“We have land and homeland as long as we have ships at sea.” With the legendary phrase of Themistocles, 2502 years after the battle of Salamis, the fleet perpetuates the “Great State of the Sea.” But what is life like on a warship? With the “Guardians of the Aegean Sea” and with the approval of the head of the General Staff, Vice Admiral Stylianos Petrakis P.N. we crossed the beloved Archipelago of poets and artists, watched the exercises and, between the “excellent students” and dinner, talked with our officers about life at sea.

You pass the “podium” and go out on deck. You immediately feel that you are in… a moving part of Greece. Everywhere are Greek flags and images related to the country and its history. The Atlas-1 general support ship, in relation to other ships of the Navy, may differ from the rest in design, but it has a common task: to protect the Thermopylae of the Aegean Sea.

Atlas-1 began its … career not as a warship, but as a vessel serving oil rigs in the North Sea. In 2019, it was acquired by the P. Laskaridis Foundation and donated to the Navy. With a total length of 70.40 m, a useful displacement of 3010 tons and a maximum displacement of 5297 tons, it could be called … Titan. Maybe that’s why his “godfathers” called him Atlas, because he can endure and dare anything. He has two machine guns, and his task is the logistics of the strike units of the fleet headquarters, that is, frigates, missiles and gunboats. Like the modern Atlas, it carries… the ground next to the drum kit. And let some jokingly call it a “cruiser”, since a different original purpose provided it with amenities that are not found on warships.

The phrase “order and discipline” takes on “flesh and bones” aboard a warship. Everything works with the protocol and precision of… a Swiss watch. When the anchor is raised, the mission begins. “The ship is always ready, because it is a warship and it must be able to handle anything in the context of the ordered mission,” vice-captain and commander of the ship Gr.

Even when the thermometer shows heat, the officers, foremen and sailors serving on the Atlas and other warships wear uniforms. There are rules for uniforms and a different one is required for each occasion. They will wear one on board and the other “on duty” (when the ship is moored). A few minutes after we board the boat and after being briefed on the areas where we can move, the anchor is lifted and the mission begins. From the Temple of Poseidon, together with the “Guardians of the Aegean” we will “cross” the Sea of ​​Homer and reach Chios. “Every plus is an opportunity for education. We must use every moment to be in the state we want to be. This is being done with damage reports related to fire or leakage, as well as other emergency events that the ship will be associated with,” the governor told us, who, despite being from Alexandroupolis, “broke” … tradition and instead of the ground forces, the navy was chosen.

Right side, left side and protocol

The color of dusk, gray, dominates the ship. From the barn we head to the barn and reach the bridge. If the engine room is the heart of the ship, then that’s where the brain is. The eyes of duty officers and non-commissioned officers are constantly at sea or on computers. Few words, less typical. There are six-hour shifts on a regular ship and each crew member is assigned two six-hour shifts in a twenty-four hour shift, depending on the bulkhead (bulk carriers: the crew is divided into port and starboard depending on where the ship is located). ship their berth is located). The rest of the hours they rest. This occurs under normal sailing conditions. At exercises or in a tense situation, the entire crew is placed in full guard (in combat positions). Then each crew member deals with his object. For example, on a missile boat or frigate, the drill is aimed at eliminating the threat from other ships, flying ships, or submarines.

The clock shows that the time is approaching 1.30, and the officers tell us that we must go to dinner. The schedule on the warship is respected to the second. Breakfast is served from 07.30 to 08.30, ariston (lunch) from 13.30 to 14.30 and dinner from 19.30 to 20.30. On the evening shift (02.00-08.00), from 01.30 to 02.30 the chef will prepare something light (soup or rice pudding). Officers will eat in the “officer’s box”, non-commissioned officers in the “non-commissioned officer’s box”. Hierarchy and protocol are everywhere. Even the choice of the port of the vessel is provided for by a specific order.

During the meal, Governor Gr.B. and Ober-Admiral G.S. they tell us about the large family that makes up the warship. “This is a family of 40 people. You must make sure they are safe, have fun, and solve any problems before they arise in order to successfully complete the mission. There are no easy missions. You have to make sure that the training is done correctly so that the mission is also easy. The ship can be out of the base even for half a year, ”the governor of Atlanta emphasized.

The conversation is interrupted by the sound of a siren and a message about a fire on the boat. In a few seconds everything is in place. Our initial surprise is replaced by a smile when we realize that this is an exercise. But the crew performs all movements, even the transportation of the “victim”, as if it were a real incident.

Most of the crew are permanent employees. There are also women among them. “On most ships, the crews are mixed. There are no women governors yet, but we are close,” the governor stressed.

Twilight gives the Aegean a gray color, as if it wants to merge with the gray of the ship. The lights on the bridge go out and Atlas 1 is plunged into darkness. But “Guardians of the Aegean” is …