Qualla: Greek Cruiser Elli (1912)

Greek Cruiser Elli (1912): Introduction

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

At 8:25 in the morning on 15 August 1940, the Greek cruiser Elli rode at anchor in the harbour of Tinos. It was the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos — the holiest day of summer in the Orthodox calendar — and pilgrims had come from across Greece to venerate the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary housed in the church above the port. Greece was not at war. The Elli was there to participate in the celebrations. Three torpedoes came from beneath the water.

Greek Cruiser Elli (1912): A Ship with a Long Story

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Elli began her life as a ship that no country wanted. Originally ordered by the Chinese government as the Fei Hong, she was one of three cruisers of the Chao Ho class; the Nationalist revolution of 1912–13 cancelled the purchase before she was completed. New York Shipbuilding...

Greek Cruiser Elli (1912): The Morning of the Feast

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Italian submarine Delfino departed the naval base at Partheni on Leros on the night of 14 August 1940. Her orders were to attack ships at Tinos, Syros, and then block the Corinth Canal. The commander, Lieutenant Giuseppe Aicardi, brought her into the harbour of Tinos before d...

Greek Cruiser Elli (1912): An Inconvenient Truth

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Fragments of the torpedoes were recovered from the seabed. They were identified as Italian in manufacture. The Greek government, attempting to avoid a confrontation with Mussolini's Italy, announced publicly that the nationality of the attacking submarine was unknown. The Greek ...

Greek Cruiser Elli (1912): Remembrance and Name

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

After the war, Italy provided compensation in the form of a cruiser transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy. The ship was commissioned in June 1950 under the name Elli — the name the first ship had carried, now given to a successor. She served until 1973. Since 1982, a Standard-cl...