Ierax in 1912
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Class overview | |
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Name | Aetos |
Builders | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead |
Operators | |
In commission | 1912 |
Completed | 4 |
Lost | 1 |
Retired | 3 |
General characteristics as built | |
Type | Destroyer |
Displacement |
|
Length | |
Beam | 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) |
Draught | 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) |
Installed power | 5 × coal-fired White-Forster boilers |
Propulsion | 2 × Parsons geared turbines; 2 shafts; 22,000 shp (16,405 kW) |
Speed | 32 knots (59 km/h) |
Complement | 90 |
Armament |
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The Aetos class were four destroyers were originally constructed for the Argentine Navy as the San Luis class. In Greek they are known as the Thiria (Greek: Θηρία, "Wild Beasts") class,[1] after the ships' names. They were purchased by the Royal Hellenic Navy in October 1912 when the Greek government expanded its navy after losing the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and in anticipation of the Balkan Wars. In December 1916, during World War I, three of the destroyers were seized by France and served in the French Navy until 1918, all except Panthir. They were returned to Greece in 1918. In 1924–1925, they were extensively rebuilt and continued in service into World War II, where they fought with the Allies. Leon was sunk by German aircraft at Suda Bay, Crete. The other three destroyers survived the war and were used as station ships during the Greek Civil War. They were discarded in 1946.