What I can see

The destroyer Velos II is 115m long and 12m wide. It was supported by a crew of 273 members and its technical characteristics included 2 single-barreled machine guns, 5 torpedo tubes, 2 triple torpedo tubes, 2 launchers with 48 anti-submarine grenades, 4 guided surface-to-air missiles and 12 depth charges. It participated in many inter-allied exercises and operated during the Greek-Turkish crises (1964, 1967, 1974, 1987). It is one of the 4 ships of this type that exist to this day worldwide. The other three are in the USA. The Velos II currently operates as a Museum of the Anti-Dictatorship Struggle.

What I can't see

During the dictatorship (1967-1974), arrests of officers, who had planned to take action against the regime (Navy Movement), had begun. The ship, captained by Lieutenant Commander Nikolaos Pappas, sailed to Fiumicino, Italy. The crew members requested political asylum and lived in exile until the fall of the dictatorship. The dictators had managed to secure control and full support of the security forces and also to weaken the forces that supported the king. The Navy, however, was still able to organize anti-regime action, which, however, was affected from within. As for the history of the ship itself, it was built in Boston, served in US Navy operations in the Pacific Ocean against Japan and, along with 3 other similar destroyers, was ceded to the then Greek Royal Navy, as part of the US-Greece mutual aid. After being converted into a museum, it remained in Athens for many years and later arrived in Thessaloniki, where it remains to this day. Its initial location was near the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. That location was an extremely poor choice, because the ship did not fit in with the surrounding environment, and was also seriously damaged due to strong winds in 2023. Consequently, its transfer it to the city’s port has been the wisest option.

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