Two of the three "Pisa"-class armored cruisers were originally built for the "Regia Marina". The third ship was built on speculation and was sold to Greece and completed as "Georgios Averof", named after a wealthy Greek businessman who had left a sizeable legacy for the increase of the Greek Navy in his will. The ship participated in the Coronation Fleet Review for King George V of the United Kingdom in 1911 shortly after commissioning. She served in the Balkan Wars and was instrumental in the Greek victories over the Ottoman Empire in the Battles of Elli and Lemnos during the First Balkan War. During World War I, "Georgios Averof" did not see much active service, as Greece was neutral during the first years of the war. After the "Noemvriana" riots of 1916, she was seized by the French to ensure that she could do nothing against the Entente. After the war's end, the ship participated in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 and helped in the evacuation of the refugees after the Greek Army's defeat. In 1925–1927 "Georgios Averof" was reconstructed in France and rearmed.