Georgios Blessas
Georgios Blessas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1 January 1905 Lixouri, Kingdom of Greece |
| Died | 26 September 1943 (aged 38) Leros, Kingdom of Greece |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Greece |
| Service |  Hellenic Navy |
| Years of service | 1919–1943 (24 years) |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles / wars | |
Georgios Blessas (Greek: Γεώργιος Μπλέσσας; 1 January 1905 – 26 September 1943) was a Greek naval commander who participated in the Second World War.[1]
Military career
[edit]At the age of 14 years old, Blessas enlisted as a Naval cadet at the Hellenic Naval Academy on 3 September 1919. He graduated and was commissioned as an Ensign RN on 29 December 1923.[1] During his time in the Hellenic Navy, Blessas served as an officer and commander on various Greek naval ships. Blessas, originally a commander of the torpedo boat Kydoniai, led the torpedo boat Aspis as its commander in Alexandria after the Fall of Greece in April 1941. Beginning in August 1942, Blessas commanded the Vasilissa Olga,[2] an anti-torpedo warship, during the Battle of the Messina Convoy, where he fought with British naval ships against an Italian torpedo boat. Besass and his ship also participated in the Allied invasion of Sicily. In September 1943, the month of the Vasilissa Olga's sinking, Blessas patrolled the Aegean Sea near the Dodecanese Islands.[2][3]
Vasilissa Olga
[edit]The Vasilissa Olga was the primary ship that Blessas commanded.[4]
26 March 1942 - Vasilissa Olga boards 26 survivors from the British fleet oiler RFA Slavol. Slavol was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat near the city Sidi Barrani.
10 June 1942 - Vasilissa Olga boards 53 men from the British tanker RFA Brambleleaf which was torpedoed and damaged by a German U-boat near Ras Alem, Egypt.
9 January 1943 - British destroyers HMS Pakenham, HMS Nubian and the Vasilissa Olga attack and destroy a German transport ship near the Libyan coast.
2 June 1943 - The Battle of the Messina Convoy takes place, where the Vasilissa Olga attacks the Italian torpedo boat Castore with help from the British destroyer HMS Jervis.
11 June 1943 - Vasilissa Olga participates in Operation Corkscrew, helping to capture the Italian island of Pantelleria.
9 July 1943 - Vasilissa Olga participates in Operation Husky, the operation that led to the naval invasion of the Italian island of Sicily, opening a new front in the Second World War.
Death and legacy
[edit]Blessas was killed in action on 26 September 1943 while fighting against an enemy German aerial attack on Lakki, Leros, a Greek island. The German attackers managed to sink his ship, killing him, 6 officers, and 65 crew members on the ship.[2]
After his death, a Greek ship was named after Blessas, the HS Blessas.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "HS BLESSAS". Πολεμικό Ναυτικό - Επίσημη Ιστοσελίδα. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ a b c "Bust of Commander George Blessas - Kefalonia". Terrabook. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ Robison, Walton (August 1944). "The Greek Navy Fights On". U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur (2024-04-15). "RHS Vasilissa Olga (D 15)". uboat.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.