The Commanding Officer of the newly built battleship was Captain I. Damianos and her crew consisted of 30 officers and 556 sailors, as it was later announced, including non-commissioned officers. After receiving the “Averof” in Italy on 16 May 1911, by order of the Prime Minister and Minister of the Hellenic Navy Eleftherios Venizelos, the Battleship departed for England to receive part of the enthronement ceremony of King George V of the United Kingdom, which done on 22 June 1911 at Westminster Abbey.
The ceremony was attended by warships from many countries such as Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, USA, Russia, Japan, Turkey, China and others. It is worth mentioning that the Turkish cruiser Hamidi was located two places further than Averof received in Portsmouth berth. Two days after the coronation ceremony, the new King held a personal inspection of moored ships, including Averof, crew of which together with the band of the Hellenic Navy rendered all the prescribed Prices.
At the same time, Averof also received the ammunition ordered in England. As there had been a request to the Italian government for the availability of Italian officers for the training of the crew of the Averof, due to the Italian refusal, was made agreement between the Greek and British government to assign to a group of English officers, led by Admiral Lionel Grant Tufnell, the reorganization and training of the crew.
On Saturday 18 June 1911 the battleship departed Spithead Bay, near Portsmouth and headed to Plymouth. There, she would go into a tank to do cleaning on the reefs. But shortly after 11 p.m. and while she was sailing in the crowded reef bay, struck one of them. “It was known in Athens by official telegram but without detail that the Hellenic Battleship Averof sailing between Spithead and Spideburg was seriously damaged”.
Then serious episodes of indiscipline occurred, which resulted in the Commanding officer of the ship being replaced by the then Captain Pavlos Kountouriotis, who quickly restored order.
After the restoration work was completed, the journey to Athens began. It is noteworthy that all the necessary protection measures had been taken against possible Turkish torpedo attack. Averof, at the last stage of her arrival, she sailed from Malta accompanied by the steamer “Alfeios” on which cadets were on board. On 1 September 1911 the ship entered Faliro waters at the head of a squadron of the fleet. Number of other ships were waiting for her, decorated with flags and full of people. But also on her land had gathered people of all socio-economic classes, men, women, the elderly and children, to see the new acquisition. After the arrival of the battleship they boarded the Prime Minister and Minister of the Hellenic Navy Eleftherios Venizelos together with the Council of Ministers, the Regent and Crown Prince Constantine, as well as the English General Inspector Admiral L. Tofnel, to inspect the Averof and greet the Commanding Officer Pavlos Kountouriotis. At the end of the official visit, the assembled crowd was allowed to enter. In an atmosphere of emotion and pride, the world was rising. Many of them, with tears in their eyes, made the sign of the Cross and on their knees kissed the deck of the ship, as if they knew from then on how decisive her contribution would be to the great struggles of the Nation.
