World War I naval ships of the Ottoman Empire

A naval race had developed in the Aegean after the end of the Balkan Wars, with the Ottoman government ordering several ships, including two dreadnoughts, in Britain. In the event, with the outbreak of World War I, these ships, including further two scout cruisers and four destroyers, were confiscated and pressed into service with the Royal Navy. This disappointed the Ottomans, contributing to their joining the Central Powers in the Great War.

Despite these drawbacks, during World War I the Ottoman Navy saw much action against the Russian, British, and French fleets in the Black Sea, Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara.

Dreadnoughts
The two dreadnoughts, OTTOMAN BATTLESHIP Reşadiye and OTTOMAN BATTLESHIP Sultân Osmân-ı Evvel that had been ordered by the Ottoman government, were never handed over despite the fact that they had both been completed in Britain. Prior to this occurrence, Sultân Osmân-ı Evvel had been constructed by Armstrong Whitworth for the Brazilian Navy in 1911 under the name BRAZILIAN BATTLESHIP Rio de Janeiro due to naval rivalries with Argentina. These were eventually resolved in 1913. After the conflict Brazil turned down its order, but the Armstrong Whitworth company did not scrap the ship as it could be sold to other potential customers, among them the Ottoman Empire. In August 1915, they were both transferred to the Royal Navy. They were renamed in the British Fleet as HMS Erin and HMS Agincourt (1913).

Battle cruisers
The German battlecruiser SMS Goeben was transferred to the Ottoman Navy in November 1914 and renamed to Yavûz Sultân Selîm. She was involved from 29 October 1914 till the end of the war in bombarding Russian ports on the Black Sea coast. During the Great War, she was still largely manned and commanded by the German Imperial Navy. She remained in the Turkish Navy after the war, was renamed Yavûz Selîm in 1930 and then Yavûz in 1936, refitted twice soon after this in 1938 and 1941 and scrapped in 1971.

Pre-dreadnought battleships
The two pre-dreadnought battleships, OTTOMAN BATTLESHIP Barbaros Hayreddin and OTTOMAN BATTLESHIP Turgut Reis, both played a major part in the defense of the Dardanelles during the Gallipoli Campaign. Barbaros Hayreddin was sunk by the British submarine HMS E11 whilst on patrol with two destroyers.

Coastal defense ships
OTTOMAN IRONCLAD Mesûdiye, the Ottoman Navy’s only coastal defense ship, was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine HMS B11, commanded by Lt. Norman Holbrook, on 13 December 1914 off Chanak in the Dardanelles. When the submarine got back to base, Holbrook was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Protected cruisers
Two Ottoman protected cruisers, OTTOMAN CRUISER Hamidiye and OTTOMAN CRUISER Mecidiye, were both about 10 years old. Mecidiye was sunk in the Black Sea off Odessa while in company with Hamidiye and four torpedo boats from a single Russian mine. She was refloated by the Russians and renamed RUSSIAN CRUISER Prut in June 1915, later being returned to the Ottoman Navy in May 1918 after the Germans captured Ukraine.

Light cruisers


The Ottoman Navy acquired during the Great War the light cruiser Midilli (formerly the German SMS Breslau). She served with the SMS Goeben in many raids against Russian shipping and ports from late October 1914. Midilli was sunk in the Aegean Sea on 20 January 1918 whilst with the SMS Goeben by five Allied mines.

Destroyers


The Ottoman Navy eight destroyers - four (OTTOMAN DESTROYER Basra, OTTOMAN DESTROYER Samsun, OTTOMAN DESTROYER Taşoz, OTTOMAN DESTROYER Yarhisar), four  (known as Schishau class, ex-German S 165 class: OTTOMAN DESTROYER Gayret-i Vatâniye, OTTOMAN DESTROYER Yâdigâr-ı Millet, OTTOMAN DESTROYER Muâvenet-i Millîye and OTTOMAN DESTROYER Nümûne-i Hamiyet).

Yarhisar was sunk by the British submarine HMS E11 December 1915, Gayret-i Vataniye ran aground October 1916 and was abandoned, Yâdigâr-ı Millet was bombed by British aircraft July 1917, raised and scrapped.

Torpedo boats
Old torpedo boat Berk Efşân

Submarines
Only operational submarine of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, OTTOMAN SUBMARINE Müstecip Onbaşı, was the former French FRENCH SUBMARINE Turquoise, which ran aground in the Dardanelles on 30 October 1915 and captured. She was returned to France in 1918.

Minelayers


The Ottoman Navy also had several minelayers, OTTOMAN MINELAYER Nusret being the most famous. Her mines laid on 8 March 1915 sank three Allied ships in a small minefield of 20 mines on 18 March 1915. The British pre-dreadnought battleships HMS Irresistible (1898) and HMS Ocean (1898) and the French battleship FRENCH BATTLESHIP Bouvet were all sunk. The British battle cruiser HMS Inflexible (1907) was also badly damaged.

Armored Gunships
The ironclad OTTOMAN IRONCLAD Muîn-i Zafer was built in 1867-71 at Blackwall, one of a group of 7 ships. Rebuilt in 1904-07 by the Italian Naval Shipyards Ansaldo of Genoa, she was of little military value by 1914. A sister unit, the OTTOMAN IRONCLAD Avnillâh was sunk in Beirut during the Italo-Turkish War.

Order of Battle, 1914


On October 27, 1914, the main naval ships of the Ottoman Navy was organized as follows:


 * Naval Minister: Ferik Djemal Pasha
 * Fleet Commander: Admiral Wilhelm Souchon
 * Chief of Staff: Admiral Arif

References and sources

 * The Ottoman Navy in World War I, from Naval-History.net
 * The War at Sea, from SparkNotes - Another good reference for World War I naval warfare.
 * Turkish navy in WW1
 * Jane, Fred T., ed., Jane's Fighting Ships 1914, reprinted Arco, New York, 1969.