Greece’s navy is in need of a refit

“WE GAVE THE Turks a lesson in seamanship,” boasts Andreas Stefanopoulos, a reservist in Greece’s navy. The jingoistic mood that swept Athens after a collision in the eastern Mediterranean on August 12th, in which a newish Turkish frigate suffered visible damage while a 40-year-old Greek one was apparently unharmed, is yet to fade. Morale in the armed forces is “the highest I’ve ever seen”, a former Greek defence minister declares. “The navy and air force are both raring to take on the Turks.”