Ioannis Toumbas ( el, Ιωάννης Τούμπας, 24 February 1901 – 7 May 1995) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

naval officer and politician, best known for his command of the destroyer ''Adrias'' during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He also served in several ministerial positions in the 1960s and became a member and chairman of the Academy of Athens.

Military career

He was born in

Mykonos Mykonos (, ; el, Μύκονος ) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 10,134 inhabitants according to th ...

in 1901, and graduated from the

Hellenic Naval Academy The Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy ( el, Σχολή Ναυτικών Δοκίμων, abbr. ΣΝΔ, lit. "School of Naval Cadets") is a military university and has the responsibility to educate and suitably train competent Naval Officers for the He ...

in 1921. Due to his participation in the

Venizelist Venizelism ( el, Βενιζελισμός) was one of the major political movements in Greece from the 1900s until the mid-1970s. Main ideas Named after Eleftherios Venizelos, the key characteristics of Venizelism were: *Greek irredentism: ...

coup d'état attempt in March 1935, he was dismissed from the service, but was recalled on the outbreak of the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdoms of Italy and G ...

in October 1940. He served as commander of the Karaburun Naval Fort until the

German invasion of Greece The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...

in April 1941. Fleeing to the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, he continued to serve in the exiled Greek Armed forces, assuming command of the destroyer in 1941–1942. On 20 July 1942, he assumed command of the ''Adrias'', a Hunt-class destroyer, at

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

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. With her, he undertook

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

escort duties in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

from January 1943, during which the ship sunk two German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

s. ''Adrias'' also covered the Sicily landings in July, and on 10 September she represented Greece in the Allied flotilla that accepted the surrender of the Italian Navy's battle-fleet. Toumbas' finest hour came on 22 October 1943, during the naval operations of the Dodecanese Campaign, when ''Adrias'' struck a

sea mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any v ...

and lost her entire bow. After makeshift repairs, Toumbas led the ship back to Egypt, arriving at

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

on 6 December. In April 1944, he took part in the violent suppression of the pro-leftist Navy mutiny, leading one of the boarding detachments. Following the liberation of Greece in October 1944, he served as chief of staff of the Fleet and CO of the Destroyer Squadron, until he assumed command of the

Salamis Naval Base The Salamis Naval Base ( el, Ναύσταθμος Σαλαμίνας) is the largest naval base of the Hellenic Navy. It is located in the northeastern part of Salamis Island (Cape Arapis), Greece and in Amphiali and Skaramangas. It is close to t ...

in 1945. In 1946 he was appointed as chief of the Coastal Forces Command, and in 1947 he was sent to

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

as a

naval attaché A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

. Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1950, he assumed the post of chief of the Aegean Naval Command, and served as Chief of the Fleet Command in 1952–1953. He resigned in 1953, retiring as a Vice Admiral.

Political career

Toumbas became involved in politics in 1955, initially with the Liberal Democratic Union of

Sofoklis Venizelos Sofoklis Venizelos (, also transliterated as Sophocles Venizelos) (3 November 1894 – 7 February 1964) was a Greek politician, who three times served as Prime Minister of Greece – in 1944 (in exile), 1950 and 1950–1951. Life and career Ve ...

, and subsequently with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and the

Centre Union The Centre Union ( el, Ἕνωσις Κέντρου ''Énōsis Kéntrou'', abbreviated ΕΚ) was a major centrist political party in Greece, created in 1961 by Georgios Papandreou.Clogg, 1987, pp. 39–40 History The Centre Union was a politica ...

Georgios Papandreou Georgios Papandreou ( ''Geórgios Papandréou''; 13 February 1888 – 1 November 1968) was a Greek politician, the founder of the Papandreou political dynasty. He served three terms as prime minister of Greece (1944–1945, 1963, 1964–196 ...

, whose close associate he became. He was elected a member of the

Greek Parliament The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule of the Hellenes, label=none), also known as the Parliament of the He ...

in all elections from 1956 to 1964 (in 1956 with the LDU). He was named Minister without Portfolio in Papandreou's first cabinet in winter 1963, and

Minister for the Interior Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...

in his second cabinet, from February 1964 to January 1965, when he resigned. An honest, but politically rather naive and deeply conservative man, he joined all three palace-appointed cabinets during the "Apostasy" crisis of 1965–1966. He served as Interior and Public Order Minister under

Georgios Athanasiadis-Novas Georgios Athanasiadis–Novas ( el, Γεώργιος Αθανασιάδης-Νόβας) (February 9, 1893 – August 10, 1987) was a Greek poet, lawyer and politician who served as Prime Minister for one month in 1965. Born in Nafpaktos, he obta ...

, Minister for Public Works in the

Ilias Tsirimokos Ilias Tsirimokos ( el, Ηλίας Τσιριμώκος, 26 April 1907 – 13 July 1968) was a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece for a very brief period (from 20 August 1965 to 17 September 1965). Life He was born in Lamia ...

cabinet, a post he initially kept in the

Stefanos Stefanopoulos Stefanos Stefanopoulos ( el, Στέφανος Στεφανόπουλος, 3 July 1898 – 4 October 1982) was a Greek politician, and served as Prime Minister of Greece from 1965 to 1966. Stefanopoulos was born in Pyrgos, Elis. He was a moder ...

government, before moving to the ministries of Industry and

Northern Greece Northern Greece ( el, Βόρεια Ελλάδα, Voreia Ellada) is used to refer to the northern parts of Greece, and can have various definitions. Administrative regions of Greece Administrative term The term "Northern Greece" is widely used ...

, finally becoming Foreign Minister in 1966. He was politically inactive during the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, and after its

fall Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...

he joined the right-wing

New Democracy New Democracy, or the New Democratic Revolution, is a concept based on Mao Zedong's Bloc of Four Social Classes theory in post-revolutionary China which argued originally that democracy in China would take a path that was decisively distinc ...

party, with which he was elected on the nationwide list in the 1974 elections. In 1979 he became a member of the Academy of Athens, and served as its president in 1991. He died in Athens on 7 May 1995.

Writings

* ''Εχθρός εν όψει nemy in Sight', Athens 1954. Won the Academy of Athens prize. * ''Από το ημερολόγιο ενός υπουργού rom the diary of a minister', Athens 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toumbas, Ioannis 1901 births 1995 deaths People from Mykonos Liberal Democratic Union (Greece) politicians Liberal Party (Greece) politicians Centre Union politicians Apostasia of 1965 New Democracy (Greece) politicians Foreign ministers of Greece Ministers of the Interior of Greece Greek MPs 1956–1958 Greek MPs 1958–1961 Greek MPs 1961–1963 Greek MPs 1963–1964 Greek MPs 1974–1977 Hellenic Navy admirals Greek military personnel of World War II Members of the Academy of Athens (modern) Greek naval attachés