"The Christian sentiments of Greek society at the time but also the personal beliefs of the Navy officers and not only P. Kountouriotis saw to it that in the new waterway of the fleet, the battleship "G. Averof", to have a church on deck, although it was not foreseen by the original plans of the ship, which were adapted following the relevant request and order of the Navy" describes Archimandrite Ioustinos Marmarinos, colonel (SI) priest GEN. The chapel was built in the place where the matchbox was planned.
It is the only warship with a temple and in fact it has always served
priest, who was the third in antiquity in rank.
"The Church of Agios Nikolaos had a significant effect on the psychology of the crew and contributed to the success of their mission. Prof.’ throughout the Balkan Wars, a military chaplain was on board the ship as a regular member of the crew and officiated on Sundays and holidays". Sacraments were also celebrated in the chapel of Agios Nikolaos, such as weddings and baptisms, especially expatriate children during the battleship's voyages to North Africa.
At 8 June 1912 the Holy Synod appointed the archimandrite and later Metropolitan of Sparta Dionysios Dafnos as vicar of the ship. The priest, wanting to contribute to the cultivation of the Christian faith and religiosity of the crew, he made various speeches from time to time. In the diary of the captain of the ship it is stated that Fr. Dionysios was an essential partner in achieving discipline and harmony in the large crew, which had shown previous cases of indiscipline. It made sense, after all, in a crew 1.200 members to have contrasts and differences.
The current commander of the battleship "Averof" Captain Sotirios Charalambopoulos
characterizes the ship as "the most sacred relic we have in modern times. It is the ship that, with Admiral Kountouriotis, liberated the Aegean during the Balkan Wars in the period 1912-1913".
Speaking in "Orthodox Truth", Mr.. Charalambopoulos states that "on 104 consecutive years it is the only part of Greek territory that has not suffered the Greek flag. There is no Greek territory - every ship is territory- which has consecutive 104 years the Greek flag. In World War II he left with other ships and went to the Middle East, to continue the fight there. Everything was dissolved except "Averof"".
The priest had a very important task. His contribution, especially in difficult times, was decisive. They were always by the crew, in the boiler rooms, in the engine rooms, near the sailors, to cheer them up, but also during rest periods he collected the illiterate sailors and taught them to read and write. His role was crucial.
The sign from God
Agios Nikolaos always protected the ship, they report testimonies. "Good evenings
of the naval battle of Hellas, a steward was cleaning the ship with a bucket.
It just finished, lay down to sleep and, when he woke up, he looked shocked
the face of a Saint is formed on the bucket" describes the governor
of "Averof" Mr. Charalambopoulos and continues: "Everyone's emotion was palpable,
no one could dispute the image, it was indeed the form of one
Saint.
Shocked, they took the bucket and went to Kountouriotis, who was deeply religious. With tears in my eyes, the governor said this is a sign from God that we will win the battle. And, actually, so it happened. That is why Kountouriotis ordered a litany after the triumphant victory.
Subsequently, the bucket was placed in the chapel. Daphnos was a priest then, who, when the 1915 became Metropolitan of Sparta, he took the bucket with him.
The 1937 the king went to visit Sparta and, when the Metropolitan explained the story to him, the king asked him to return the bucket to the ship, where it belongs. Today anyone who wants to can see the bucket in the form of the Saint in "Averof". This was one of the miracles recorded in the ship's logbook.
Kountouriotis blessed the crew with a wooden cross. "THE,what am i achieving
it is from God" he said.
On the battleship "Averof" the vicar played an important role in World War II
War, when the Germans entered Athens and occupied it. While the fleet
he was trying to leave for the Middle East, was ordered by the Greek Headquarters to
"Averof" sinks, because the authorities believed that, if he left in open
sea, would be sunk by the enemies. Priest Papanikolopoulos led -me
the contribution of officers-, so that the crew reacts and does not give in to
mandate.
Maundy Thursday night they drove the ship secretly towards Argosaronicus, making
alongside an iron cross. The vicar of the ship Fr. Dionysus
Papanikolopoulos, after Admiral Kountouriotis, has associated his name with
the ship's history.
Mr.. Charalambopoulos explains to us that Admiral Kountouriotis believed that the,What
he also does,what he achieves is not realized by him, but because the
God wanted. He brings us one more incident: "The Turkish had come out
fleet from the Dardanelles and the Greek fleet was moving to attack him
to meet. Kountouriotis asked for a box to be brought to him from the chapel, the
which had a wooden cross inside. With the cross he turned the whole ship and
bless the whole crew. He went up to the opposite bridge, he touched the cross and
he said: "Where the cross rests, let the Turkish projectile not touch". Really,
the Turkish forces fired 1.800 missiles against "Averof", but they succeeded
the ship only the 15".
After all this one could not doubt that his patron
ship is Agios Nikolaos. Even today, the Saint declares the presence
of. About two years ago, the Metropolitan of Syros visited "Averof".
K. Dorotheos, who, after the guided tour by the skipper, he said that some
moment will send him something. A week later it would take place at
ship a New Year's pie cutting event.
Marking the to-dos for the day of the event, the governor thought
that an icon of Agios Nikolaos is missing from the room. He wrote, Well, in
a small paper "image of Saint Nicholas for the frame", with a view to giving it to
competent, to fix it. Entering the hall and the moment when
he called the manager to give him the paper, a sailor approached him and his
gave a package, which had just arrived from the Metropolitan of Syros. It was
an image of Saint Nicholas. "Nothing, finally, it's not a coincidence" tells us
governor, considering that the repeated event ceases to be accidental.
From 1987 the ship is located in Faliro and functions as a museum. Students
and tourists visit it every day. The crew welcomes them too
gives a tour of the places to be visited. Once a month there is a consecration by
Pi. Ioustino Marmarinos, while on major holidays and anniversaries it is held at
small church of Agios Nikolaos divine liturgy and doxology.
The miracle of the silver image
But another testimony shows that another victory is due to her strength
of faith. The 1942 the English commander, who was in charge of his area
Indian Ocean, he called the captain of the "Averof" and asked him to accompany
70 commercial ships, even telling him how, because the threat is known, I will
they were satisfied if they managed to reach the destination halfway commercially
their. The captain of the ship narrates: “Because of the heat, to cool down,
they took off the mattresses and slept on the deck. One night the
Papanikolopoulos had taken out his mattress in the stern and was sleeping.
Suddenly, he was awakened by a repeating noise. He got up and saw something
it silvers in the water and rests on the ship. He shouted to the bridge to
stopped and went down himself to see what was causing the noise.
What he saw was a silver icon of Saint Nicholas, which with
in an inexplicable way he found himself at sea and was following the ship. All of it
bleary-eyed crew showed the captain the picture, who immediately
he asked for a service and a litany. Agios Nikolaos was on the side
them. They did 3.500 miles and not a commercial was lost!
by Makis Adamopoulos- from the weekly newspaper Orthodox Truth –
pronews.gr