Greek-Turkish confrontation, but in the Navy yard of Salamis, preparing the exit of the Fleet. What happened the night just before the exit of our fleet in the Aegean?
The admiral, huh.a. Basil Dimitropoulos us confesses:
The weather was very bad and the conditions of work for all personnel of the naval base of Salamis was particularly adverse.
Especially in the evening the rain was continuous and sometimes intense.
The command that was given , as was only natural, activation of all of the ships of the fleet and the ΔΔΜΠ(auxiliary ships tanks ,tankers ,trailers). Even the trailers said someone jokingly. And yet, for us it was a joke, since we know the role it would be called upon to play if need be.
On the day of a random event a Destroyer or Frigate and a rocket ship was activated after regular long-term immobility and a corresponding ship started the stillness. What did we do then? We accelerated the activation and interrupted the start of the repair , bypassing many of the security rules. For example, in the area that the ships receiving ammunition shall be prohibited to fueling. We after latest mandate from the department head of the workshops , we sent the oil in this region and the time of receipt of fuel was receiving fuel. Such examples have been too many.
At noon went to the office of the department head, all full-time private contractors who repaired the ships and reported that in addition to the acceleration of the work put at its disposal, without any obligation to all their potential at the same time, the total of military and civilian personnel of the naval base , without saying anything, they continued the work , with the aim of be activated and the last trailer of the Dockyard.
At night and in the pouring rain a jeep that was for the internal movements of the section chief of the crews came back , with a driver the same, and collecting materials and machinery of the last ships I had left in the Navy yard , carried by these ships and there ship personnel without fulfilling any of the laid down procedures to transfer them , in the cases of large weight , the pick up and was installing itself, and the staff of the workshop , was busy with the activation of the last unit.
A characteristic example was the activation of a small oil tanker that was in the tank with no shaft , and propeller and without having painted in the kept under wraps. Then the section chief brought large tarpaulins isolate the section that he worked for the personnel concerned with the placement of shaft and propeller and the rest of the part of the ship he was painting the garage of υφαλοχÏωματιστών, no, of course not with the procedure provided for, even with all the layers of paint needed for the proper treatment of the pollution and erosion of the reefs of the ship. Just finished all the process and before the paint dries αποδεξαμÎνισαν the ship .
Around 4 in the morning mentioned, from the chief of workshops, the completion of efficiency energy of all the ships , the Commander and the Technical Director of the naval base , and that the whole effort aside basic safety rules, but particularly the non-respect of planned techniques in the performance of a small oil tanker ,with the fact that after the επανάπλου of the ship will επαναλαμβάνετο the procedure provided for , which would burden the NP with an additional repair cost for this process, saying yes that he takes full responsibility of all these actions . Then, and the two with him replied that it was the responsibility of the have the same and when then was the Admiral ΔΔΜΠand this, in turn, on the one hand, congratulated the staff of the naval base on the other hand, said that the responsibility , if there is such , assumes the same.
The result of all this effort which contributed to everyone , staff, Dockyard and Ships , it was that morning which dawned not seen a war ship in the Navy yard of Salamina . Jokingly, we said, “not even a nibble I left.”
Postscript
The last Pic ΑντιτοÏπιλλικών with whom I came in contact inside their ships , around 3 in the morning , when it sailed , was the Commander Demosthenes ΠλαμαντοÏÏας of the “KOUNTOURIOTIS” and the Commander Dimitris ΜοÏτος “ΚΙΜΩΔ
The persons referred to:
Section Chief Crews : Commander Basil Dimitropoulos
Technical Director, Salamis Naval Base : Master Elias Padouvas
Commander: Commodore Nikos Katsaros.
Source
IMIA: THE confession of an admiral – The agonizing preparation of the Fleet
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