PALASKAS



Name : PALASKAS
Greek name : ΠΑΛΑΣΚΑΣ
Type of Ship : Minesweeper
Later Names : 1941 11 V 1
Owner : [?] Drainage Works of Macedonia
1937 Greek Royal Navy
1941 German Reich


The PALASKAS was a small steamer of the Greek governmental society “Drainage Works of Macedonia”. She was taken over by the Royal Hellenic Navy in 1937 and served, at the start, as a water lighter and after that as an auxiliary minesweeper.
12./13.4.1941 blocked in Volos harbor by German magnetic mines. [A]
15./16.4.1941 scuttled when the Greek harbor captain of Volos left the town. [A]
21.4.1941 found by the German armed forces in Volos. The ship was later raised, repaired and rebuilt as „Vorpostenboot“ (picket boat). [C]
30.07.1941 commissioned as “Vorpostenboot 11 V 1” for the 12. Küstensicherungsflottille (12th Coast Guard flottilla). After that escort duties for convoys in the whole Aegean area. [D]
01.11.1941 Commanding Officer: Obersteuermann Langschwager. [D]
09.11.1941 Escort for German steamer ITAKA bound for Souda, Crete, together with “12 V 4“ (former brit. WIDNES).
10.11.1941, 04:07 (German operational time), ITHAKA (1.773 grt) was torpedoed by the British submarine HMS PROTEUS (CO Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) south-west of Milos and sank with heavy losses. After 11 V 1 had hunted the hostile sub in vain she returned to the scene of accident and rescued 21 shipwrecked out of approximately 600 who had been on board.
22.-30.11.1941 in Lemnos, Lesbos, Saloniki and Chios at disposal of the 164. Infanteriedivision.
01.12.1941 Commanding Officer: Obersteuermann Szonn. [D]
14.01.1942 lost due to mine off Souda Bay. Prior to the detonation a mine was sighted off the port side of 11 V 1, whose position was to be marked by a lowered boat to have the mine cut by the escorting motor minesweepers. Not that mine was the cause of the loss but a second one which had not been sighted. At 10:00 (German operational time) a detonation occurred and 11 V 1 was sunk. The scene was checked intensely for survivors, 18 soldiers being rescued by the Italian motor minesweeper R 159. Three soldiers remained missing (MIA), 11 soldiers were severely and 7 soldiers were lightly injured. [D]
The wreck was not salvaged after the war.
Date of Loss : 16.04.1941
Kind of Loss : Scuttle
Cause of Loss : Scuttle
1. [A] War Diary of the Greek Royal Navy - Historical Institute of the Greek Navy (Gr.)
2. [B] Kavadias, Epaminondas P. (Vice Admiral): The Marine War of 1940 as I experienced it, edit. Pyrsos, Athens 1950 (Gr.)
3. [C] Gröner, Erich (Fortgeführt von Dieter Jung und Martin Maass): Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945, Band 8, Bernard & Graefe Verlag
4. [D] KTB der 12. Küstensicherungsflottille
Inserted : 21.04.2015
Inserted by : Dimitris Galon
Last Edit : 11.09.2015
Edited by : Thorsten Reich
Modifications : - 02.05.2015 D. Galon english service life inserted
- 06.05.2015 D. Galon greek service inserted
- 27.06.2015 T. Reich photos 1-5 inserted
- 11.09.2015 T. Reich documents 1-6 inserted