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Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

The story of a warship, and its Officers, that struck a crucial blow to Greece’s Junta regime in 1973.

By Desolation Road

October 2^nd, 2020

On the morning of May 23, 1973, as the Greek destroyer warship Velos was floating outside Sardinia, Italy, participating in a NATO exercise, its commander Nikolaos Pappas and his officers were listening to the radio in angst.

The radiowave was terribly ominous for them: back in Greece, the authoritarian regime of the Military Junta arrested and brutally tortured Navy officers who had organized a Movement to overthrow the Dictatorship imposed by the Colonels, back in April 1967.

The then 44-year-old Lieutenant Captain Pappas was at the core of the Democratic officers who had been planning and organizing the Movement against the junta since 1969. A day before the Movement was about to erupt, however, it was betrayed, and of course suppressed by the authoritarian regime in its infancy. The news did not take long to spread, nor to reach the speaker of the Velos radio.

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

"We, on the ship, did not know about the Navy Movement" Kostis Gortzis, a former Admiral and officer in Velos that day, told the Athens News Agency. "Few people knew, and of course the governor, who was at the core of the officers who planned and organized it, was one of them. I had just graduated from the Naval Academy", he continued.

After hearing the news from the radio, Lieutenant Captain Pappas’ mind was setting to a tremendously bold decision. "At that time I entered the governor's room," Gortzis continued, "and I told him, 'I do not know why no one is talking to us. But I want to let you know that we are the crew of this ship and we will follow the Captain whatever he does.' And then this big man got up –and what a big man he was- and cried and hugged me. That's how my life was tied to his".

A few moments later, on the deck of Velos, Commander Pappas announced to the warship’s crew his decision to defect - and the crew welcomed the mutiny with tremendous enthusiasm. Then, Pappas informed the commander of the squadron and the NATO Headquarters, claiming the rights of the peoples of the world for Democracy.

Thus, Velos left the exercise formation and sailed for Rome. It finally anchored off Fiumicino, where the Governor, along with 31 Officers, sought political asylum in Italy. In fact, the entire crew expressed a desire to follow the Commander, but the latter forbade it fearing possible retaliation by the dictatorial regime against their families.

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Thus, all the sailors remained on the ship, and as their officers were now in Rome as political exiles, back in Greece the Colonel's junta received a severe blow in the eyes of world public opinion.

"As we were leaving the ship on another boat for the coast of Italy, seeing Velos disappearing into the mist, with the bell ringing, its chimney and whistles blowing honorably for the departure of the Captain, I suddenly heard a cry. I thought someone broke emotionally. I went downstairs and realized that he was the captain of the Italian patrol ship. He was the one who was crying. He saw us leaving Velos, the emotion in our eyes, and he could not bear it ", Gortzis continued.

Pappas and his officers, however, had not completed their mission. From the airport of Fiumicino they called the international news agencies to inform about their actions, and organized a Press Conference for the next day to let the world know about everything that was happening in Greece.

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos returned to Greece a month later, with an alternate crew. But now it returned as a symbol of the struggle against Dictatorship, Fascism, and the brutal violence and obscurantism that Greece has experienced for seven years - inspiring its brutally oppressed people as it was sailing into the Saronikos gulf of Athens.

The Dictatorship in Greece collapsed in July 1974, and Velos made a significant contribution to it. In fact, Nikolaos Pappas was promoted to Vice Admiral and then, in 1982-’86, to Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff.

The Velos D-16 was built at Boston Navy Yard during World War II and launched on June 3, 1942. Under the name USS Charrette DD 581 back then, it was part of the US Navy's operations against the Japanese in the Pacific, mainly supporting aircraft carriers and convoys.

During these operations, in February 1944 it sank the Japanese submarine I-21, while on June 15 of the same year it sank a 1,900-tons Japanese armorer ship, while rescuing 120 soldiers aboard it. It retired from active duty on March 4, 1946 in San Diego, USA.

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

In 1958, after being modernized at the Shipyards of Long Beach, California, it was given to the -then Royal- Greek Navy, along with three destroyers of similar type, named Aspis (Shield), Sfendon (Sling) and Loghi (Lance), as part of mutual US-Greek assistance.

It sailed in Greek waters on October 15, 1959, and up until 1991 it participated in National and Allied exercises, as well as in the operations of the Greek-Turkish crises of 1964, 1967, 1974 (Cyprus) and 1987. During Velos’ 32 years of service in the Greek Navy, it was ruled by 34 Governors and covered a total of 360,000 nautical miles.

The Velos Destroyer was decommissioned on February 26, 1991. In 1994, by decision of the Minister of National Defense and the General Staff of the Navy, it was designated as a "Museum of the Anti-dictatorship Struggle" and docked at the Training Center of the island of Poros. Since June 6, 2002, it has been moored at the site of the "Grove of Greek Maritime Tradition" in Paleo Faliro, Athens.

At the beginning of 2020, it sailed to the port of Thessaloniki, to be exhibited in the second most populous city in Greece. "Some knew its story," concludes Gortzis. "Others came to see a Navy ship. The people here have seamanship in their DNA. They want the sea, the Navy gives them confidence".

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Visiting Velos

Along with its glorious history against the fascist oppression, Velos is important because it is one of only four surviving copies of the 175 ships of this type that were built. It's also the only one in Europe, since the remaining three are all in the USA.

The ship and several of its interiors (control room, dormitories, laundry, doctor's office, kitchen) are open to the public. Archival material, such as newspapers of 1973 and photographs, are also exhibited on its walls, in order to preserve the historical memory of the Navy's contribution to the restoration of Democracy in Greece.

You can visit it daily (except Monday), as well as on weekends and holidays, during 10:00-13: 00 & 17: 00-19: 30. The ticket costs €2.00. For more information you can send an email to velos1@navy.mil.gr.

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Velos Destroyer: Defying Dictators

Footnotes

Copyright ©: Desolation Road / Titos Aronis

FootNotes

Copyright ©: Desolation Road / Titos Aronis

© 2026 Desolation Road

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