Sofoklis Dousmanis (, 25 December 1868 – 6 January 1952) was a Greek naval officer. Distinguished in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

, he became twice the chief of the Greek Navy General Staff, and occupied the post of Minister for Naval Affairs in 1935.

Life

Sofoklis Dousmanis was born in

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

on 25 December 1868, a descendant of a branch of the Albanian Dushmani family that had emigrated to Corfu in the 15th century; he was the grandson of Antonio Dusmani and brother of Viktor Dousmanis. He entered the Hellenic Naval Academy on 20 May 1884 and graduated on 18 June 1888 as a Line Ensign. He was subsequently promoted to Sub-Lieutenant (8 January 1890), Lieutenant (14 November 1896), Lt. Commander (6 May 1905), and Commander (29 March 1910). He served aboard various ships and in staff positions, including as instructor at the Navy Academy (1908–09), and as captain of the destroyer '' Nafkratousa'' (1906), the ironclad '' Psara'' (1910–11), the troop carrier ''Sfaktiria'' (1911 and 1912), and of the newly delivered cruiser '' Georgios Averof'' (1911), as well as chief of staff of the Exercise Squadron (1911). With the outbreak of the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

in October 1912, he became captain of ''Averof'' as well as chief of staff to the Aegean Fleet commander, Rear Admiral Pavlos Koundouriotis, who used the ''Averof'' as his flagship. In this capacity he participated in the two victorious naval battles of Elli and

Lemnos Lemnos ( ) or Limnos ( ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos (regional unit), Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean modern regions of Greece ...

, as well as the capture of several Aegean islands as well as

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

Kavala Kavala (, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the A2 motorway, a one-and ...

and Dedeagatch. Aspiotis 306

On 2 June 1913, he was promoted to Captain, and to Rear Admiral on 15 April 1914. After briefly assuming command of the Battleship Squadron, he was appointed Chief of the Navy General Staff in June 1914, serving until the resignation of King

Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

and the assumption of government by

Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos (, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Cretan State, Cretan Greeks, Greek statesman and prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movement. As the leader of the Liberal Party (Greece), Liberal Party, Venizelos ser ...

in June 1917. The new government placed him on suspended service and retired him on 20 October 1917, followed by internal exile in 1918–20. After the Venizelist electoral defeat in November 1920 and the return of King Constantine, he was recalled to active service (6 November 1920) and served as Chief of the Aegean Fleet (January–April 1921), which he led in the attempts to stop the seaborne resupply of

Mustafa Kemal Mustafa () is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Moustafa * Moustafa A ...

Turkish National Movement The Turkish National Movement (), also known as the Anatolian Movement (), the Nationalist Movement (), and the Kemalists (, ''Kemalciler'' or ''Kemalistler''), included political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries that resu ...

, and again Chief of the Navy General Staff (December 1921-October 1922). After the Greek defeat in the Asia Minor Campaign and the 11 September 1922 Revolution, he was again placed into suspended service and retired on 19 January 1923 as Vice Admiral. On 2 March 1935, he became Minister for Naval Affairs in the

Panagis Tsaldaris Panagis Tsaldaris (also Panagiotis Tsaldaris or Panayotis Tsaldaris; ; 5 March 1868 – 17 May 1936) was a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece twice. He was a revered conservative politician and leader for many years (1922– ...

cabinet, a post he kept until the government's resignation on 10 October 1935. On 25 March 1935, he was recalled to active service as a full Admiral for exceptional service, remaining in active commission until 20 November 1935. In 1939, he edited and published the ''Averof''s captain's log during the Balkan Wars period. He died in Athens in 1952.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dousmanis, Sofoklis 1868 births 1952 deaths Chiefs of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Sofoklis Greek people of Albanian descent Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Greek military personnel of World War I Greek monarchists Greek memoirists Hellenic Navy admirals Ministers of naval affairs of Greece Military personnel from Corfu Prisoners and detainees of Greece