For other ships with the same name, see Greek ship Spetsai.
Spetsai's sister ship Hydra early in her career
History
Greece
Name
Spetsai
Namesake
Spetsai Island
Ordered
1885
Builder
Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, Gravelle (Le Havre)
Launched
1889
Commissioned
1890
Decommissioned
1920
Fate
Sold for scrap
General characteristics
Class and type
Hydra-class ironclad
Displacement
4,808 long tons (4,885 t)
Length
334 feet 8 inches (102.01 m)
Beam
51 ft 10 in (15.80 m)
Draft
18 ft (5.5 m)
Installed power
4 × fire-tube boilers
6,700 indicated horsepower (5,000 kW)
Propulsion
2 × marine steam engines
2 × screw propellers
Speed
17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Crew
400
Armament
3 × 10.8-inch (274 mm) guns
5 × 5.9-inch (150 mm) guns
4 × 3.4-inch (86 mm) guns
4 × 3-pounder guns
4 × 1-pounder guns
6 × 1-pounder Hotchkiss revolver cannon
3 × 14 in (356 mm) torpedo tubes
Armor
Belt: 4 to 12 in (102 to 305 mm)
Barbettes: 14 in
Deck: 2.3 in (58 mm)
Spetsai (Greek: Θ/Κ Σπέτσαι) 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. She was armed with a main battery of three 10.8 inches (270 millimetres) guns and five 5.9 inches (150 millimetres) guns, and had a top speed of 17 knots (31 kilometres per hour; 20 miles per hour).
Spetsai and her sisters saw extensive service with the Greek Navy. They participated in the Greco–Turkish War in 1897 until the Great Powers intervened and prevented the Greek Navy from capitalizing on their superiority over the Ottoman Navy. Psara saw action in the First Balkan War at the Naval Battle of Elli and was present at the Naval Battle of Lemnos, but was too slow to actively engage the Ottoman forces. She did not see action during World War I, and was used as a naval communications school until 1929, when she was sold for scrapping.
and 11 Related for: Greek ironclad Spetsai information
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Barbette ironclads Hydra class Hydra (1889) - retired in 1919 Spetsai (1889) - retired in 1929 Psara (1890) - sold for scrap in 1932 Casemate ironclad De Ruyter...
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ironclad battleships Hydra, Spetsai, and Psara, the gunboat Alfeios and the auxiliary Kanaris. During this period he began his studies of the Greek seas...
Ensign. He participated in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 on board the ironcladSpetsai. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 30 June 1899, lieutenant on 29...
themselves. The early successes of the Greek fleet in direct confrontations with the Ottomans at Patras and Spetsai gave the crews confidence, and contributed...
Global Information
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