Greek fleet withdrawal preserves an exile navy

Greek planners prepared both national defences and arrangements to withdraw the fleet and its personnel if the situation deteriorated. They hoped for Allied help while making plans that did not depend on its arrival. The Hellenic Navy began with 34 mostly old combat vessels, including a few newer destroyers, submarines and elderly larger warships. Ships withdrew toward Alexandria in stages as enemy forces reached specified points. Despite Italian attacks and German air power, the navy preserved its organisation and extracted every operationally viable asset it could. Its personnel grew from a little over 6,000 to about 12,000 by 1944, with much of the additional shipping consisting of corvettes and other escorts. Hellenic Navy vessels averaged roughly 20,000 wartime nautical miles, while the Greek merchant marine supplied useful cargo capacity throughout the war.