Dimitrios Papanikolis ( el, Δημήτριος Παπανικολής) (1790–1855) was a naval hero of the

Greek Revolution The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted b ...

, famous for being the first to successfully employ a

fireship A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...

to destroy an Ottoman ship of the line.

Life

Papanikolis was born on the island of

Psara Psara ( el, Ψαρά, , ; known in ancient times as /, /) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with the small island of Antipsara (Population 4) it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios regional unit, which is part of ...

in 1790. At an early age he joined his father, Georgios, in his trading travels, and participated in fights with the corsairs of the Barbary Coast. During the first months of the Greek War of Independence, the Greek naval vessels, mostly converted and armed merchantmen, were unable to confront the larger and better-armed Ottoman warships. The rebels therefore decided to use fireships. Papanikolis volunteered for the first attempt, which was carried out successfully on in the harbour of

Eressos Eresos (; el, Ερεσός; grc, Ἔρεσος) and its twin beach village Skala Eresou are located in the southwest part of the Greek island of Lesbos. They are villages visited by considerable numbers of tourists. From 1999 until 2010, Ereso ...

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Asia Minor by the nar ...

, where the fireship destroyed an Ottoman two-deck frigate which lay in anchor there. This led to the generalized use of fireships by the Greeks, who were thus able to even the balance with the far more powerful Ottoman Navy. Papanikolis remained active for the remainder of the war, distinguishing himself again in the Battle of Gerontas in August 1824. Fire ship by Volanakis

In 1829, after the war's end, he purchased a 1/3 share in the brig ''Nelson'', and pursued trade with it until 1833, when the ship was purchased and commissioned into the

Royal Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of vari ...

, with Papanikolis as captain. In 1836 however the ship sank after ramming a reef off

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Z ...

, and Papanikolis was placed in suspended service until 1841, when he was given command of the corvette ''Amalia''. In 1843, after the 3 September 1843 Revolution, he was elected as a representative of Psara for the

constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

. In 1846, he was placed as chairman of the naval court, retaining the post until his death in 1855.

Honours

In addition to several roads throughout Greece, three submarines of the Hellenic Navy have been named after him.

References

Short summary from the website of the Hellenic Parliament
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papanikolis, Dimitrios 1790 births 1855 deaths Greek people of the Greek War of Independence Hellenic Navy officers People from Psara