In 1919 the proceedings of the Peace Conference took place in Paris, during which the region of Smyrna adjudicated in Greece. On April 20, 1919, the Averof sailed from Constantinople to Smyrna. From the morning of May 1, rumors circulated in Smyrna that allied warships would occupy Smyrna town. At 16:00 in the afternoon of the same day, the Greek dignitaries of the city gathered at the Metropolitan Church of Agia Fotini. There the Metropolitan Chrysostomos reported to them the message of liberation and Captain Mavroudis, read the address of Prime Minister E. Venizelos: “The fullness of time has come. Greece was called by the Peace Conference to occupy Smyrna in order to secure the order…”

On May 2, 1919, Greek troops landed for the first time in Smyrna. The Averof disembarked a troop, part of which captured the Turkish artillery and were located along the ridge of Mount Pagus, thus depriving them of Turks control of the entrance to the Gulf of Smyrna. During the fleet’s operations in 1919, the Averof and the Battleship Kilkis having as a base the port of Constantinople carried out missions on the Propontis and the Black Sea Turkish coast.

During the Asia Minor Campaign the Hellenic Navy, as it did not have a tactical opponent, undertook the naval blockade of the coast of Smyrna in order to obstruct the equipment and supply of Kemal’s forces . It had also undertaken missions to transport Greek troops from inland to Asia Minor and the escort of convoys. With regard to obstructing enemy supplies, the role of the Navy was limited as Kemal was supplied mainly by land from the Italians, French and Soviets. In addition, the “allied” countries prevented the boarding of merchant ships with various justifications.

Averof contributed the most to the liberation of Redestos on July 7, 1920. At 05:15 the destroyer Ierax opened fire first. A heavy bombardment from Averof guns followed, resulting in the muting of more enemy guns. The 3rd Infantry Regiment landed which, after neutralizing the enemy’s defensive positions, proceeded to destroy the Turkish artillery that had escaped the barrage of fire from the Averof. At 11:20 a boat was sent to the ship, with a soldier carrying a note from which read “City of Redestos captured”.

Apart from the military events, Greece was shocked by the unexpected and sudden death of the young King Alexander. This was followed by the November National Elections 1920, in which E. Venizelos was defeated in the referendum of November 22 and it was decided to return King Constantine I, which created strong resentment among the allies of the Entente. On November 28, 1920, Averof, accompanied by Ierax, was en route to Venice, having the order to bring King Constantine and the Hellenic Royal Family back home.

On the Asia Minor front, while the situation for the Hellenic Army was becoming increasingly more difficult, the Navy carried out a bombardment of Samsunta on the 7th June 1922. The city was being used as a center for supplying the Turks from the Bolsheviks. This mission was undertaken by a squadron consisting of the “Averof”, the destroyers “Panther” and “Ierax” and other ships. More specifically, targets were neutralized during the bombardments such as the city headquarters, the port, the customs office, a minaret, weapons and ammunition depots, a large barracks, large oil and gasoline tanks as well as all docks, including docked ships.

With the collapse of the front at Afyon Karahisar in August 1922 and the retreat of the Hellenic Army, the warships of the Fleet protected effectively the disengagement of our army from Asia Minor. With continuous patrols, our ships covered the escape routes of the military divisions and assisted in the embarkation of refugees on various boats. The G. Averof on September 3, 1922, located off Panormos, observed the beginning fire that would burn the city. Various fires on the surrounding ridges. Continuous cannon fire… Enemy shells fell near the city. Continued the embarkation of soldiers and materiel on board the ships, which was feverish. 16:45 a fire broke out inside the city… The fire in the city was growing.