Greek destroyer Vasilissa Olga facts for kids
Vasilissa Olga in the pre-war disruptive camouflage pattern
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Greece |
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| Name | Vasilissa Olga (ΒΠ Βασίλισσα Όλγα) |
| Namesake | Queen Olga |
| Ordered | 29 January 1937 |
| Builder | Yarrow & Company |
| Laid down | 1 February 1937 |
| Launched | 2 June 1938 |
| Commissioned | 4 February 1939 |
| Fate | Sunk 26 September 1943 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type | G and H-class destroyer |
| Displacement |
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| Length | 97.5 m (319 ft 11 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 9.7 m (31 ft 10 in) |
| Draft | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) |
| Range | 3,760 nmi (6,960 km; 4,330 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 162 |
| Armament |
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The Vasilissa Olga (meaning "Queen Olga" in Greek) was a destroyer built for the Royal Hellenic Navy (the Greek Navy) in Britain. She was the second and last ship of her type. She played an important role during the Second World War.
Vasilissa Olga first served in the Greco-Italian War from 1940 to 1941. She helped protect supply ships and tried to attack Italian ships. When Germany invaded Greece in April 1941, the ship helped move important people, including parts of the Greek government, to safety. After Greece surrendered, Vasilissa Olga continued to fight alongside British forces.
She spent many months protecting convoys (groups of ships) in the Mediterranean Sea. She also had a major upgrade in India. In 1942, she returned to duty, still protecting ships. In December 1942, she helped capture an Italian submarine. The next month, she and two British destroyers sank an Italian transport ship. Vasilissa Olga was sunk by German bombers in September 1943, during the Dodecanese Campaign.
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Ship Design and Features
The Vasilefs Georgios-class ships, which included Vasilissa Olga, were based on British G-class destroyers. However, they used German guns and fire-control systems. These ships were about 98.4 meters (322 ft 10 in) long and 10.05 meters (33 ft 0 in) wide.
They weighed about 1,371 metric tons (1,349 long tons) when empty and 1,879 metric tons (1,849 long tons) when fully loaded. The ships had two powerful steam turbine engines. These engines gave them a top speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph). Vasilissa Olga actually reached 36.1 knots (66.9 km/h; 41.5 mph) during her tests! They could travel 3,760 nautical miles (6,960 km; 4,330 mi) at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). Each ship had a crew of 162 sailors.
Ship Armament
The Vasilissa Olga was well-armed for battle. She carried four 12.7-centimeter (5.0 in) guns. These were placed in single mounts with protective shields. Two guns were at the front of the ship and two at the back.
For protection against aircraft, she had four 3.7-centimeter (1.5 in) AA guns. She also had two mounts with four 0.5 in (12.7 mm) AA machineguns each. For attacking other ships, she had eight 53.3-centimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes in two sets of four. She also carried depth charges to fight submarines. These were launched from two special launchers and a single rack.
Wartime Upgrades
In late 1941, Vasilissa Olga received upgrades in Calcutta, India. These changes made her better at protecting convoys. One set of torpedo tubes was removed. In its place, a 3-inch (76.2 mm) AA gun was added. One of the main guns was also removed to make space for more depth charge launchers.
The smaller 3.7-centimeter (1.5 in) guns were replaced with faster-firing 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon autocannon. Her mainmast was taken down, and her back funnel was made shorter. This helped the AA guns have a wider firing range. The ship also got a special sonar system called Asdic. This helped her find submarines better.
Building and Service History
The Vasilefs Georgios-class ships were ordered on 29 January 1937. This was part of a plan to make the Greek Navy stronger. Vasilissa Olga was built at the Yarrow & Company shipyard in Scotstoun, Scotland.
Her construction started in February 1937. She was launched into the water on 2 June 1938. The ship was officially commissioned (put into service) on 4 February 1939. Her weapons were added later in Greece.
Early War Years (1940-1941)
On 15 August 1940, an Italian submarine secretly sank an old Greek cruiser. After this, Vasilissa Olga and her sister ship were sent to protect merchant ships. During the war with Italy, she protected convoys. She also took part in attacks against Italian supply routes in the Strait of Otranto. However, these attacks did not find any ships.
In March 1941, both Vasilissa Olga and her sister ship carried Greece's gold reserves to Crete for safekeeping. When Germany invaded Greece on 6 April 1941, Vasilissa Olga began escorting convoys between Greece and Egypt. On 22 April, she helped evacuate parts of the Greek government to Crete. Later, in May, she took them to Egypt. After Greece surrendered, she continued to serve with British forces.
Mediterranean and Red Sea Operations (1942-1943)
Vasilissa Olga spent several months protecting convoys in the Eastern Mediterranean. On 9 October, she left for India to get her upgrades. Her refit was finished on 5 January 1942. After that, she protected convoys in the Arabian and Red Seas. She returned to Alexandria, Egypt, on 22 February.
On 26 March, Vasilissa Olga and a British destroyer were protecting an oil tanker. They found and attacked a German submarine, but it escaped. The submarine later sank both the British destroyer and the oil tanker. In May, Vasilissa Olga accidentally ran aground (hit the bottom) and damaged her propellers. After repairs, she moved to the Indian Ocean. She continued to protect convoys there and in the Red Sea until December, when she returned to the Mediterranean.
On 14 December, Vasilissa Olga and another British destroyer forced an Italian submarine to the surface near Malta. The submarine's crew tried to sink their own boat, but it was captured. However, it later sank while being towed. The next month, on 18/19 January 1943, Vasilissa Olga and two British destroyers found and sank an Italian cargo ship off the coast of Libya. In February, she helped escort Australian troops returning home through the Red Sea.
Final Missions and Sinking (1943)
On 2 June, Vasilissa Olga and a British destroyer attacked an Italian convoy. They sank its escort ship, a torpedo boat. The rest of the convoy managed to escape. The next month, she helped protect British ships during the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky). She also bombarded the city of Catania, Sicily. After Italy surrendered on 8 September, Vasilissa Olga was one of the ships that escorted Italian ships to Malta. The next day, she returned to Italian waters to help with the invasion of mainland Italy (Operation Avalanche).
Less than a week later, the ship was sent to the Eastern Mediterranean. She was to support British forces in the Dodecanese Campaign in the Aegean Sea. She arrived in Alexandria on 16 September. On the night of 17/18 September, she attacked a German convoy. She sank two transport ships and forced another German ship to run aground.
Vasilissa Olga then carried supplies and 300 soldiers to reinforce the British troops on the island of Leros. After completing another supply mission, she was tragically sunk. German Junkers Ju 88 bombers attacked her in Lakki harbor on the morning of 26 September. Seventy-two men lost their lives when the ship went down.
