The Wild Beast class, or Aetos class, of destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

s were bought by the Royal Hellenic Navy before World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 when the Greek government expanded its navy after losing the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and in anticipation of the Balkan Wars

Balkan Wars

The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...

. These four ships had originally been ordered by Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 from the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 shipyards Camell Laird in Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

. They were bought by Greece just as they were about to sail for Argentina.

During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, these ships were seized by the French Navy

French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

 when Greece did not enter the war on the side of the allies, but were returned to the Hellenic Royal Navy in 1917 when Greece declared war.

Modifications

Significant changes were made between 1924 and 1935, when the ships were reconstructed by J. Samuel White

J. Samuel White

J. Samuel White was a British shipbuilding firm based in Cowes, taking its name from John Samuel White . It came to prominence during the Victorian era...

. Oil-fired boilers replaced the coal-fired ones, allowing the number of funnels to be reduced from five to two; one four-inch gun was moved to a new platform forward of the bridge, allowing four single torpedo tube mountings to be replaced by two triple mountings; two single 2-pounder anti-aircraft guns were also added. Two ships, Aetos and Panthir, were further modified in 1936-37 to include mine-laying capability.

In World War II, after the axis invasions, the four ships served with the allies. One, Leon, was accidentally damaged and subsequently sunk at Suda Bay, Crete. The remaining three were refitted in Madras, Calcutta and Port Sudan

Port Sudan

Port Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...

 during 1941 and 1942.

The ships

The class consisted of four destroyers: Aetos

Greek destroyer Aetos

Aetos served in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1912–1945.The ship, along with her three sister ships of Wild Beast class destroyers Ierax, Panthir and Leon, was ordered from England. They were purchased in 1912, ready for delivery, each for the sum of £148,000, from the English shipyards Camell...

, Ierax

Greek destroyer Ierax

Ierax served in the Hellenic Royal Navy from 1912–1946.The ship, along with her three sister ships of Wild Beast class destroyers Aetos, Panthir and Leon, was ordered from England. They were purchased in 1912, ready for delivery, each for the sum of £148,000 from the English shipyards Camell...

, Panthir

Greek destroyer Panthir

Panthir served in the Hellenic Royal Navy from 1912–1946.The ship, along with her three sister ships of Wild Beast class destroyers Aetos, Ierax and Leon, was ordered from England. They were purchased ready for delivery, each for the sum of £148,000 from the English shipyards Camell Laird in...

 and Leon

Greek destroyer Leon

Leon served in the Hellenic Royal Navy from 1912–1941.The ship, along with her three sister ships of Wild Beast class destroyers Aetos, Ierax and Panthir was ordered from England. They were purchased ready for delivery, each for the sum of £148,000, from the English shipyards Camell Laird in...

.