Event on the occasion of the anniversary of the destroyer “VELOS” mutiny

On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Conference Amphitheater of the University of Piraeus, the Department of Maritime Studies organized with great success a special honorary event entitled “Navy and Democracy”, on the occasion of the anniversary of the mutiny of the destroyer “VELOS” on May 25, 1973, when the Navy Movement attempted to overthrow the military dictatorship.

The event was attended as speakers by two of the protagonists of the events, Messrs. Iraklis Prokopakis, Captain H.N. ret. – Vice President of Danaos Corporation, and Panagiotis Hatziperos, Captain H.N. ret. – former Deputy Governor of the Attica Islands.
Mr. Hadziperos vividly recounted the mutiny of the “VELOS”, the landing of the crew members in Italy, the application for political asylum and the effort to promote, both in the international press and in NATO, the resistance of the Navy against the junta. Subsequently, Mr. Prokopakis contrasted the mutiny on the “VELOS” with the events at the Polytechnic that followed, highlighting their complementary role as institutional and popular delegitimization of the dictatorship respectively, elements that would inevitably lead to the overthrow of the regime.

Students and teaching and administrative staff from the University of Piraeus and the University of the Aegean attended the event. Additionally, the President of the Piraeus Bar Association, Mr. Elias Klappas, gave a brief speech.

The event concluded with a lively discussion, coordinated by Assistant Professor Katerina Galani of the Department of Maritime Studies. Main themes included moral values, the role and importance of institutions, disobedience and resistance, the characteristics of an active citizen and the conditions under which heroic acts can be performed.

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