Sofoklis Dousmanis | |
|---|---|
| Σοφοκλής Δούσμανης | |
 Sofoklis Dousmanis in admiral's dress uniform, portrait byGeorgios Roilos | |
| Minister of Naval Affairs | |
| In office 10 March – 10 October 1935 | |
| President | Alexandros Zaimis |
| Prime Minister | Panagis Tsaldaris |
| Preceded by | Alexandros Hatzikyriakos |
| Succeeded by | Georgios Kondylis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1868-12-25)25 December 1868[1] |
| Died | 6 January 1952(1952-01-06) (aged 83) |
| Relations | Viktor Dousmanis (brother) Dushmani family |
| Alma mater | Hellenic Naval Academy |
| Awards |  Grand Commander of theOrder of the Redeemer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Greece Second Hellenic Republic |
| Branch/service | .svg) Royal Hellenic Navy |
| Years of service | 1888–1917 1920–23 1935 |
| Rank | .svg) Admiral |
| Commands | Nafkratousa Psara Sfaktiria Georgios Averof Chief of Staff of the Exercise Squadron Chief ofHellenic Navy General Staff |
| Battles/wars | |
Sofoklis Dousmanis (Greek:Σοφοκλής Δούσμανης, 25 December 1868 – 6 January 1952) was a Greek naval officer. Distinguished in theBalkan Wars, he became twice the chief of theGreek Navy General Staff, and occupied the post ofMinister for Naval Affairs in 1935.
Sofoklis Dousmanis was born inCorfu on 25 December 1868,[2] a descendant of a branch of the AlbanianDushmani family that had emigrated to Corfu in the 15th century; he was the grandson ofAntonio Dusmani and brother ofViktor Dousmanis.[3][4]
He entered theHellenic 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).[2] He served aboard various ships and in staff positions, including as instructor at the Navy Academy (1908–09), and as captain of the destroyerNafkratousa (1906), the ironcladPsara (1910–11), the troop carrierSfaktiria (1911 and 1912), and of the newly delivered cruiserGeorgios Averof (1911), as well as chief of staff of the Exercise Squadron (1911).[2]
With the outbreak of theFirst Balkan War in October 1912, he became captain ofAverof as well as chief of staff to the Aegean Fleet commander, Rear AdmiralPavlos Koundouriotis, who used theAverof as his flagship. In this capacity he participated in the two victorious naval battles ofElli andLemnos, as well as the capture of several Aegean islands as well asMount Athos,Kavala andDedeagatch.[2]
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 theNavy General Staff in June 1914, serving until the resignation of KingConstantine I and the assumption of government byEleftherios Venizelos 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.[2] After the Venizelistelectoral 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 ofMustafa Kemal'sTurkish National Movement, and again Chief of the Navy General Staff (December 1921-October 1922).[2] After the Greek defeat in theAsia Minor Campaign and the11 September 1922 Revolution, he was again placed into suspended service and retired on 19 January 1923 as Vice Admiral.[2]
On 2 March 1935, he becameMinister for Naval Affairs in thePanagis Tsaldaris cabinet, a post he kept until the government's resignation on 10 October 1935.[5] 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.[2]
In 1939, he edited and published theAverof's captain's log during the Balkan Wars period.[2]
He died in Athens in 1952.[2]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for Naval Affairs 10 March – 10 October 1935 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Rear AdmiralDimitrios Papachristos | Chief of theNavy General Staff 19 June 1914 – 14 June 1917 | Succeeded by CaptainGeorgios Kakoulidis |
| Preceded by Rear AdmiralKonstantinos Malikopoulos | Chief of theNavy General Staff 15 December 1921 – 12 October 1922 | Succeeded by CaptainAgisilaos Gerontas |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
