Admiral Mezeviris Royal Hellenic Navy served the Greek Navy from the Balkan War to World War I and World War II as Chief of the Navy

ADMIRAL
MEZEVIRIS
R.H.N.

Biography

1943, Liverpool taking delivery
of Corvette "KRIEZIS"

Gregory Mezeviris was born in Piraeus on January 4, 1891. His father was
Stefanos Mezeviris, a lawyer from Stenimahos in Eastern Romylia, and his
mother was Klearisti Primidi.

In 1906, he was admitted to the Hellenic School of Naval Cadets
and began a long and illustrious naval career. On May 28, 1912 he
married Marguerite Agelastos. Their daughter Alice was born on
March 19, 1913 and married Alexander Pericles Couclelis, an
economist from Alexandria, Egypt on December 27, 1942. Gregory
Mezeviris died in Athens on October 23, 1978.

Development of his naval career

Ensign on July 17, 1910

Junior Lieutenant on June 2, 1913

Lieutenant on February 7, 1915

Lieutenant Commander on March 16, 1920

Commander on June 20, 1924

Captain on February14, 1934

Rear Admiral on May 6, 1943

Vice Admiral on June 1, 1947

He retired on September 1, 1949, after 43 years of

distinguished service in the Royal Hellenic Navy.

Ships and Shore Commands:
Gregory Mezeviris served in the Navy during an eventful era:

From July 1910 and during First Balkan War on the

battleship "PSARA",

From January 28, 1913 as executive officer on the

torpedoes boat "NIKOPOLIS",

From June 1913 in charge of a Naval Detachment on

Macedonia during the Hellenic- Bulgarian War,

From November 1913 as executive officer and then as

commanding officer of the first Greek submarine "DOLPHIN"

From May 1915 he served as officer of artillery on the

battleship "LEMNOS" and then as officer of electricity on

the battleship "AVEROF", also acting as Chief of Staff of the

Chief of the Battleships Command,

In 1917 he served at the Hellenic Navy General Staff,

From 1918 and during World War I he served as executive

officer on the destroyers "LONGHI" and "KERAVNOS",

From July 1919 as Vice Governor and then Governor of the

Torpedo School,

From September 1920 he served with the Direction of the

Radio-Telegraphy Service of the Navy (D.R.Y.N) from where

he was send to study at the Advanced School of Electricity

in Paris, France. He returned to Greece with the diploma of

radio electric engineer,

From June 1921 he was assigned to reorganize the

technical section of D.R.Y.N and to launch and teach in

technical schools for telegraphers and specialisation

schools for combat lieutenants. In parallel to these duties

he was Professor of Electricity at the Schools of Naval

Cadets and the Military Academy.

In June 1924 he was appointed Director of D.R.Y.N

From August 1925 he served as Naval Attaché at the

Hellenic Embassy in Paris,

From January 1930 he was again named Director of D.R.Y.N.

From May 1931 Commander of the destroyers "LEON" and

"HYDRA" and in parallel Chief of the Destroyer Flotilla,

From February 1934 Director of the Naval School of War and

then Director of Technical Services of the Ministry of the

Navy,

From April 1935 Commander of the Destroyer Flotilla,

From January 1936 Director of the 3rd Direction of the

Hellenic Navy General Staff and then, once more,

Commander of the Destroyer Flotilla,

From December 1937 reappointed Director of the Naval

School of War,

From July 1938 Superior Commander of Coastal Defence,

From November 1939 - and for the duration of the World

War II in Greece- Superior Commander of the 10 destroyers,

on board the "KING GEORGE". After the serious damage

inflicted by the German air force to the "KING GEORGE" on

April 13, 1941, he raised his banner on the destroyer

"AETOS" and later on the destroyer

"HYDRA"

On April 22, 1941, while the "HYDRA" was sailing on the

Saronic Gulf, she was attacked by the German Luftwaffe

and sunk. Mezeviris was wounded and admitted to

"EVANGELISMOS" hospital. He was still in the hospital

when the Germans marched on Athens.

In February 1943 he escaped, via Turkey, to the Middle East

where he was promoted to Rear Admiral.

From August 1943 to February 1944 he negotiated in

London with the British Admiralty the concession of

additional ships to the Hellenic Navy. As a result of his

efforts, 5 destroyers and 3 corvettes where added to the

Hellenic Navy.

In April 1944, he helped Admiral Voulgaris put down the

revolt of the Greek crews

in Alexandria, Egypt and then re-

established order on the Greek ships based at Malta.

From September 1944 he was appointed Deputy Chief of the

Hellenic Admiralty in the Middle East and Deputy Chief of

the Hellenic Navy General Staff.

From April 1945 he was promoted to Admiral Chief and Chief

of the Hellenic Navy General Staff. He exercised these

duties till the end of September 1947.

From June 1949 he was appointed Inspector General of the

Royal Hellenic Navy and promoted to the rank of Vice

Admiral.

He retired in September 1949.

After his retirement:

He dealt with scientific issues and his other specialisation

of radio electrical engineer. For the next 8 years he

consulted on technical issues for the National Radio

Foundation. He completed a series of studies for the

technical development of the Greek Radio and Television

Foundation.

He wrote 5 books on naval strategy, the new weapons and

the naval operations of World War II. He was a regular

correspondent for the newspaper "HESTIA" on naval,

aviation and general strategy topics.

He was visiting Professor of Naval Strategy at the School of

National Defense and at the Naval School of War.

1915, Captain of S/M "DOLPHIN"
www.mezeviris.gr

1919 Odessa, Executive officer
of the destroyer "KERAVNOS" .

www.mezeviris.gr

1955, Vice Admiral (re) Gregory Mezeviris