The Votsis Monument

Nikolaos Votsis was born on the island of Hydra in 1877. He was the great-grandson of Georgios Kountouriotis (shipowner and Prime Minister of Greece) and nephew of Pavlos Kountouriotis. After he graduated from the Naval Academy, he participated in the naval blockade of Crete in early 1897. When the First Balkan War broke out, Votsis was commanding torpedo boat No. 11. With this tiny boat, he entered, without being noticed, the port of Thessaloniki on the night of October 18, 1912, and sank the Turkish battleship “Feth-i Bülend” with two torpedoes. Votsis’ legendary achievement lifted Greek morale and demonstrated the inability of the Ottoman navy to confront the determined Greek seamen. Votsis rose to the rank of admiral and retired in 1922. He died in Paris in September 1931, at the age of 54. Thessaloniki honoured the brave sailor with a bust next to the White Tower while naming a settlement of Kalamaria in 1934. The monument was built by the Greek Marble Initiative company and was unveiled in October 2021.