The

The “MIAOULIS” anchored.
Work by painter Gerasimos Thomas that is hosted in the pages of the book.

“The perfect Naval Officer,” he writes, “must be pre-eminently a wise astronomer, a wise gunner, a wise engineer, a wise electrician, a wise chemist, a wise tactician, a wise general and generally a wise and skilful operator of the various machines which make up that supersized war machine, the floating colossus called the “Warship” of the unit belonging to a larger group called the “Fleet”. The acquisition of all this knowledge is certainly the result of serious study, within the confines of a classroom.
There the mysteries of all sciences can be revealed to anyone who wants to investigate them.
Only study can make a Naval Officer fit for his great destiny. But the infinite, the complex, the ever-changing and the tremendous power of this element called the sea, require a multitude of virtues, which an Officer can acquire only if he has been initiated into the struggle-filled life of the Navy and the mysteries of this difficult-to-fathom monster, the sea!

The constant readiness, the quick perception, the instinctive but sure and unerring decision of the Officer, which he must take according to circumstances, the determination, the prudent boldness to assume unexpected responsibilities, the command on which the salvation of all rests and depends, truly on the voice of this One, are virtues that are taught only on board ship.

1900 | On Officers, Warships and Leadership - Matthew Matthaiopoulos

1900 | On Officers, Warships and Leadership – Matthew Matthaiopoulos

Integrity of character, brotherly brotherhood at sea, which at any moment may be challenged when the time comes to enforce the order, the discipline born of justice, which, as well as punishing, ought in the same degree to forgive, the calmness of face despite the anguish of heart, which is required at the critical moment to inspire confidence, to encourage to duty, are virtues which are taught only on board ship.

The courageous look of the Chief, on which the fate of all those on board depends, the stoicism of the fighter in a battle with destiny itself, to the very end, without discouragement, without faint-heartedness, without hesitation, and the perseverance in this struggle against the fury of the elements, which threaten everything with destruction, are virtues that are only taught on board. The unconditional submission of the subordinate to the holiness of the higher authority, which completely annihilates the existence of the “I”, the devotion, the voluntary sacrifice for colleagues, the deprivation of even the purest and most elementary desires, such as depriving oneself of one’s family home, without groaning for a glory that may not come and which, if it ever does, will have been approached by a step-by-step struggle against even human laws, are virtues that are taught only on board ship.
And all these virtues and qualities which the Fatherland itself in the first place requires of Officers, in order to be taught, need a composed Navy, such as will ensure a long training stay on board ship and training voyages.
Those who ordered the Educational Sail of the Eudromos “Admiral Miaoulis” are truly worthy of gratitude, as they open a new stage, reveal new horizons in education and naval training for the Navy personnel”.
Extract from the book “1900” by Stephanos Milesis and Panagiotis Tripontika  

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