Greek destroyer Leon (D54)

Leon (D54) (Greek: Α/Τ Λέων, "Lion") was a Cannon-class destroyer that served with the Greek Navy between 1951 and 1992. The ship had formerly served with the United States Navy under the name USS Eldridge (DE-173), famous for its alleged role in the Philadelphia Experiment.

DE-173 USS Eldridge
USS Eldridge (DE-173) ca. 1944
History
United States
NameEldridge
NamesakeJohn Eldridge Jr.
Ordered1942
BuilderFederal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newark, New Jersey
Laid down22 February 1943
Launched25 July 1943
Commissioned27 August 1943
Decommissioned17 June 1946
Stricken26 March 1951
FateSold to Greece, 15 January 1951
Hellenic Navy ensignGreece
NameLeon
Acquired15 January 1951
Decommissioned15 November 1992
FateSold for scrap, 11 November 1999
General characteristics
Class and typeCannon-class destroyer escort
Displacement
  • 1,240 long tons (1,260 t) standard
  • 1,620 long tons (1,646 t) full
Length
  • 306 ft (93 m) o/a
  • 300 ft (91 m) w/l
Beam36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
Draft11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Propulsion4 × GM Mod. 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6,000 shp (4,474 kW), 2 screws
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range10,800 nmi (20,000 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement15 officers and 201 enlisted
Armament

Service history

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Leon was transferred to Greece under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program. It was put to service in January 1951 by Vice Admiral D. Foifas. She was used mainly for patrols in the Eastern Aegean Sea and for cadet officer (midshipmen) training.[1]

Leon was decommissioned on November 15. 1992 and later in November 1999 it was sold as scrap to the Piraeus-based V&J Scrapmetal Trading Ltd.[2]

Sister ships

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Leon belonged to a group of four Cannon-class destroyers that were transferred to the Greek Navy in 1951. The other three were Ierax (D31) (Greek: Ιέραξ, "Hawk"), Aetos (D01) (Greek: Άετός, "Eagle") and Panthir (D67) (Greek: Πάνθηρ, "Panther"), affectionately known as the Thiria (Greek: Θηρία, "Beasts").

References

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  1. ^ Vice Admiral C. Paizis-Paradellis, HN (2002). Hellenic Warships 1829–2001 (3rd ed.). Athens, Greece: The Society for the study of Greek History. p. 111. ISBN 960-8172-14-4.
  2. ^ "Leon D-54 (1951-1992)". Hellenic Navy. Archived from the original on 2009-09-28. Retrieved 2009-09-01.