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What relationship can an aviator have with a merchant ship, especially a type Liberty;

My above enigmatic statement came from the study of Admiral Christos Dounis' work on the topic: "The Liberty of the Greeks".

There, in addition to the very important historical information included in the voluminous book, we encounter two ships with the names of Greek Airmen who had joined the RAF and an American who fought bravely during World War II and fell for peace and freedom.

These ships were among the 100 Liberty ships, which were sold en masse by the American Government to Greek shipowners with the guarantee of the Greek Government.

The ships are the following:

-AVIATOR VASILIADIS (1947-1963)).[1]  It was built in February 1943 under the name LOT WHITCOMB. The ship was purchased by Captain Michael Vassiliadis and raised the Greek Flag under the name AEROPOROS VASILIADIS. The name of the ship was given to honor the memory of the shipowner's son Vassiliadis (1919-1945), a graduate of the Hydra Naval Academy.

Here begins a glorious, emotional story, and while we should generally be sparing and approach the concept of "hero" with great care, in this case, we are obviously not exaggerating.

Vasilios Vasiliadis belonged to a naval family and after graduating from the Hydra School he went to London for further studies. Two days after the declaration of the Greco-Italian War he addressed the English Ministry of Air: “"I am," he writes, "a Greek from Chios, a student here, and since my homeland has entered the war, I wish to serve the Allied forces in defense of the interests of my homeland."

He joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) and fought continuously until 1944. In August 1944 he fell behind enemy lines in Normandy and was taken prisoner. He escaped and returned to his base.

The King of England decorated the above, who received the rank of lieutenant colonel. He returned to action, was promoted for bravery to colonel and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (he shot down 12 enemy aircraft).

the 25^M In March 1945, as a squadron leader (Commander), he fell for the last time inside enemy lines and his traces were lost.

MUNICIPALITY (1961-1967) [2]. It was built in January 1944 under the name JOHN SHERMAN. In 1947 it was sold to a company owned by Stavros Livanos and in 1961 the ownership of the ship was transferred to captains Antonios Dimadis and Dionysios Gioulis, flying the Greek Flag under the name DIMOS.

Antonios Dimadis named the ship after his son Dimos, who was born in 1919 and was studying naval architecture at Durham University in England. During the war he joined the RAF and served as a Spitfire fighter pilot when he was shot down and killed during an air battle on 11 October 1943 in the NEWCASTLE area.

RICHARD D. LYONS:[3] ΠIn addition to the above, there is also a case of a Liberty ship, whose name does not refer to a fallen Greek aviator, but to an American one.

Specifically, the ship was built in March 1945 under the name RICHARD DE LYONS. It was originally one of the 15 Liberty ships that were granted during the war to the Greek Government for management, in accordance with the American Lend-Lease Act. It raised the Greek Flag in 1945 under the same name RICHARD D. LYONS.

The name was originally given to honor the memory of RICHARD D. LYONS, who was the first American pilot killed in action in World War II. It is worth noting here that respecting the memory of an American war hero particularly honors the Greek owners of the ship who maintained the name of the ship throughout its active life.

One stands with the utmost respect, honor, and admiration for these young people, who, especially the first two, far from their homeland, spontaneously rushed to offer their services and ultimately their very lives.

[1] Christos Dounis: "The Liberty of the Greeks" J&J HELLAS Publications, 2008, p.157.

[2] Christos Dounis: "The Liberty of the Greeks" J&J HELLAS Publications, 2008, p.291

[3] Christos Dounis: "The Liberty of the Greeks" J&J HELLAS Publications, 2008, p. 585.