VINTAGE GREECE 1912 - 1913 BALKAN WARS 4
POSTCARDS WARSHIPS CRUISER AVEROF, BATTLESHIP SPETSES, DESTROYER SFENDONI AND
CANNONS SPOILS OF WAR AT PIRAEUS, VOLOS, MILIES AND KIFISSIA CANCELS RARE
Offered is a rare lot of four vintage collectible postcards from Greece, 1912-1913 Balkan Wars. Three of them are with Greek warships which were part of the Greek fleet during 1912 - 1913: armored cruiser Georgios Averof, ironclad battleship Spetsai and destroyer Sfendoni. The fourth one is of the Piraeus Port with cannons and ammunition captured as spoils of war by the Greeks during the battle of Sarantaporo in 1912.
The cruiser Averof postcard is franked with a 5 lepta stamp, Hellas #222A, and cancelled with a telegraphic cancel of Milies (Southern Pelion) dated 4 Aug. (19)13 and postal cancel of Volos-Apostoli (Dispatch) marked “3 – Aug 02 9 ?” (pictured). Size is 9 cm X 14 cm (3.5 in. X 5.5 in.).
The Ironclad battleship Spetsai is unused (pictured). Size is 9 cm X 14 cm (3.5 in. X 5.5 in.).
The destroyer Sfendoni is used but unstamped and uncanceled (pictured). Size is 9 cm X 14 cm (3.5 in. X 5.5 in.).
The Piraeus Port with cannons and ammunition captured as spoils of war postcard is franked with a 5 lepta stamp, Hellas #222A, and cancelled with a postal cancellation of Kifissia (Northern Athens) dated 2? ? (19)13 (pictured). Size is 9.5 cm X 14.5 cm (3.7 in. X 5.7 in.). The postcard appears in the Greek monthly magazine “H Eikonografimeni” (Η Εικονογραφημένη), December, 1912, page 21 (pictured).
Condition is very good for all 4 postcards (pictured). The postcards pictured are the ones you will receive so please examine all pictures carefully.
Shipping is USD 25 worldwide by FedEx courier and USD 10 for Greece by Easy Mail courier. I will combine shipping for all items listed.
Please take a moment to look at my other items!
Please ask any questions before buying.
Thank you for your interest.
Armored cruiser Georgios Averof
Georgios Averof was a modified Pisa-class armored
cruiser built in Italy for the Royal Hellenic Navy in the first decade of the
20th century. The ship served as the Greek flagship during most of the first
half of the century. Although popularly known as a battleship in Greek, she was
in fact an armored cruiser, the only ship of this type still in existence.
Displacement was 10,200 long tons and Length140.13 m (459.7 ft.). Armament
after refit: 2 × twin 234 mm (9.2 in) guns, 4 × twin 190 mm (7.5 in) guns, 8 ×
single 76 mm (3 in) guns, 4 × single 76 mm (3 in) AA guns, 6 × single 36 mm
(1.42 in) AA guns. Top speed was 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27 mph). She was the
most modern warship in the Aegean at the time and served as the flagship of
admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis in the First Balkan War. She played a major role
in the establishment of Greek predominance over the Ottoman Navy and the
incorporation of many Aegean islands to Greece.
Greek ironclad battleship Spetsai
Spetsai was a Greek ironclad battleship of the Hydra
class that served in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1890 until 1920. She was
named after the Saronic Gulf island of Spetses, which played a key role in the
war at sea during the Greek War of Independence. Spetsai she was ordered in
1885 in response to a crisis in the Balkans and Ottoman naval expansion. The
ship was launched in 1889 and delivered to Greece by 1902. Displacement was
4,808 long tons and length was 334 feet 8 inches (102.01 m). She was armed with
a main battery of three 10.8 inches (270 mm) guns and five 5.9 inches (150 mm)
guns, and had a top speed of 17 knots (31 km/hr or 20 mph).
Greek destroyer Sfendoni
Sfendoni (Greek for "Slingshot") was a
Thyella class destroyer that served in the Royal Hellenic Navy
(1907-1945). The ship, along with her
three sister ships, was ordered from Britain in 1905 and was built in the
Yarrow shipyard at Cubitt Town, London. Displacement was standard 350 tons and
length was 67.1 m (220 ft.) Speed was 30 knots (56 km/h) maximum. Armament: Gun
2 × 3-inch (8 cm) 12-pounder Hotchkiss Single & Gun 2 × 57-millimetre (2
in) 6-pounder 40cal Hotchkiss QF Single.
The Battle of Sarantaporo
The Battle of Sarantaporo took place on 9–10 October,
1912. It was the first major battle fought between Greek forces under Crown
Prince Constantine and Ottoman forces under General Hasan Tahsin Pasha during
the First Balkan War. The battle began when the Greek army attacked the Ottoman
defensive line at the Sarantaporo pass, which connected Thessaly with central
Macedonia. Despite being perceived as impregnable by its defenders, the main
body of the Greek forces managed to advance deep inside the pass, while
auxiliary units broke through the Ottoman flanks. The Ottomans abandoned their
defensive line during the night, fearing encirclement. The Greek victory at
Sarantaporo opened the way for the capture of Servia and Kozani. During the
flight of the Turkish army, 22 Turkish cannons and plenty of ammunition was
captured as spoils of war by the Greeks.