View source for Greek destroyer Vasilissa Olga

{{Short description|Greek G and H-class destroyer}}
{{other ships|Greek ship Vasilissa Olga}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=RHS Vasilissa Olga.jpg
|Ship caption=''Vasilissa Olga'' in the pre-war [[Dazzle camouflage|disruptive camouflage pattern]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Greece
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Greece|royalnavy}}
|Ship name=''Vasilissa Olga'' (ΒΠ ''Βασίλισσα Όλγα'')
|Ship namesake=[[Olga Konstantinovna of Russia|Queen Olga]]
|Ship builder=[[Yarrow Shipbuilders|Yarrow & Company]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=1 February 1937
|Ship launched=2 June 1938
|Ship commissioned=4 February 1939
|Ship fate=Sunk 26 September 1943
|Ship ordered=29 January 1937
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{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=
}}
|}

'''''Vasilissa Olga''''' ({{langx|el|'''ΒΠ Βασίλισσα Όλγα'''}}) (Queen Olga) was the second and last [[destroyer]] of [[G and H-class destroyer#Royal Hellenic Navy ships|her class]] built for the [[Royal Hellenic Navy]] in Great Britain before the [[Second World War]]. She participated in the [[Greco-Italian War]] in 1940–1941, escorting convoys and unsuccessfully attacking Italian shipping in the [[Adriatic Sea]]. After the [[Battle of Greece|German invasion of Greece]] in April 1941, the ship escorted convoys between [[Egypt]] and [[Greece]] until she evacuated part of the government to Crete later that month and then to Egypt in May. After the Greek surrender on 1 June, ''Vasilissa Olga'' served with British forces for the rest of her career.

She escorted convoys in the Eastern [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] for the next several months before she was sent to India for a refit. The ship resumed convoy escort duties upon its completion at the beginning of 1942 in the Mediterranean and the [[Red Sea]]. In December of that year, now operating in the Central Mediterranean, ''Vasilissa Olga'' and a British destroyer briefly captured an Italian [[submarine]], but it sank while under tow. The following month, the ship, together with a pair of British destroyers, sank a small Italian transport ship. She was briefly tasked to escort an Australian troop convoy in the Red Sea in February 1943 before returning to the Mediterranean. Together with a British destroyer, ''Vasilissa Olga'' sank at least two ships from an Italian convoy in June. Over the next several months, she escorted British ships as the Allies invaded [[Sicily]] ([[Operation Husky]]) and mainland Italy ([[Operation Avalanche]]).

The ship was transferred back to the Eastern Mediterranean in September to participate in the [[Dodecanese Campaign]]. Together with two British destroyers, she helped to destroy a small German convoy in the islands before beginning to ferry troops and supplies to the small British garrison on the island of [[Leros]]. After completing one such mission, she was sunk by German [[bomber]]s in [[Lakki, Leros|Lakki]] harbor on 26 September with the loss of 72 men.

==Design and description==
The ''Vasilefs Georgios''-class ships were derived from the British [[G and H-class destroyer|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 19 December 1938, ''Vasilissa Olga'' reached a speed of {{convert|36.1|kn}} from {{convert|33683|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> Unlike her [[sister ship]] {{ship|Greek destroyer|Vasilefs Georgios||2}}, ''Vasilissa Olga'' was not fitted out to accommodate an admiral and his staff.<ref name=f5>Freivogel, p. 355</ref>

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, designated 'A', 'B', 'X' and 'Y', from front to rear, 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/>

===Wartime modifications===
During her late 1941 refit in [[Calcutta]], [[India]], ''Vasilissa Olga''{{'}}s armament was revised to better suit her role as a convoy escort. The rear set of torpedo tubes was replaced by a [[QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun|{{convert|3|in|1|adj=on}}]] AA gun and 'Y' gun was removed to increase the number of depth charge throwers and depth charge stowage. To reduce topweight, the 3.7&nbsp;cm guns were replaced by [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{convert|20|mm|adj=on|1|sp=us|abbr=on}} Oerlikon]] [[autocannon]]. Her mainmast was removed and her aft [[funnel (ship)|funnel]] shortened to improve the arcs of fire of her AA guns. The ship was fitted with a Type 128 [[Asdic]] to improve her ability to detect submarines.<ref name=w5/><ref name="Freivogel, p. 361">Freivogel, p. 361</ref>

==Construction and service==
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> ''Vasilissa Olga'' was [[laid down]] at [[Yarrow Shipbuilders|Yarrow & Company]]'s [[shipyard]] in [[Scotstoun]], [[Scotland]], in February 1937, [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 2 June 1938, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 4 February 1939 without her armament, which was installed later in Greece.<ref name=w5/>

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]], ''Vasilissa Olga'' and her sister were sent to Tinos to escort the merchant ships there home. 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=w5/><ref name=f5>Freivogel, p. 355</ref>

After the German invasion of Greece on 6 April, the sisters began to escort convoys between Greece and Egypt via Crete. On 22 April, ''Vasilissa Olga'' was ordered to evacuate elements of the Greek government to Crete, including [[Vice Admiral]] [[Alexandros Sakellariou]] who was the [[Minister for Naval Affairs (Greece)|Minister for Naval Affairs]], Chief of the [[Hellenic Navy General Staff|Navy General Staff]] and [[Deputy Prime Minister of Greece|Deputy Prime Minister]]. The following month she proceeded to [[Alexandria]], [[Egypt]], and then escorted convoys in the Eastern Mediterranean before departing for India to be modernized on 9 October.<ref>Freivogel, pp. 355–356, 360–361</ref>

The refit was completed on 5 January 1942 and the ship escorted convoys in the [[Arabian Sea|Arabian]] and Red Seas before arriving back in Alexandria on 22 February. Together with the British destroyer {{HMS|Jaguar|F34|6}}, ''Vasilissa Olga'' was escorting the [[oil tanker]] [[RFA Slavol|RFA ''Slavol'']] off [[Mersa Matruh]], Egypt, when they detected and unsuccessfully attacked the {{GS|U-652}} on 26 March. Later that day, the submarine sank both ''Jaguar'' and ''Slavol''. ''Vasilissa Olga'' [[Ship grounding|ran aground]] in early May while escorting a convoy between Alexandria and [[Tobruk]] and damaged her propellers. After repairs the ship was transferred to the [[Indian Ocean]] where she escorted convoys there and in the Red Sea until December when she returned to the Mediterranean.<ref name="Freivogel, p. 361"/><ref>Whitley, p. 156</ref>

On 14 December, ''Vasilissa Olga'' and the destroyer {{HMS|Petard|G56|6}} forced the {{ship|Italian submarine|Uarsciek}} to the surface off [[Malta]]. The submarine's crew was unable to [[Scuttling|scuttle]] their boat and it was taken in tow, although it later sank.<ref>Rohwer, p. 219</ref> The following month, on the night of 18/19 January 1943, ''Vasilissa Olga'', along with the destroyers {{HMS|Pakenham|G06|6}} and {{HMS|Nubian|F36|6}}, intercepted and sank the {{GRT|475|disp=adj}} Italian [[Cargo ship|freighter]] {{SS|Stromboli}} off the Libyan coast. The following month, the ship was assigned to escort the [[ocean liner]]s transporting the [[Australian Army]]'s [[9th Division (Australia)|9th Division]] home from Egypt ([[Operation Pamphlet]]) as they passed through the Red Sea between 7 and 24 February.<ref>Freivogel, pp. 361–362</ref>

On 2 June, during the preparatory stages of [[Operation Corkscrew]] (the Allied invasion of the Italian island of [[Pantelleria]]), ''Vasilissa Olga'' and the destroyer {{HMS|Jervis|F00|6}} fought the [[Battle of the Messina Convoy]], sinking its lone escort, the [[torpedo boat]] {{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Castore||2}}  off [[Cape Spartivento]]. The convoy, however, managed to limp away. The following month, the ship was assigned to escort the ships of the British Covering Force in the [[Ionian Sea]] during Operation Husky and later bombarded [[Catania]], Sicily. After the [[Armistice of Cassibile|Italian armistice]] on 8 September, ''Vasilissa Olga'' was one of the ships that escorted Italian ships to Malta on 10 September. The next day, she returned to Italian waters to escort the ships involved in Operation Avalanche.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 253, 262</ref><ref name=f2>Freivogel, p. 362</ref>

The ship was transferred to the Eastern Mediterranean to support British forces involved in the Dodecanese Campaign in the [[Aegean Sea]] less than a week later, arriving at Alexandria on 16 September.<ref name=f2/> On the night of 17/18 September, she engaged a German convoy off the coast of [[Stampalia]], together with the destroyers {{HMS|Faulknor|H62|6}} and {{HMS|Eclipse|H08|6}}, sinking the transports ''Pluto'' and ''Paula'' and forced the crew of the escorting [[whale catcher]], ''Uj 2104'', to [[Beaching (nautical)|beach]] itself. ''Vasilissa Olga'' transported {{convert|36|LT|t}} of supplies and 300 men of the [[Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment]] from [[Haifa]], [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], to reinforce the British garrison on Leros. After another supply run, she was sunk by [[Junkers Ju 88]] bombers of [[LG 1]] in Lakki on the morning of 26 September, with the loss of 72 men.<ref>Freivogel, p. 363; Smith, pp. 192–199</ref>

==Notes==
{{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=351–64|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=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=Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia|publisher=Cassell |location=London|year=1995|isbn=1-86019-874-0}}
* {{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Peter C.|title=Destroyer Leader: The Story of HMS Faulknor 1935–46 |date=2004 |publisher=Pen & Sword Maritime|isbn=1-84415-121-2|edition=3rd revised and expanded|location=Barnsley, UK|author-link=Peter C. Smith}}
* {{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}}

==External links==
* [http://greek-war-equipment.blogspot.com/2010/05/1939-1943-vasilissa-olga.html A complete operational record of Vasilissa Olga]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090501142120/http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/b.olga_d15_en.asp Historical summary from the Hellenic Navy website]
{{G and H class destroyer}}
{{September 1943 shipwrecks}}
{{Greece during World War II|state=collapsed}}

{{coord missing|Greece}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasilissa Olga (D15)}}
[[Category:Vasilefs Georgios-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:1938 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of Greece]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Aegean Sea]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in September 1943]]
[[Category:Dodecanese campaign]]
[[Category:Destroyers sunk by aircraft]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German aircraft]]
[[Category:Underwater diving sites in Greece]]