On Thursday, December 18, 2025, the naming ceremony of HS Kimon, the first Belharra type frigate to join the Hellenic Navy, took place in Lorient, France, in the presence of Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias. The ship’s sponsor is the President of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, Rear Admiral (hon.) Panos Laskaridis HN, who, after naming the frigate, presented to the Commanding Officer the Biparallel ruler of Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis, under whose command, the Hellenic Fleet liberated the Aegean archipel, during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. Inscribed under the ruler are the words of his famous signal to his ships that signaled his attack on the Ottoman Fleet at the naval battle of cape Elli: “By the power of God and the blessings of our king and in the name of justice, I sail with unstoppable momentum and with the conviction of victory against the enemy of the Nation.”
This was followed by the raising of the Greek Flag, the embarkation of the crew members and the raising of the Commanding Officer’s pennant.
Equipped with the latest innovations in radar, sonar, electronic warfare and weapons, HS Kimon greatly enforces the Navy’s task of ensuring naval superiority in the Eastern Mediterranean thanks to its high-level capabilities in all areas of naval combat: anti-surface, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, naval presence and power projection ashore, with unique capabilities against asymmetric threats.
In his address, the Minister of National Defence said:
… It is, ladies and gentlemen, a very important day today. I’m not telling you anything new, Greece is a country with many islands, needing sea lines of communication. Greeks live, breathe the sea, not in a figurative way, but truly.
Greeks possess the largest merchant fleet on the planet. And that is why there is this need for Greece to have a strong and operationally capable Navy. Without the ability to be present, in a timely and reliable manner, wherever national interests are at stake…
Rear Admiral (hon.) Panos Laskaridis said during his speech:
Today is a great day for me, for the country honored me with the highest honor to name frigate “Kimon”. A great day for the Commanding Officer and the crew, a more important day for the Fleet, the Navy and the country. For us Greeks, the Fleet is very important; Through the centuries, we have always shown great respect and love towards it; The Hellenic Fleet has written pages of national glory. Today we receive and deliver HS Kimon with the certainty and conviction that she will undertake a service that is none other than duty. HS Kimon belongs to all Greeks because it was paid for from the Greek people’s savings, becoming part of everyone’s personal property.
Concluding, Mr. Laskaridis thanked all those who contributed to the completion of the project, and he thanked the French people who have stood by our side many times in recent history.
The ceremony concluded with the inauguration of the ship’s fitness centre, which is a donation of Rear Admiral (hon.) Panos Laskaridis HN.
HS Kimon will sail soon for Brest, where she will load her weapons and then sail to Greece, where she is awaited by mid-January 2026.
(Photos: Ministry of National Defence)
