An Italian submarine sank her before the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War on 15 August 1940 while she sat at anchor.

New York Shipbuilding in the United States completed her in 1914 and sold her to Greece, which purchased her as part of its program of naval expansion after the Balkan Wars.

In November 1916, in order to apply pressure on the royal government in Athens, the French confiscated the Greek ships.

In 1920 she underwent a reconstruction in France, along with the armored cruiser Georgios Averof, during which she obtained modern anti-aircraft armament and the equipment to carry and lay 100 sea mines.

In the disastrous Asia Minor Expedition, the future King Paul of Greece was a sub-Lieutenant on board Elli and witnessed the evacuation of Smyrna in September 1922.