On Monday, 20 January 2025, the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, representing the President of the Hellenic Government, attended the naming ceremony of four Hellenic Navy ISLAND type patrol boats, which was held at Salamis Dockyards.
The four boats were named:
-
-“MANDOUVALOS”
-
-“GALANIS”
-
-“LIASKOS”
-
-“GIALOPSOS”
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of National Defence Giannis Kefalogiannis, ND MP Nikolaos Vlachakos, Leader of the “Spartiates” Political Party Vasileios Stingas, PASOK-KINAL MP Michalis Katrinis, MP and former Minister of National Defence, and Honorary Chief HNDGS, Admiral (ret) Evangelos Apostolakis, Mayor of Salamis Georgios Panagopoulos, National Security Advisor Thanos Dokos, US Ambassador George J. Tsunis, and representatives of the local government and bodies.
On the part of the military leadership, the ceremony was attended by Chief/HNDGS General Dimitrios Choupis, Chief/HNGS Dimitrios Eleftherios Kataras HN, Chief of the Hellenic Coast Guard, Vice Admiral CG Georgios Alexandrakis, Chief of the Hellenic Fleet Vice Admiral Christos Sasiakos HN, honorary chiefs, and active and retired officers and NCOs.
The name givers of the four new patrol boats are: Milena Kontou (PB GALANIS) Maria Gialopsou (PB GIALOPSOS) Maria Skaramagkou (PB LIASKOS) and Panormitis Mavros (PB MANDOUVALOS).
The name givers of the four new patrol boats are the rowing Olympic champion from Lesvos Ms. Milena Kontou, the sister of the heroic chief petty officer Ektoras Gialopsos, Ms. Maria Gialopsou, the distinguished student of the third class of Fournoi High School, and great granddaughter of the hero Nikolaos Maounis, who fell heroically in October 1944 when the minesweeper “KOS” struck a mine, Ms Maria Skaramagkou, and the youngest of the only two students of Pserimos island school, young Panormitis Mavros.
The Minister of National Defence stated in his address:
“It brings me great joy, and also a feeling of honour and pride, to be present at the naming ceremony of the four ISLAND type boats today. Of the four patrol boats “MANDOUVALOS”, “GALANIS”, “LIASKOS”, and “GIALOPSOS”.
As the Chief of HNGS stated earlier, the name choice is intertwined with the history of our Navy and renders a tribute of honour to cadres who lost their life. They sacrificed their life defending our Country.
To Petty Officer Ioannis Mandouvalos, who was lost during the torpedoing of the ELLI in Tinos, on 15 August 1940.
To Petty Officer Georgios Galanis, who lost his life on board the ADRIAS, on 22 October 1943.
To Petty Officer Antonis Liaskos, who lost his life during the sinking of our Destroyer VASILISSA OLGA, in Leros, in September 1943.
And to Chief Petty Officer Ektoras Gialopsos, who fell at Imia, on the 31st of January 1996.
Today, these four patrol boats, alongside the accompanying historical memories, are incorporated into the fleet, replacing existing ones, according to the “2030 Agenda”.
This incorporation continues the reinforcement of our Navy. I would like you to allow me to mention, along with the reinforcement, a different approach as well: the change of our doctrine.
For our Navy, the modern one, will move beyond the simple defence of the Aegean, due to its new capabilities, and gain broader possibilities for development in the broader Eastern Mediterranean, and possibly beyond that.
Initially, with the new Belharra frigates, which, as I have stated again in the past, will also carry strategic weaponry.
For, ladies and gentlemen, the Exclusive Economic Zones, the treaties for the creation of which carry the signature of Kyriakos Mitsotakis Government along with my own, the treaty with Egypt in particular, require the capability to defend them on the field, in their maritime zones.
The Aegean, exceptionally beneficial to Hellenism, will henceforth be protected by the anti-aircraft, anti-drone, and anti-missile dome. Not solely by the Hellenic Navy and the Hellenic Air Force.
These weapon systems, which have been incorporated into the Twelve Year Long Term Programme of Defence Expenditure, which will shortly, once the dates are made known by the Hellenic Parliament, be presented to the competent Parliament Committee for the first time. It is a programme within the narrow, – I have to add – financial framework, impose on us by economic realities.
The Twelve Year Long Programme includes innovative programmes, but also modernisation programmes.
However, the idea behind the Twelve Year Long Programme is the leveraging of resources for the development of the ecosystem of Greek industries in the Defence sector.
For the Hellenic Navy, these programmes include the modernisation of the MEKO, the ROUSSEN, of our submarines, which must start immediately.
The same thing, that is, the participation of the Greek factor, will apply to the next type of our frigates, and the next type of our submarines.
The situation, however, has already changed. The Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation has been making progress with low cost programmes, albeit of high value and big opportunities of leverage. I am referring to the autonomous systems at sea and under water, C&C cryptosecure communication systems, and cyberwarfare systems.
We have already scored a great success, which you will allow me to advertise. I am referring to the “KENTAVROS” system, which has now been tested in real battle conditions.
However, to be honest with you, however much these approaches are innovative, they are not potential choices of the present government. These choices are the belated children of need. Our need for national survival.
For this is the gamble, and for this purpose we need the involvement of the whole political world and Greek society in this effort.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I state the obvious. Our dominance of our seas is also a condition of survival for Hellenism. From antiquity to this day, here in Salamis, the place echoes this antiquity. Greek seamanship has been a pillar of our national identity, our national DNA, and our survival.
We are living in times of instability. I have repeatedly stated in my latest public speeches, that instability is the new state.
For this reason, it is an urgent need to reinforce our Armed Forces to be able to respond to these new challenges.
Our reformation agenda, “Agenda 2030”, calls for a modern and powerful Navy. The most modern and powerful in Greek history, which will safeguard sovereignty, our sovereign rights, our geographical space, and the European borders.
The boats we have in front of us are boats which carry names that render them a part of our unified national narrative, our common historical reference, the basic ground of unity of Hellenic people and the Hellenic nation.
These boats will fly our blue and white flag, execute their mission, and I wish that St Nikolaos protects them”.