sp=us}}, and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|2.51|m|ftin|sp=us}}. They displaced {{convert|1371|t|LT|sp=us}} at [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard load]] and {{convert|1879|t|LT|sp=us}} at [[deep load]]. The two [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]] sets, each driving one [[propeller shaft]], were designed to produce {{convert|34000|shp|lk=on}} using steam provided by three [[Admiralty three-drum boiler]]s for a designed speed of {{convert|36|kn|lk=on}}. During her [[sea trial]]s on 30 October 1938, ''Vasilefs Georgios'' reached a speed of {{convert|36.6|kn}} from {{convert|35109|shp|abbr=on}}, although her armament was not yet installed. The ships carried a maximum of {{convert|399|t|LT|0|sp=us}} of [[fuel oil]] which gave a range of {{convert|3760|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|20|kn}}. Their crew consisted of 162 officers and crewmen.<ref name=w5>Whitley 1988, p. 155</ref>{{refn|Sources differ for the specifications for these ships. Gröner and Koop and Schmolke generally agree on a designed displacement of {{cvt|1414|LT|t|order=flip}} and a deep displacement of {{cvt|2088|LT|t|order=flip}} with an overall length of {{cvt|101.2|m|ftin}}. Curiously, they give a [[waterline]] length of {{cvt|98.5|m|ftin}} which is very close to Whitley's figure for the overall length. They give figures of {{cvt|10.4|m|ftin}} for the beam and also credit the ships with Yarrow boilers. They state that the fuel capacity was {{cvt|465|t|LT}}, giving a range of {{cvt|4800|nmi}} at {{cvt|19|kn}}.<ref>Gröner, pp. 214–15</ref><ref name=ks0>Koop & Schmolke, p. 120</ref> Freivogel states that the displacement figures given by Gröner and Koop and Schmolke are after the ship was salvaged and repaired.<ref>Freivogel, p. 354</ref> No source mentions any significant rebuilding or modifications by the Germans, other than to the armament, so Whitley has been used here as he presumably had better access to the builder's records.|group=Note}} Unlike her [[sister ship]] {{ship|Greek destroyer|Vasilissa Olga|D15|2}}, ''Vasilefs Georgios'' was fitted out to accommodate an admiral and his staff.<ref name=f5/>

The ships carried four [[12.7 cm SK C/34 naval gun|{{convert|12.7|cm|1|adj=on|sp=us}} SK C/34 guns]] in single mounts with [[gun shield]]s, one pair each [[superfiring]] forward and aft of the [[superstructure]]. Her [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft (AA)]] armament consisted of four {{convert|3.7|cm|1|adj=on|sp=us}} guns in four single mounts [[amidships]] and two quadruple mounts for [[Vickers .50 machine gun|Vickers {{convert|0.5|in|abbr=on|1}}]] [[anti-aircraft machinegun|AA machineguns]]. The ''Vasilefs Georgios'' class carried eight above-water {{convert|53.3|cm|in|adj=on|sp=us|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s in two quadruple mounts. They had two [[depth charge]] launchers and a single rack for their 17 depth charges.<ref name=w5/>

==Construction and service==
===In Greek service===
[[File:Greek ships under air attack in April 1941.jpg|thumb|left|A German photo of the naval base at Salamis during an attack in April 1941 by [[Junkers Ju 87 Stuka]] [[dive bomber]]s. ''Vasilefs Georgios'' is in the [[floating drydock]] at bottom left.]]
The ''Vasilefs Georgios''-class ships were ordered on 29 January 1937<ref name=w5/> as part of a naval rearmament plan that was intended to include one [[light cruiser]] and at least four destroyers, one pair of which were to be built in Britain and the other pair in Greece.<ref>Freivogel, p. 351</ref> ''Vasilefs Georgios'' was [[laid down]] at [[Yarrow Shipbuilders|Yarrow & Company]]'s [[shipyard]] in [[Scotstoun]], [[Scotland]], in February 1937, [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 3 March 1938,<ref name=w5/> and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 15 February 1939 after she had her armament installed in Greece.<ref>Whitley 1991, p. 13</ref> Pending the completion of the light cruiser, the ship served as the flagship of the Destroyer Flotilla,<ref name=f5/> under Commander (''Antiploiarchos'') [[Pyrros Lappas]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/el/viografika/206-2015-03-23-19-16-51/1049-lappas,-pirros.html | title = Διατελέσαντες Αρχηγοί ΓΕΝ: Λάππας, Πύρρος | publisher = [[Hellenic Navy]] | language = el | access-date = 30 April 2018}}</ref>

After the {{ship|Italian submarine|Delfino|1930|2|up=yes}} sank the elderly [[protected cruiser]] {{ship|Greek cruiser|Elli|1912|2}} in a sneak attack on 15 August 1940 off the island of [[Tinos]], ''Vasilefs Georgios'' and her sister were sent to Tinos to escort the merchant ships there home.<ref name=w5/> During the Greco-Italian War she escorted convoys and participated in raids against Italian lines of communication in the [[Strait of Otranto]] on the nights of 14/15 November 1940 and 4/5 January 1941 that failed to locate any ships. The sisters ferried the Greek gold reserves to [[Crete]] on 1 March.<ref name=f5>Freivogel, p. 355</ref><ref name=w5/>

After the [[Battle of Greece|German invasion of Greece]] on 6 April, the sisters began to escort convoys between Greece and Egypt via Crete. While anchored in Sofiko Bay in the [[Saronic Gulf]] on 12–13 April, ''Vasilefs Georgios'' was attacked by German aircraft and badly damaged by near-misses that caused extensive flooding. She managed to reach the [[Salamis Naval Base]] despite a severe [[list (watercraft)|list]] where she was [[drydock]]ed. On 20 April, the floating drydock was [[scuttled]] by the Greeks and sank with the unrepaired destroyer still inside it.<ref>Freivogel, pp. 355–56, 364</ref>{{refn|Sources disagree about the reason why the drydock sank. Gröner and Koop and Schmolke claim that it was sunk by German [[Junkers Ju 87]] [[dive bomber]]s,<ref>Gröner, p. 215</ref><ref name=ks0/> while Rohwer says that it was merely damaged.<ref>Rohwer, p. 69</ref>|group=Note}}

===In German service===
The Germans nonetheless were able to raise and repair her, and commissioned her into the Kriegsmarine as ''ZG3'' on 21 March 1942, under the command of Commander (''[[Fregattenkapitän]]''), later Captain (''[[Kapitän zur See]]''), [[Rolf Johannesson]]. German alterations were not numerous: they reduced her 37&nbsp;mm guns to a single pair and exchanged her anti-aircraft machineguns for five [[2 cm FlaK 30/38/Flakvierling|{{convert|2|cm|adj=on|1}}]] AA guns in single mounts. Two torpedo tubes were possibly removed as well.<ref name=w6>Whitley 1988, p. 76</ref> The ship also received German mine rails, radios and a ''S-Gerät'' [[sonar]]. Her crew now consisted of 10 officers and 215 sailors.<ref>Freivogel, p. 356</ref>

After [[Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)#W|working up]], ''ZG3'' was declared operational on 30 May, although her first convoy escort mission, scheduled for 1 June, was cancelled. On 24–25 June, she helped to escort a small troop convoy to [[Souda Bay]], Crete, returning to [[Piraeus]], Greece, two days later. On 2–3 July, the ship helped to lay a [[minefield]] off the island of [[Syros]].
During the rest of the month, ''ZG3'' escorted two convoys between Greece or Crete and North Africa and received a brief [[wikt:overhaul|overhaul]] in the middle of the month. The ship escorted the damaged {{GS|U-97|1940|6}} back to Salamis on 5 August. Her next convoy to [[Tobruk]], [[Libya]], was interrupted by the British [[Operation Pedestal]] to [[Malta]] in the middle of the month and she then towed the damaged submarine {{GS|U-83|1940|2}} to Salamis on 19–20 August.<ref>Freivogel, pp. 356, 358</ref> ''ZG3'' was then renamed ''Hermes'' two days later.<ref name=w6/> Over the next several months, the ship escorted convoys between Greece, Crete and Tobruk, interrupted by occasional missions to cover a minefield being laid. Later that month her boilers were cleaned and her 37&nbsp;mm guns were upgraded. Upon her return to duty on 23 October, she resumed escort work, only adding the [[Dardanelles]] and various islands in the Aegean and [[Dodecanese]] to her destinations.<ref>Freivogel, pp. 358–60</ref> On 16 November ''Hermes'' assisted in the sinking of the Greek submarine {{ship|Greek submarine|Triton|Y-5|2}}.<ref>Rohwer, p. 213</ref> Her propulsion machinery was overhauled at Salamis from 20 January 1943 to 19 February and she resumed her convoy escort missions until the end of March. During this time, none of the ships that she escorted were lost.<ref name=f0>Freivogel, p. 360</ref>

With Axis forces confined to northern Tunisia by March, the Kriegsmarine ordered ''Hermes'' to transfer to Southern Italy on 30 March to protect the supply lines to Tunisia. Now under the command of ''Fregattenkapitän'' [[Curt Rechel]], she arrived at [[Salerno]], Italy, on 4 April. The ship laid a minefield south of [[Sicily]] with a group of Italian destroyers on 19–20 April. The following day, she detected the British submarine {{HMS|Splendid|P228|2}} and drove it to the surface after 45 minutes of depth-charging, rescuing 20 survivors before the submarine sank. Together with two Italian destroyers, ''Hermes'' ferried troops and supplies to Tunisia on 25–26 April. Three days later, she made another supply run with two Italian destroyers, but they were attacked by Allied aircraft off [[Cape Bon]]. The two accompanying Italian destroyers were sunk and ''Hermes'' had her propulsion machinery crippled by near misses. She was towed to [[La Goulette]], the port of [[Tunis]], and scuttled at the harbor entrance as a blockship on 7 May. Several crewmen were killed in the fighting in Tunis the next day, while the others were either captured by the Allies or evacuated to [[Trapani]], Sicily. Rechel had left for Sicily on the 7th, allegedly to report on the loss of his ship. The Allies refloated the wreck to clear the harbor and it was scrapped after the war.<ref name=f0/>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Citations==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite journal|last1=Freivogel|first1=Zvonimir|title=''Vasilefs Georgios'' and ''Vasilissa Olga'': From Sister-Ships to Adversaries|journal=Warship International|date=2003|volume=XL|issue=4|pages=351–364|issn=0043-0374}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2009 |isbn=978-1-59114-081-8 |author-link=Norman Friedman}}
*{{Cite book |last=Gröner|first=Erich|title=German Warships 1815&ndash;1945|year=1990 |location=Annapolis, Maryland|volume=1: Major Surface Warships|publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-87021-790-9|author-link=Erich Gröner}}
* {{cite book |last1=Koop |first1=Gerhard|last2=Schmolke |first2=Klaus-Peter|title=German Destroyers of World War II |year=2003 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-59114-307-1|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005 |edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2 |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}
* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1988|isbn=0-87021-326-1|location=Annapolis, Maryland|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}
* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=German Destroyers of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1991 |isbn=1-55750-302-8|location=Annapolis, Maryland}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061022024210/http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/b.georgios_d14_en.asp Summary of the ship's history from the Hellenic Navy website]
* [http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/captured/destroyer/zg3/index.html Short article in the ''German Naval History'' page]
* [http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/km/zerstoerer/za.htm#ZG3 Short summary from the ''Württembergische Landesbibliothek'']
* [https://www.historisches-marinearchiv.de/projekte/verluste_griechenland/ausgabe.php?where_value=132  Page from the ''Historische Marinearchiv'']

{{G and H class destroyer|others}}
{{April 1941 shipwrecks}}
{{April 1943 shipwrecks}}
{{May 1943 shipwrecks}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasilefs Georgios (D 14)}}
[[Category:Vasilefs Georgios-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:1938 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of Greece]]
[[Category:Destroyers of the Kriegsmarine]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of Germany]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1941]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1943]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1943]]
[[Category:Naval ships of Greece captured by Germany during World War II]]
[[Category:Scuttled vessels]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German aircraft]]