�if my heart was a book, and you teared Averof�s page, I�d say I never lived.�

Mr. Themistoklis Katsis remembers nostalgically the years he spent on the battleship �G. Averof� in a very difficult period for Greece and its people.

He states: �The people who were on the Averof always carry with them a piece of it�. How could he be an exception? He talks to us about the memories of that era. He is feeling very sentimental.

Going on the ship�s bridge, he remembers the , this is how they called the floating means used to paint the outside part of the ship.

Question: What were your duties on board?

Answer: I took part in loading ammunition and I carried ammunition to the sixth cannon.

Question: What were the conditions like on board?

Answer: That period demanded a lot of hard work but there was also a lot of love for what we were doing.

Question: Was there a particularly hard task you remember doing?

Answer: Coaling was a really hard task. The whole crew participated. We all became black from the dust. Breathing was difficult due to fumes.

Question: Where did you live on board?

Answer: All sailors were sleeping on hammocks. There were about eighty sailors living on each sub-deck.

Question: What was the food like?

Answer: Compared to the circumstances, the food was good. The bakery was baking bread all day and night. We would also provide other ships with bread.

Question: do you remember who were in charge?

Answer: The Admiral�s name was Oikonomou, the Governor�s Kontogiannis, and the First Mate�s name was Tsatsos.

Question: Did any unexpected incidents take place?

Answer: I remember two incidents. One sailor got burned to death when he opened a door at the boiler room and the security system did not work. The other incident has to do with another sailor who died when the coaling bag that weighed about 800 kg fell on him.

Question: What trips did you go to?

Answer: I remember that the furthest trip we went to abroad was to Malta. In Greece, we travelled to Salonica, Volos, Patras, and Moudros.

Question: Did you have a lot of supplies to get by?

Answer: The basic supplies we needed were coal, flour, and water.

Question: Do you have any happy memories?

Answer: I remember playing with the other sailors on the sub-deck.