Alexandros Sakellariou

Alexandros Pilatos Sakellariou (; Mandra, 1 January 1887 – Athens, 7 July 1982 ) was a Greek admiral and politician, who led the Royal Hellenic Navy in World War II.

Life

Early career Born in the village of Mandra near Elefsina on 1 January 1887, Sakellariou entered the Hellenic Naval Academy on 4 November 1902 and graduated on 8 July 1906 as a Line Ensign. He participated in the Goudi coup in August 1909, and was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant on 29 March 1910, and Lieutenant II Class on 2 July 1913. In the chaos of the German invasion, and following the suicide of Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis on 18 April, King George II named Sakellariou as Minister for Naval Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister (with Emmanouil Tsouderos assuming office as Prime Minister on 20 April). In the face of the German advance and the heavy losses suffered by the surface vessels to the Luftwaffe, Sakellariou ordered the remaining ships to evacuate Greece towards British-held Egypt, where the Greek king and his government arrived later to form a government in exile, which was based in Cairo until Liberation in 1944.

Sakellariou followed the government to Crete and thence, on board , to Alexandria. but remained as the head of the exiled fleet until his retirement on 26 December 1943, with the rank of vice admiral in retirement. In the succeeding cabinet of Themistoklis Sofoulis, he was once again Minister for Naval Affairs (until 18 November 1948).

On 31 July 1946, he was awarded the War Cross First Class and the Outstanding Acts Medal for his role in World War II. On 4 September 1946, he was briefly recalled to active service, retroactively promoted to vice admiral from 31 December 1943, and with his retirement dated to 1 January 1944. He died in Athens on 7 July 1982.

Writings As an active officer, Sakellariou wrote the Greek Navy's sailing manual in 1915, and a historical study on the use of artillery in the late Byzantine Empire (Ιστορία του Πυροβολικού κατά την Δύσιν της Μεσαιωνικής Ημών Αυτοκρατορίας, 1926). In 1945 he wrote the study Η Θέσις της Ελλάδος εις τον Δεύτερον Παγκόσμιον Πόλεμον on Greece's role during World War II. he later wrote a series of memoirs, beginning with Ταξιδεύοντας ("Voyaging", 1957), Απ’ τις Γέφυρες και τα Καρρέ ("From Bridges and Wardrooms", 1967), Ένας Ναύαρχος Θυμάται ("An Admiral Remembers") and Απομνημονεύματα ενός Ναυάρχου ("Memoirs of an Admiral").