Since the dawn of history, the sea has dominated the legends and myths of the Hellenic people who inhabit the southern part of the Balkan peninsula where East meets West. The realization of the importance of seapower came early to the Hellenes and-was dramatically reflected in their fateful decision to join battle with the overwhelmingly powerful Persian invaders—not on the traditional ground battlefields, but in the clear blue waters of the Salamis straits. There, on a fine day in the year 480 B.C., the Greek triremes, spearheaded by Athenian vessels, decisively stemmed the barbarian onrush, and saved Europe and civilization for the West.
Two milleniums later, in the early 19th century, the strategy and logistics of the Greek insurrection against the Ottoman Empire—which culminated in the creation of the modern state of Greece—was built around a small nucleus of merchant sailing ships, transformed into men-of-war, and their hardened, devoted crews. Later, in the 1910s, the Royal Hellenic Navy figured prominently in the Balkan War, which was waged by a coalition of Balkan states against the Ottomans. In the Aegean, the RHN—the only Balkan navy capable of challenging the Ottomans’ superior seapower—severed sea communications between their enemy’s base of operations in Asia Minor and the Balkan War theater.
More recently, during the dark days of World War II, when the German tide engulfed the whole of Greece, the RHN remained almost alone to carry on the struggle from foreign lands.
Almost surrounded by the sea, with 80% of its mainland covered by bleak mountains, with only 20% of its land arable, with an undulating and exceedingly long coastline and innumerable picturesque but poor islands, Greece relies on its navy for the protection of its vital sea routes.
Yet, at the same time, the Hellenes, a seafaring people, regard their navy as an embodiment of their loftiest aspirations. They reserve their fondest love for the sea and it is toward it that they look for a better future. Witness the size of the Hellenic mercantile marine—which ranks 7th among the world’s mercantile fleets. This ranking is all out of proportion to the Hellenic population, which barely exceeds nine million.
There have been constant efforts on the part of Greek governments to lure under the national ensign those ships that belong to Greek shipowners but sail under “flags of convenience.”
Greek tonnage in the following table includes only ships under the Greek flag and excludes vessels owned by Greek nationals, but sailing under foreign ensigns. If the tonnage of the latter ships—well over 12,000,000 tons—were included, Greece would move up to the fourth position. If we further consider that a fair percentage of the U. S. fleet constitutes an inactive peacetime reserve and that the U. K. figures include ships of the entire Commonwealth, the importance of the Greek mercantile fleet, especially when examined on a per capita basis, becomes obvious.
Country | No. of Ships | Gross Tonnage |
United Kingdom | 7,189 | 33,158,251 |
Liberia (Flag of |
|
|
Convenience) | 1,731 | 29,215,151 |
Japan | 7,665 | 23,987,079 |
Norway | 2,848 | 19,679,094 |
United States | 3,146 | 19,550,394 |
Soviet Union | 5,622 | 13,704,640 |
Greece | 1,700 | 8,580,753 |
Italy | 1,552 | 7,037,846 |
West Germany | 2,768 | 7,027,384 |
France | 1,432 | 5,961,063 |
The Government and the Navy. The overall responsibility for the defense of Greece rests with its government. In the performance of its defense responsibilities, the Greek government acts mainly through:
► The National Defence Council which, presided over by the Prime Minister in person, formulates the basic defense policies of the country, and
► The Secretary for National Defence who, aided by one or more Assistant Secretaries, implements the National Defence Council policies as they apply to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and related governmental agencies.
The Secretary for National Defence, in carrying out his duties, avails himself of the following bodies and individuals:
► The Joint Chiefs’ Council, composed of the Chiefs of the Hellenic Armed Forces, acts mainly in a consultive capacity.
► The Supreme Hellenic Armed Forces Command, headed by the Commander in Chief (CinC) Hellenic Armed Forces, and is charged, chiefly, with budgetary and coordination tasks.
► The individual Chiefs for the Army, Navy, and Air Force who are directly responsible to the CinC Hellenic Armed Forces for the performance of their respective services.
In directing the Navy, the Chief, Hellenic Navy, is assisted by the Naval Council, the commanders of the three naval area commands, and various executives. The Naval Council is presided over by the Chief, Hellenic Navy, and its membership includes the six admirals on active duty.
The Internal Structure of the RHN. The organization of the RHN, as depicted in Figure 1, comprises the following major commands and agencies:
► The Hellenic Navy Command, which includes the previous General Naval Staff, is headed by the Chief, Hellenic Navy, the only vice admiral on active duty with the RHN.
► The Hellenic Fleet, under its commander, a rear admiral.
► The Hellenic Navy Training Command and the Hellenic Navy Logistics Command, each under a rear admiral.
► Various independent agencies, directly under the Hellenic Navy Command, e.g., Historical Service, Hydrographic Service, Light-House Command, Naval War College, RHN Hospitals, and the Retired Officers Fund. These agencies are headed by senior officers of appropriate rank.
Most of these components require little explanation, but a few additional words about the Fleet and Training Commands are in order.
The Hellenic Fleet comprises all the effective warships of the Hellenic Navy, grouped by types in order to ensure their best possible operational use. Each group is headed by a commander, responsible for the overall preparation and readiness of his allotted units.
All naval vessels are supported by the logistical facilities made available by the two Hellenic Naval Dockyards, one in Salamis and the other in Crete.
Operations are directed either centrally by the Hellenic Navy Command or locally through the three Naval Area Commands, into which the Hellenic sea-space is divided. These Naval Area Commands—South Aegean, North Aegean, and Ionian—are placed directly under the Hellenic Navy Command.
[Figure 1: Royal Hellenic Navy organization chart]
The Hellenic Navy Training Command is principally responsible for all the basic training of RHN officers and men and for some specialized shore training. It directs the activities of the Naval Academy, which graduates naval officers, the Petty Officer’s School, which graduates petty officers, and two training centers, which provide the necessary basic training for recruits and specialized training for junior naval career personnel. It also directs the Amphibious Operations Training Center, the Underwater Demolition Team Training Center, and various training ships.
In addition to, and apart from, the training which takes place in the schools and ships, further high-level staff instruction is provided for officers elsewhere.
There is the Tactical School which, under the Hellenic Fleet Command, provides tactical antisubmarine training for naval personnel. The school uses an elaborate antisubmarine tactical trainer installation.
There is the Naval War College, under the Hellenic Navy Command, which provides staff training on the service level for naval officers.
There is the National Defence College, which, under the Supreme Hellenic Armed Forces Command, provides staff training on the national level for selected senior officers of all armed forces and public servants.
There is the NATO Defense College, which, under SHAPE, provides staff training on NATO level for selected senior officers and civilians of the NATO countries.
Finally, a limited number of carefully chosen RHN officers and other ranks use the training facilities—e.g., the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island—of the U. S. and British navies.
The present day RHN comprises the following main naval units, mostly American built:
6 DDs* | Fletcher class |
2 DDEs* | Gleaves class |
4 DEs* | Bostwick class |
1 LDS* [sic] | LSD-9 |
7 LSTs* |
|
6 LSMs* |
|
2 SSs* | 1 Gato class |
| 1 Balao class |
2 CMCs* |
|
8 MSCs* |
|
5 MSCs | BYMs ex-U.K. |
12 FPBs | 5 Nasty class Norwegian-built |
| 5 Moewe class German-built |
| 2 Vosper class U.K.-built |
1 Fleet tender* | (ARB 13)* |
*former U. S. vessels
The peacetime personnel ceiling of the RHN is set at 17,500 men, of which 1,500 are officers, 3,500 are petty officers, and 12,500 are other ranks.
The Hellenic Naval Air Arm came into being in 1969 and comprises one Maritime Patrol Squadron equipped with Albatross (HU-16B) aircraft. These craft are manned jointly by Naval and Air Force personnel and are serviced by the Air Force. The Squadron is under the operational control of the Hellenic Navy Command.
Main Problems and Difficulties. A main difficulty facing the RHN—which, fortunately, is gradually being brought under control—concerns the training of personnel entrusted with the operation and maintenance of the highly sophisticated electronic and mechanical gear. As in the U. S. Navy, the problem is further aggravated by the fact that technicians, having acquired the necessary expertise, are lured to more highly paid jobs outside the Navy. This unpleasant experience is shared by all modern navies and, although detrimental to the Navy, it is undoubtedly beneficial for the national economy as a whole.
Last, but not least, there is a continuing lack of sufficient ships to carry out the multiple missions of the Navy.
A careful look at the map of Greece reveals certain facts which affect the missions of the RHN and accentuate its importance for the defense both of Greece and the southern NATO flank.
First, the rugged terrain of the Greek mainland, which allows only limited—and highly vulnerable—road and rail communications, in conjunction with the extended shore line of the country and its multitude of islands, emphasizes the need for sea communications and their adequate protection. Hence springs a major responsibility for the RHN.
Second, the northern frontier is very long but the corresponding hinterland is inadequate in depth to cope with the maneuver exigencies of modern mechanized warfare. This necessitates the maintenance, near Greece’s northern borders, of large covering forces, together with ample logistic facilities. The RHN is again responsible for ensuring the flow of needed supplies to these forces in being and also for providing them, if necessary, with operational support.
Third, the complex of the Aegean islands reinforced by the location of the Dodecanese islands and Crete, constitute a number of natural lines of containment for any aggressor trying to effect an exit by major surface units from the Black Sea toward the more open waters of the central Mediterranean. The organization and defense of these lines is clearly a job for the RHN.
The importance of seapower is not subject to discussion, but the specifics already mentioned illuminate the vital role of the RHN and delineate its national missions which can be summarized as follows:
► Control of the Greek sea-space.
► Protection of the sea communications within the Greek sea-space.
► Logistic and operational support for the Army and Air Force.
► Amphibious operations on a limited scale.
Continuing its unrelenting defense effort, within the framework of NATO, Greece is determined and ready to make any required sacrifice in order to preserve its independence and territorial integrity. In this effort, the Royal Hellenic Navy, actively encouraged and supported by its NATO partners, plays a decisive role and contributes directly to the preservation of peace in the Mediterranean and to the prevention of any unwarranted attack against Greece or its NATO allies.
Consciously bearing the burden of long and glorious traditions and eager to prove themselves once more, the officers and men of the Royal Hellenic Navy diligently pursue their peacetime jobs and training while earnestly hoping that their seamanship and professional efficiency will find full scope in new and modern men-of-war.
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A graduate of the Royal Hellenic Naval Academy in 1940, Commodore Drossinos served in destroyers from 1940 to 1945. He was an instructor at the Hellenic National Defence College in Athens in 1957-1958; he commanded a destroyer in 1958-1959, and was a liaison officer between the Greek and the Italian NATO naval commands from 1959 to 1961. He was Chief of Staff to the CinC Cretan and Ionian Seas from 1961 to 1963 and Senior Naval Officer, Ionia, prior to his retirement in November 1967. In April 1968, he assumed his present civilian duties as Deputy Director General for Public Administration with the Ministry to the Presidency.