Akin Operation of The Hamidiye Cruiser
Hamidiye, a hero ship in Ottoman naval history, is mostly identified with Rauf Orbay. Commanded by him, Hamidiye cruiser executed a 7 month assault operation to separate the Greek Navy during the most dark days of Balkan Wars in the Aegean and the Mediterranean Sea. The operation did not have positive results on the Balkan Wars, but was highly regarded by the seamen throughout the world.
After the proclamation of the republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk went on a tour of the Black Sea with Hamidiye between 11-21 September 1924. He wrote the following in the ship’s Book of Honor:
As the sea is an important and vital part of the borders of the Turkish Republic, the Navy must also be important and great. Only then will the Turkish Republic be confident and secure. To possess an excellent and powerful Turkish Fleet is our goal. Rather than acquiring warships at this stage, our starting point for such a fleet should be training commanders, officers and specialists who can successfully command, lead and control these warships.
Hamidiye cruiser also served as a training ship. The stern mast is now preserved at Gölcük Naval Base. Related materials are exhibited in Beşiktaş Naval Museum and the headquarters of North Sea Area Command.
- Name of the ship: Hamidiye Cruiser
- Built: England/1903
- Commissioned: 1905
- Decommissioned: 1947
- Engine: Steam, 2x VTE 4 Cylinder
- Displacement : 3904 Ton
- Length Beam and Draught: 112 x 14.5 x 4.8 m.
- Speed: 22 kts
- Weapons: 2 x 150 mm., 8 ad.120 mm., 2 ad. 47 mm., 6 x 37mm guns, 3 ad.450 mm torpedo tubes
