Ioannis K. Dimoulitsas (Greek: Ιωάννης Κ. Δημουλίτσας), also known by his nickname as Patatoukos (Πατατούκος) was a Greek sailor and fighter of the Greek War of Independence. He is considered as the inventor of the first fire ships that were used by the revolutionaries.
Biography
Dimoulitsas[1] was born in Parga, Epirus. When he was young he went to Corfu and later he settled in Psara.[1] As a sailor, he travelled to many places including Toulon in France where he worked for a while at the local dockyard. There, he was taught by a French engineer how to construct fire ships.[1] When the Greek War of Independence broke out, Dimoulitsas constructed a fire ship that was used by Dimitrios Papanikolis for the destruction of an Ottoman frigate during May 1821.[2] After that, Dimoulitsas continued the construction of fire ships. This type of ship was in use for many years to come by the Greek revolutionaries.[3]
Dimoulitsas died in Psara during March 1823 of the plague. He was buried with honour and his family received a pension for his services to the Greek cause.[1]
References
Bibliography
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