Launched in Livorno, Italy in 1910, the battleship Averof, with a displacement of 10,000 tons, served as the flagship and by far the largest warship of the Greek Royal Navy until 1951, when it was decommissioned.

More than a century after its construction, it remains seaworthy, one of only three armored cruisers still in existence worldwide. Originally intended for the Italian Navy, it was purchased by Greece and soon saw action in the Balkan Wars and World War II, becoming the first Greek warship to enter Indian waters since the time of Alexander the Great, and continued to serve in escort duties throughout the rest of the war.

In 1945, it docked in Poros, where it was abandoned until 1984, when the Greek General Staff decided to bring it back from oblivion. After years of slow repairs and maintenance, the ship is now anchored in Faliro Bay on the coast of Athens as a floating naval museum.

John Carr not only provides the complete technical specifications and operational history of the vessel, including details of its restoration, but also relies on firsthand accounts from officers, non-commissioned officers, and sailors to recount the long and remarkable career of this extraordinary battleship.