The history of the Hellenic Navy () begins with the birth of modern Greece, and due to the maritime nature of the country, this force has been the premier service of the Greek Armed Forces.
The navy and the Greek War of Independence
At the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, the naval forces of the Greeks consisted primarily of the merchant fleet of the Saronic islanders from Hydra, Spetsai and Poros and also the islanders of Psara and Samos. The fleet was of crucial importance to the success of the revolt. Its goal was to prevent the Ottoman Navy as much as possible from resupplying the isolated Ottoman garrisons and land reinforcements from the Ottoman Empire's Asian provinces. Albanians (Arvanites) served prominently in the Greek rebel fleet.
thumb|200px|left|The destruction of the Turkish flagship at Chios by [[Konstantinos Kanaris|Kanaris]]
Although Greek crews consisted of experienced seamen, the light Greek ships, mostly armed merchantmen, were unable to stand up to the large Turkish ships of the line in direct combat. So the Greeks resorted to the use of fireships ( or ), with great success. In the use of such ships courageous seamen like Konstantinos Kanaris won international renown. Led by capable admirals, most prominently by Andreas Miaoulis of Hydra, the Greek fleet achieved early victories, guaranteeing the survival of the revolt in the mainland.
However, as Greece became embroiled in a civil war, the Sultan called upon his strongest subject, Muhammad Ali of Egypt, for aid. Plagued by internal strife and financial difficulties in keeping the fleet in constant readiness, the Greeks failed to prevent the capture and destruction of Kasos and Psara in 1824, or the landing of the Egyptian army at Modon despite victories at Samos in August 1824 and at Gerontas in September 1824. The revolution seemed threatened with collapse until the intervention of the Great Powers in the Battle of Navarino in 1827. There the combined fleets of the Britain, the France and the Russian Empire decisively defeated the Egypto-Ottoman fleet, effectively securing the independence of Greece.
When Ioannis Capodistrias became Governor of newly liberated Greece in 1828, the Greek fleet consisted of a few remaining ships, which had participated in the war for independence. The first Minister for Naval Affairs was Konstantinos Kanaris, and the most powerful ship of the fleet at that time, the frigate Hellas, had been constructed in the United States in 1825. The Navy established its headquarters at the island of Poros and the building of a new series of ships began at the naval base while old ships were gradually retired. Furthermore, continuous efforts towards the education of officers were initiated. Young people were initially trained at the military school of Scholi Evelpidon and afterwards they were transferred to the navy, as there was no such thing as a Naval Academy.
In 1831, Greece descended into anarchy with numerous areas, including the Mani Peninsula and Hydra, in revolt. During this revolt the flagship Hellas, then docked at Poros, was set on fire by Admiral Andreas Miaoulis. Capodistrias was assassinated a few months after.
The Royal Hellenic Navy of King Otto
thumb|left|Second Naval Ensign of Greece (1833–1858)
When the new King Otto arrived in the Greek capital, Nafplion, in 1832 aboard the British warship HMS Madagascar, the Greek fleet consisted of 1 corvette, 3 brigs, 6 gollettes, 2 gunboats, 2 steamboats and a few more small vessels. The first Naval School was founded in 1846 on the corvette Loudovikos and Leonidas Palaskas was assigned as its director. However the inefficient training of the officers, coupled with conflict between those who pursued modernization and those who were stalwarts of the traditions of the veterans of the struggle for independence, resulted in a restricted and inefficient navy, which was limited to policing the sea and the pursuit of pirates.
During the 1850s, the more progressive elements of the navy won out and the fleet was augmented with more ships. In 1855, the first iron propeller-driven ships were ordered from England. These were the steamships ', Pliksavra, ', and Sfendoni.
The Hellenic Navy suffered its first loss of the war on 15 August 1940 (two months before the formal outbreak of hostilities) when the cruiser Elli was sunk by the Italian submarine Delfino, possibly acting on Mussolini's orders. During the Greco-Italian War, the Navy took over convoy escort missions in the Aegean and the Ionian Sea and undertook three unsuccessful raids against the Italian supply convoys in the Strait of Otranto. The most important role was given to the submarines, which although obsolete, sank some Italian cargo ships in the Adriatic, losing one submarine in the process. The Greek submarine force (six boats) was however too small to be able to seriously hinder the supply lines between Italy and Albania (between 28 October 1940 and 30 April 1941, Italian ships made 3,305 voyages across the Otranto straits, carrying 487,089 military personnel, including 22 field divisions, and 584,392 tons of supplies while losing overall only seven merchant ships and one escort ship).
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: thumb|right|200px|Vasilissa Olga was the most successful allied destroyer in the Mediterranean -->
When Nazi Germany attacked Greece, the RHN was decimated by the Luftwaffe, suffered the loss of 25 ships within a few days during April 1941. It was then decided to shift the remaining fleet (one cruiser -the famous -, six destroyers, five submarines, three torpedo boats and a number of auxiliary vessels) to Alexandria in Egypt. who suffered 50 casualties.
Modern Era 1950–1990
After World War II, the Royal Hellenic Navy was significantly strengthened by the concession of British and Italian ships. The organisation also changed in line with modern naval doctrines of that era, leaving aside the old battleships after the entrance into NATO in 1952. At the beginning of the 1950s, US military aid formed the core of the country's armed forces. The Royal Hellenic Navy received the first Cannon-class (a.k.a. Bostwick) destroyers which took on the name Beasts (Θηρία), while withdrawing the British ones.
The next significant change was during the early 1970s, when Greece was the first Mediterranean naval force to order missile-equipped fast attack craft (La Combattante II) and the Type 209 submarines, whereas US military aid continued in the form of FRAM II type destroyers. In 1979, Hellenic Navy placed an order in the Netherlands for two modern Standard-class frigates (the ). These were the first acquisitions of new main surface vessels, rather than the use of second-hand ships, in almost four decades.
Present
The Hellenic Navy was significantly enhanced during the decade of the 1990s. The arrivals of the Hydra class (MEKO 200 HN) and more Standard-class frigates along with the orders for more missile corvettes, Poseidon-class (Type 209) submarines and naval helicopters allowed the retirement of the obsolete vessels. At the same time, Greece was the first Mediterranean country to receive guided missile destroyers, after the transfer of four s from the US Navy in 1992. But all four have since been decommissioned, since their electronics and missiles were considered not able to stand in a modern battlefield.
The advance continued when Greece ordered Type 214 submarines that feature an air-independent propulsion system, Sikorsky S-70B-6/10 Aegean Hawk helicopters and hovercraft from Russia.
Plans include the modernization of Standard-class frigates with new electronics and radar systems, the modernization of Glaukos and Poseidon-class submarines with new sonars, electronics and air-independent propulsion engines (programs Neptune 1/2), while negotiations are being held with the US Navy for the acquisition of two s.
See also
- Byzantine navy