Eleftherios Handrinos

As was the case with other Greek soldiers who saw military action in Cyprus, Handrinos received no honors or public recognition while he was alive. He was honored posthumously only in 2015. For several decades after the restoration of democracy, the rationale of the Greek state was that since Greece was not officially at war with Turkey in 1974, no combat operations involving Greeks could have taken place. In 1982, Handrinos was promoted to captain and in 1984 he was appointed as a military attaché in Ankara. In May 1986, while driving near Komotini en route from Athens to Ankara, Handrinos was seriously injured in a car accident. The cause of that accident was not determined, and Handrinos never fully recovered from it. He retired on 26 March 1992 and died on 27 July 1994.

On 15 July 1974, a military coup d'état orchestrated by the right-wing military junta of Athens and the Cypriot National Guard deposed the Cypriot President Makarios. With the pretext of a peacekeeping operation, Turkey took military action and invaded Cyprus west of Kyrenia in the dawn of 20 July 1974.

Despite not being a front line ship, Lesvos was the only vessel of the Hellenic Navy that fought during the Turkish invasion in Cyprus. A direct consequence of the Paphos bombardment was that it neutralized the Turkish stronghold and helped decisively to maintain the city in Greek hands. The troops which were disembarked at Paphos were transported by buses to the ELDYK barracks in Nicosia. They assumed active combat duties and fought gallantly during the second phase of the Turkish invasion in mid August 1974.

In the summer of 1974, Handrinos had risen to the rank of Lieutenant commander. Since 1 August 1973, he had been commanding landing ship Lesvos (L-172, ex USS Boone County). On 12 July 1974, Lesvos was scheduled to depart from the small harbour of Kechries in Corinthia bound for Famagusta, carrying 450 replacement personnel and provisions for the permanent Hellenic Force in Cyprus (ELDYK). The estimated time for arrival in Famagusta was the early morning of July 17. The departure was delayed for 24 hours and the ship sailed on the late evening of July 13. En route to Cyprus, the ship picked up broadcasts by the radio station of Nicosia, from which Handrinos was informed about the coup that had been launched against President Makarios. On July 16, while the ship was off the coast of Limassol, the Hellenic Navy HQ ordered Handrinos to return to Greek waters by changing course towards Lindos in Rhodes. This was probably due to the Greek junta being unwilling to give the impression of reinforcing the Greek forces on Cyprus. As the situation in Cyprus became more stable and the coup seemed successful, Handrinos was ordered to sail again towards Cyprus. In the afternoon of July 19, only a few hours before the Turkish invasion, Lesvos dropped anchor in the port of Famagusta. After the disembarkation of the replacement troops, another 450 soldiers who were being discharged or relocated from ELDYK to Greece came aboard. The ship then departed at around 18:00 heading for Greece.

Handrinos was born in Komotini to parents who came from the island of Corfu. His parents were Konstantinos, a major general in the Greek Army who was serving in Thrace at the time, and Maria Handrinou (née Drazinou). At the age of fourteen, his family moved to Athens and in 1954 he entered the Hellenic Naval Academy, graduating as an ensign in June 1958. Following his graduation, he served on several navy ships and was trained on anti-submarine warfare in the United States. For a period of four years, he also served with the 353 Naval Collaboration Squadron (353 MNAS) flying with SHU-16B aircraft.

Eleftherios Handrinos (also spelled Chandrinos, Greek: Ελευθέριος Χανδρινός; 18 September 1937 – 27 July 1994) was a Hellenic Navy officer who retired with the rank of vice admiral. He is notable for his involvement in the first Turkish invasion of Cyprus, during which he commanded an LST vessel that caused confusion among Turkish commanders, leading to the loss of a Turkish destroyer due to friendly fire. He also served as a naval attaché in Ankara.