She is the fourth out of seven FPB ROUSSEN class warships, that have been constructed in Elefsis Shipyards with respect to the proposal of the English company VOSPER THORNYCROFT Ltd. HS GRIGOROPOULOS was launched on 21 December 2005 and was subsumed in Hellenic Navy’s Fleet on 01 October 2010.

 

Her name has been chosen in order to remember hero Lieutenant Michael Grigoropoulos HN, Executive Officer of HS Queen Olga, who was killed in action on 26 September 1943, during the German Air force strike in Lakki of Leros’ island that caused the sinking of that ship.   

 

She is the second warship that has had the same name. The first warship was a vehicle-carrier with identity number L-161. It was the USS LSM-45 that had been one of the six warships of the same class that USA lent to Greece in 1958 as military aid.

The Fast Patrol Boat Lieutenant GRIGOROPOULOS is a state of the art warship, designed to conduct Naval Operations near coastline, with exceptional capabilities in order to confront air, surface and missile targets.    

Her main characteristics are the instant reactions against threats, the great firing power, the high speed in the operations, the increased capabilities in confronting breakdowns / damages during the battle and conducting operations in biological – nuclear – chemical and electronic warfare environment.

HS GRIGOROPOULOS belongs to the Fast Attack Craft Command of Hellenic Fleet Command and the missions that she attends are the following:

• Participating in operations of sea area control
• Participating in anti-air warfare operations
• Naval Gun Firing
• Participating in MIO operations
• Supporting of amphibious vessels
• Participating in Search and Rescue operations
• Confrontation of asymmetric threats
• Supporting of Hellenic Port Authorities in operations against illegal immigrants