Modelling the Turkish Republican Navy ships

Modeling Subjects Ships
1

Hello everybody!

Just out of boredom after hours of writing my bachelor’s thesis, I conjured a small list of Turkish navy warships from 1926 up to today along with a list of existing models that can be built or converted to Turkish ships. Here it is for your appreciation.

Ships in service in 1926:

Protected Cruisers:

Mecidiye class

Mecidiye: built 1901-03 by Cramp and sons . 3967 tons

Hamidiye: built 1903-05 by Armstrong Yard at 3904 tons

Both carried 2x150 mm, 8x120 guns, 2x47mm TT. 22 knots

Seen heavy service 1911- 22. To reserve fleet in 1936, Stricken 1947

Torpedo craft

Peyk () class torpedo gunboats

Peyk-i Shevket and Berk-i Satvet

Built in 1906. 775 tons. 3x105 mm, 6x57 mm, 2x37 mm QF guns, 2x450 mm TT 22 knots

Heavy war service during WW 1, especially in convoy work at Sea of Marmara. Rebuilt as minelayers 1936-38. Stricken 1945

(Durandal) class torpedo boats

, Taşoz,

Built in 1906 at and by Schneider-Creusot. 290 tons, 1x65 mm, 6x47 mm QF guns. 2x450mm TT

Originally 4 ships, Yarhisar was sunk in 1915. Saw heavy convoy work during WW 1. Both stricken in 1933

Ansaldo built 165 ton torpedo boats

Yunus

Akhisar

Draç

Musul

11 ships were comissioned 1902-04; they saw very heavy service during the Balkan wars and WW 1. 7 were lost. Remaining 4 were stricken in 1936.

Reis class gunboats

Built in and entered service in 1914. Varying between 450-500 tons and armed with 100 and 75 mm guns, those 10 knot little ships had busy and long lives as patrol boats against Greek pirates and as convoy escorts during WW 1 and as gunrunners during the war of liberation. In the republican period, they became coast guard and survey ships; were stricken 1949-1955.

Composite hulled

Aydın Reis

Preveze

Sakız

Burak Reis

Metal hulled

İsa Reis

Kemal Reis

Hızır Reis

Minelayers

Selanik

İntibah

Nusrat

Selanik and İntibah were tugboats converted to minelayers in 1911-12. Nusrat was a Germania built minelayer and it was her mines which were decisive in foiling the naval attack to in 18 March 1915. Both were stricken and sold to civilian ship-owners. Intibah was later scrapped and Nusrat was rebuilt beyond recognition. While about to be scrapped, she was saved by a group of volunteers in 1999, rebuilt as close as possible to her original condition and now is a museum ship in , sole survivor of the Ottoman steam navy.

Republican naval rebuilding 1926 - 1947:

Reactivated: Battle cruiser Yavuz (ex-Goeben) in 1930, after 4 years of repairs and modernization in the new Gölcük naval yard. Flagship of the Turkish Navy 1930 - 1950, 1950 - 1963 training ship. Stricken in 1963, scrapped 1973.

Destroyers

Tepe (modified Folgore - Turbine) class destroyers

Adatepe & Tınaztepe, Folgore class: in service 1931 - 1954, built by Ansaldo of Genoa

Tınaztepe & Zafer, Turbine class: in service 1932 - 1957, built by Cantieri Navale Del Tirreno

4x12 mm, 2x 40 mm guns, 2x triple 450 mm TT. 40 mines

First modern surface warships of Republican Turkish navy, they formed the core of Turkish naval power during 1930s along with Yavuz.

WW 2 British naval aid destroyers

Although was neutral during WW 2, the republic signed a mutual friendship and non-aggression pact with and in 1939. The allied powers offered quantities of weapons both to bolster Turkish military power against a possible Axis attack and to ensure the neutrality of . This aid included 4 destroyers and 4 submarines by . The destroyers were to be of the “Pre-war Standard” class (G, H and I classes). Of the four ships, two are given in 1942 and the other two are comissioned into the badly pressed Royal Navy as “Ithuriel” and “Inconstant”. Inconstant survived the war and finally joined the Turkish navy in 1946. Ithuriel however, was sunk in 1942 and as a replacement “O” class HMS Oribi was given to Turkish navy in 1946 along with Inconstant. The four ships together served until 1960. In Turkish navy they were:

Sultanhisar

Demirhisar

Muavenet, (ex-Inconstant)

Gayret (ex-Oribi)

NATO aid Destroyers: 1947 - 1998

After WW 2, Stalin’s open aggression towards Turkish sovereignty over the straits and the threat of land acquisition in the eastern frontiers pushed firmly into the Western camp in 1946-47. was included to the plan along with in 1947 and became a full member of NATO in 1952. After 1947 equipment began to flow into Turkish navy and this continued by and large up to today.

“G” (Gleaves) class destroyers, in service 1949 - 1979

Giresun (ex-McCalla)

Gelibolu (ex-Buchanan)

Gemlik (ex-Lardner)

(ex-Lansdowne)

Paşa (Milne) class destroyers (British)

In service 1959 - 1972

Alpaslan (ex-Milne)

Fevzi Çakmak (ex-Marne)

Kılıç Ali Paşa (ex-Matchless)

Piyale Paşa (ex-Meteor)

P.s: ships are named after famous Turkish commanders of history. Alpaslan is the Great Seljuk Sultan who won the decisive battle of Manzikert in 1071, Fevzi Çakmak is the venerable Field Marshal of the Turkish army during and after the war of Liberation until 1944, Kılıç Ali Paşa and Piyale Paşa are two Grand Admirals of Ottoman navy in 16th century.

“I” (Fletcher) class destroyers

In service 1967 - 1986

(ex-Clarence K. Bronson)

(ex-Van Valkenburgh)

Izmit (ex-Cogswell)

(ex-Boyd)

Içel (ex-preston)

Zafer (Allen M. Sumner) class FRAM-II destroyers

In service 1972 - 1993

Zafer (ex-Hugh Purvis)

Muavenet (ex-Gwin)

Notice: Muavenet was struck by two sea sparrow missiles launched from USS Saratoga under mysterious circumstances during the Display Determination-92 maneuvers in the (1.10.1992). Commander, 2 officers, 2 NCOs and 1 rating lost their lives, 6 officers, 3 NCOs 4 ratings are wounded in the incident. The ship was rendered to a total loss.

Tepe (Gearing) class FRAM destroyers

In service 1971 - 1998

Most numerous class of destroyers in the Turkish navy.

Adatepe (II) (ex-Forrest Royal)

Kocatepe (II & III) (ex-Harwood, ex-Norris)

Tınaztepe (II) (ex-Keppler)

Fevzi Çakmak (II) (ex-Charles H.Roan)

Gayret (ex-Eversole)

Yücetepe (ex-Orleck)

Savaştepe (ex-Meredith)

Kılıç Ali Paşa (II) (ex-Robert H.Mc Card)

Piyale Paşa (II) (ex-Fiske)

Alçıtepe (ex-Robert A. Owens)

Anıttepe (ex-Carpenter)

Notes:

  1. Fevzi Çakmak became the only Turkish warship that engaged with an enemy after 1923, when she sunk a Greek FAC with gunfire during the war.

  2. Kocatepe, along with Fevzi Çakmak, was accidentally bombed by Turkish aircraft during the operation and was sunk with 54 of the crew (3 officers, 14 NCOs, 37 ratings). Fevzi Çakmak managed to escape, although heavily damaged. This incident caused deep grief both in public and in military circles, and paved way for major reforms in the navy - air cooperation training of the Turkish armed forces. USS Norris, which was given as a spares source for her sisters, was refitted and activated as Kocatepe (III) after the loss of her forebear.

  3. Gayret became a museum ship in Gölcük after deactivation. Yücetepe is given to to become a museum ship too.

  4. Tınaztepe was stricken after being seriously damaged in a collision with the tanker Aygaz-3. The accident cost the lives of 3 NCOs and 1 rating.

MEKO class frigates

In service 1987 onwards

They form the main surface striking force of Turkish navy. All save 3 are built in Gölcük Navy Yard. 3 are built in Blohm und .

Yavuz

Turgutreis

Fatih

Yıldırım

Barbaros

Oruç Reis

Salih Reis

Kemal Reis

In service since 1993. Bought to bolster Turkish ASW capability.

Muavenet (ex-Capodanno)

Adatepe (ex-Fanning)

Kocatepe (ex-Reasoner)

Zafer (ex-Thomas C.Hart)

Trakya (ex-McCandless)

Karadeniz (ex-Donald B.Beary)

Ege (ex-Ainsworth)

Akdeniz (ex-Bowen)

Gabya (Oliver Hazard Perry) class frigates

In service from 1998 onwards. Bought to bolster surface AA defence

(ex-Clifton Sprague)

Giresun (ex-Antrim)

Gemlik (ex-Flatley)

Gelibolu (ex-Reid)

Gökçeada (ex-M. Tisdale)

Gediz (ex-John Moore)

Berk class escort destroyer

Built in 1967, they were the first modern surface warships built by Gölcük Naval Yard. They were modelled from a US navy class (I don’t know which one. They are 1950 tons and carry 2x3 inch guns, 2x triple Mk.32 TT, 2x Mk 11 hedgehog and 10 depth charges)

Berk

Peyk

Berk was sunk as a target during Denizkurdu 2000 maneuvers, 09.08.2000. Peyk is still in service.

Gelibolu (Köln) class escort destroyers

In service 1983 - 1995

Gelibolu (ex-Karlsruhe)

Gemlik (II) (ex-Emden)

Gemlik (III) (ex-Braunschweig)

Submarines

Submarine service is the elite of the Turkish navy.

Early republican submarines: 1926 - 1947

2

Kapudan,

really a handy list - thanks for taking the time to compile it. At first I was surprised not to find Weissenburg on it, but by 1926 she was reduced to a harbour ship, wasn’t she?

As for the kits, there are some possibilities in 1/700, too - including resin kits like the Goeben/Yavuz, of which currently three different kits are on offer, if I remember correctly. Apparently Combrig will launch a Brandenburg kit later this year, something I look forward to with not a little bit anticipation - somehow I take a particular interest in the Brandenburgs…

Jorit

3

Kapudan,

Amazing list … a lot of work and research there and our thanks to you.

Are any of the Gearings left anywhere in Turkey, even as hulks? Also, I think the remaining Asheville class gunboat would make a treasured musuem ship here in Tacoma where it was built.

Very impressive roster … you should write another book.

I think we’re quite lucky to have you with us on this forum.

4

Dear Friends,

If you found this little roster useful and interesting, it’s the greatest pleasure for me. I learn quite a lot from every member of the forum and I always found nothing but the warmest amicality and hospitality here. I always feel a need to produce something that can be useful for our community. Thank you again for the kindest remarks.

Jorit yes, Weissenburg (a.k.a Turgut Reis [:)]) was rendered to a hulk by 1924. Her machines were totally worn out and she was unable to move. Her fore and aft turrets are removed in the same year and are installed as shore defence guns to Dardanelles. Therefter the ship served as an accomodation hulk for cadets in Gölcük naval base and was sold for scrap in 1934. Like you, I have a fondness for the brandenburg class; stubby but with quite pleasant lines, they are handsome ships. But I really hate 1/700 scale and resin (both for price and for the difficulty in working with it). I saw a paper model of brandenburg class at moduni.de, from a german card model company, in 1/250. This is a good scale for such (relatively) small size ships. And yes, there still is the question of Yavuz. Despite all my awareness about the twisted production policy of most injection molded producers, big and small, I still keep my belief to reason and rationality; and I hope, in a not too far future, I’ll see an injection molded model of that ship who changed history in 1/350 scale. Normally, my favourite scale for pre-dreadnought battleships is 1/400 to 1/300 range and for dreadnoughts is 1/600 (I think it’s the best compromise between level of detail and size). But Yavuz’s model deserves to be big, like when she existed, both physically and spiritually.

MTB, I don’t know how to thank to your remarks [8)]. Yes we have a Gearing here in Turkey as a museum ship. She is Gayret (ex-USS Eversole) and now resides in Gölcük Naval Base. We also have a Guppy II-A (ex-Thornback) When I participated to the see-inside tour, I was nearly overwhelmed by claustrophobia. Since then I have a special respect for all submariners. As for Asheville class Bora (ex-Surprise), sorry, she still works for the defence of our coasts [:)] But she’s nearly 40 years old now and I presume she shall go to an earned retirement in a near future. You, as residents of Tacoma, can contact with the TN for her return. Orange County TX, did this and had USS Orleck (ex-Yücetepe) returned to be a museum ship.

Soon I hope to compile a list of some important Ottoman sailing ships and possible modeling projects of them.

5

Kapudan,

I quite agree about a 1/350 scale Yavuz, and I believe whoever makes a kit should present it in its TN configuration. At a minimum, a kit with with the option to be Moltke/Goeben/Yavuz would be much appreciated. Perhaps the 1/250 card model can be converted or, as Jeff Herne does, used as a template for a wood, plastic, brass, resin or mulit-media model.

And thanks again.

6

Indeed a large-scale Yavuz would be really nice to have - I have toyed around in the past with the idea of getting one in 1/700 (nothing eventually came out of it mainly because the available kits are on the expensive side of things), but also looked at that 1/250 card kit.

I guess it would be a good basis for a 1/350 hull in wood/styrene; the ICM König kit might yield useful smaller parts (boats, searchlights etc.). One could rework one of the turrets to serve as a master for those of the Yavuz.

Jorit

7

Kapudan,

a question on the list you made up - do you know a source for plans of the Nusrat? I always thought it might be an interesting project for, say, 1/100 or even 1/72 as she wasn’t too large; unfortunately I haven’t come across acceptable plans yet. There is a small drawing in OSN, but something on a larger scale would be better.

Was there ever anything published on her on the occasion of the restoration/replica (as far as I understand there isn’t too much of the original in it, or is it?) project?.

Jorit

8

Hello Jorit,

I have 1/100 scale modeler’s plans for Nusrat. If you can send me your posting adress, I can send you a copy of it after I finish my overwhelming school tasks (this means end of june)

Regards