β , until 1881 Mikali гре ( Greek Μυκάλη ) - Greek gunboat of the type "α" , who took part in the Greek-Turkish war of 1897 and the Balkan Wars . Despite their small size, the activities of these gunboats created significant prerequisites for the victory of the Greek army in Epirus in 1912 and was noted by Greek historiographers.
| "Beta" | |
|---|---|
| "Β" | |
| Service | |
 Greece | |
| Ship class and type | Gunboat |
| Manufacturer | SEYNE , France |
| Ordered to build | 1880 |
| Construction started | 1880 |
| Launched | 1881 |
| Commissioned | 1881 |
| Removed from the fleet | 1912 |
| Status | sold to Serbia, new name Serbija (qv) |
| Main characteristics | |
| Displacement | 52 t |
| Length | 22.0 m |
| Width | 4.5 m |
| Draft | 1.5 m |
| Travel speed | 10 knots |
| Armament | |
| Artillery | 1 × 120 mm Krupp instrument |
| Mine-torpedo armament | pole mines [1] |
The series was built at the shipyard SEYNE France in the period 1880 - 1881 . These small gunboats, with a draft of 1.5 m, had one single purpose: operations in the shallow and frontier then Ambracian Gulf in the plans of the Greek kingdom to liberate Epirus from the Turks.
Initially, the ship received the name "Mikali". It was renamed the cannon “β” in 1881, when the gunboats Aktion and Amvrakia were ordered .
Content
Balkan Wars
Kanonerka took part in the short Greek-Turkish war of 1897, under the command of captain A. Andreadis, but her 31-year-old gunner gained her fame in the First Balkan War.
With the beginning of the war on the Western front, Greece had the Epirus "army" in reality one division. In the Ionian Sea, Greece had a fleet of similar size and quality. It was a gathering of all kinds of sailing-steam armed watercrafts of respectable age. The presence in the flotilla 4 also of old “α” gunboats, but specially built for operations in the Ambracian Gulf , surprises Greek historians who are used to the lack of long-term planning from the Greek state. Kanonerki initiated military operations in Epirus .
On the night of October 4 (17), October 5 (18), 1912 , the guns " α " and "β", under the command of captains N. Matikas and K. Buboulis, risking to be immediately shot by the artillery of the fortress of Preveza , passed under the nose of the Turks narrow strait (only 1/2 mile) in the Ambracian Gulf. From this point on, the bay was under Greek control and the gunboats began to provide substantial assistance to the army [2] .
On October 5 (18), 1912, the Greek army, having a numerical superiority against the Turkish forces of 4: 1, began a campaign in Macedonia . All attention was riveted on the Macedonian front, when strange news began to come from Epirus - the epirus "army" launched an offensive against an enemy who had fourfold superiority here.
The Filippiada was liberated on October 12 (25), 1912, the city of Preveza was liberated on October 21 ( November 3 ). At the same time, the Turkish “ destroyer Antalya ”, who was in the Gulf, but did not accept the battle and sheltered from two Greek gunboats under the protection of coastal batteries in Nikopol , 6 km from Preveza, was sunk by the crew in order not to fall into Greek hands [3] .
Subsequent years
Upon completion of the operation for which the gunboat was built, it was sold to Serbia where it received the name Serbija (qv)
See also
- Gamma (gunboat)
- Delta (gunboat)
Notes
- ↑ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΩΝ ΕΝΟΠΛΩ ΔΥΝΑΜΕΩΝ Unc . The date of circulation is January 5, 2013. Archived January 26, 2013.
- ↑ ΣόλωνΓρηγοριάδης, ΟίΒαλκανικολεμοι, Φυτράκης, σελ.86-87
- ↑ ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΙΣ (πρώντουρκ. ANTALYA)