Research Article


DOI :10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014   IUP :10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014    Full Text (PDF)

THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866)

Mehmet Korkmaz

Two Ottoman warships departed from Istanbul and were incorporated in the fleet in Basra four years before the Suez Canal was completed in 1869. These corvettes, called Izmir and Bursa, reached Basra at the end of the difficult 15-month long trip after sailing through Gibraltar and stopping in Spain, Brazil and Cape Town. For the first time in Ottoman history, sending battleships from Istanbul to Basra and the first voyage of these ships in the ocean were some of the highlights of this course. The aim of this study is to clarify a phase of Turkish maritime history and to explore the journey of two Ottoman corvettes between Istanbul and Basra. Another purpose of the study is to find out the strategic purpose and the effect of sending these corvettes to Basra. The main sources of this article are the memories of Engineer Faik and Imam Abdurrahman Efendi, who were assigned in the Bursa Corvette and the report prepared by Commander and Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Bey. Although the first two studies are known, the fact that the Colonel Ahmed Bey's report has never been used so far is one of the reasons why this article is unique. This work was also supported by archival documents. As a result of the research carried out in the Ottoman Archives and the Naval History Archives, it was found that there were documents about the preparation of the corvettes and the money needed for repairs and replenishment during the voyage. These sources provided a better understanding of the subject. Cite this article as: Korkmaz, Mehmet, “İstanbul’dan Basra’ya Gönderilen İlk Osmanlı Harp Gemileri: Bursa ve İzmir Korvetlerinin Seyir Günlüğü (24 Eylül 1865-3 Aralık 1866)”, Turk J Hist, issue 69 (2019), p.87-112.
DOI :10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014   IUP :10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014    Full Text (PDF)

İSTANBUL’DAN BASRA’YA GÖNDERİLEN İLK OSMANLI HARP GEMİLERİ: BURSA VE İZMİR KORVETLERİNİN SEYİR GÜNLÜĞÜ (24 EYLÜL 1865-3 ARALIK 1866)

Mehmet Korkmaz

Süveyş Kanalı’nın 1869’da açılmasından dört yıl önce Basra’daki filoya dâhil edilmek üzere İstanbul’dan iki Osmanlı harp gemisi yola çıkarıldı. İzmir ve Bursa adlı korvetler Cebel-i Tarık Boğazı’ndan geçip İspanya-Brezilya ve Ümit Burnu’na uğradıktan ve oldukça meşakkatli bir yolculuktan sonra 15 ayda Basra’ya ulaştı. Osmanlı tarihinde ilk defa İstanbul’dan Basra’ya harp gemisi gönderilmesi ve gemilerin ilk defa okyanus yolculuğu yapması bu seyri önemli kılan hususlar arasındaydı. Adı geçen iki Osmanlı korvetinin İstanbul-Basra arasındaki yolculuğunun anlatıldığı bu makalede Türk denizcilik tarihinin bir safhasının aydınlatılması amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmayla iki korvetin Basra’ya gönderilmelerine ilişkin stratejik amacın ve bunun etkisinin ortaya çıkarılması hedeflenmektedir. Makalede başvurulan temel kaynaklar, Bursa korvetinde görevli Mühendis Faik ile İmam Abdurrahman Efendi’nin hatıraları ile korvetin süvarisi Kaymakam Ahmed Bey’in hazırlamış olduğu bir rapordur. İlk iki çalışma bilinmekle birlikte Kaymakam Ahmed Bey’in raporunun şimdiye kadar hiç kullanılmaması ve ilk defa bu çalışmaya kaynaklık etmesi bu makaleyi özgün kılan hususlardan biridir. Bu çalışma arşiv belgeleriyle de desteklenmiştir. Osmanlı Arşivi’nde ve Deniz Tarih Arşivi’nde yapılan araştırmalar sonucu korvetlerin yolculuk için yaptıkları hazırlıklar, yolculuk sırasındaki tamirat ve ikmal işlemleri için ihtiyaç duyulan paranın havalesi gibi konularda vesikalar bulunduğu ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Bunlar konunun daha iyi anlaşılmasına imkân sağlamıştır. Cite this article as: Korkmaz, Mehmet, “İstanbul’dan Basra’ya Gönderilen İlk Osmanlı Harp Gemileri: Bursa ve İzmir Korvetlerinin Seyir Günlüğü (24 Eylül 1865-3 Aralık 1866)”, Turk J Hist, issue 69 (2019), p.87-112.

EXTENDED ABSTRACT


Basra was captured by the Ottomans between 1538 and 1546, and it remained as a naval base until the threats made by Portugal and the Netherlands in the Gulf at the end of the 17th century. However, after the Indian Ocean trade shifted to the Red Sea, it lost its former importance as a trade center. As the Ottoman Empire did not provide full political control over Baghdad and Basra, like other provinces far away from the center, the central government weakened and local power elements took over. Sultan II. Mahmud (1808-1839), in 1831, the military ruling over Baghdad under the policy of reestablishing the central administration over the states was terminated by the Kölemen administration. Baghdad and Basra were connected to the center again. The implementation of the military and military reforms foreseen by the 1839 Tanzimat Edict in the region began in 1844.

In order to establish the central authority in the region, Babıâli, which has a strong land army and an effective navy in the Persian Gulf, prepared a reform plan in the maritime area in Basra in the second half of the 19th century. In order to ensure the safety of the sea and the river and to improve trade, the wars and merchant ships were searched for the region. Steps were taken to modernize the shipyard in Basra. The first attempt in this regard began in 1847 when two naval officers from Tersane-i Âmire were sent to Basra to prepare an exploratory report. The will to do a reform in the maritime zone in Basra was also a preparation for the defensive strategy against the expansionist policies of the British who first came to India and then to the Persian Gulf in the middle of the 18th century and widened their sphere of influence in the region.

In 1850, Riyale-i Hümayun Pir Bey from Tersane-i Âmire and Riyale-i Hümayun Hüseyin Bey were dispatched to replace Basra Shipyard. They were given expert officers and personnel in the shipbuilding shipyard from Tersane-i Âmire. In the rank of admiral and sending quite well-educated names in naval techniques, it was an indication of the importance of the Babıâli. However, due to the physical-geographic conditions of the region, expected problems caused by a shortage of timber supply as well as other hardships caused by the lack soldiers for the shipyard were not realized. It was seen that most of the old ships were now beyond repair. New shipbuilding was not possible.

The idea of taking ships from Europe to the Basra beaches was not due to a lack of money. In this process, it was the first time that several of the ships in the shipyard were sent to Basra. However, the ships could pass through the Cebel-i Tarık and they would not be able to withstand the ocean voyage in this course they would do to Basra via the Cape. The Crimean War between Russia and the Ottoman Empire between the years 1853-1856 prevented the project of sending war ships to Basra.

Two Ottoman warships departed from Istanbul and were incorporated in the fleet in Basra four years before the Suez Canal was completed in 1869. These corvettes, called Izmir and Bursa, reached Basra at the end of the difficult 15-month long trip after sailing through Gibraltar and stopping in Spain, Brazil and Cape Town. For the first time in Ottoman history, sending the battleship from Istanbul to Basra and first voyage of the ships to the ocean were among the highlights of this course. It is aimed to clarify a phase of Turkish maritime history in this article in which the journey of two Ottoman corvettes between Istanbul and Basra was told. Another purpose of the study is to find out the strategic purpose and the effect of sending these corvettes to Basra. The main sources of this article are the memories of Engineer Faik and Imam Abdurrahman Efendi, who were assigned in Bursa Corvette and the report prepared by Commander and Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Bey. Although the first two studies are known, the fact that the Ahmed Bey’s report has not been used so far is one of the reasons why this article is unique.

Since the Suez Canal had not yet been opened, two Ottoman corvettes, which passed through the Cebel-i Tarık Strait and continue on their way to the Atlantic, experienced their first ocean voyage. They traveled to the African continent and arrived in Basra after a long and tiring 15-month dangerous journey. During the cruise, the demonstration of the Ottoman flag by Muslim warriors through two warships in the ports of Algeria, Rio de Jenario, the Cape, Moritos Island, Muscat, Bombay and Basra was welcomed by local Muslims in these areas and had a significant impact on them. Imam Abdurrahman Efendi, who left the Bursa Corvette and remained in Rio de Janeiro, had an influence over the Muslims of that region for years to come.

Baghdad Governor Namik Pasha managed to bring two war ships from the Tersane-i Amire to Basra by means of his three river ferries, which were ordered to Europe after his correspondence with Istanbul, and he paid for the expenses of the governorship. Thus, the number of qualified ships in Basra was partially maintained. The expansion of the Basra Shipyard, the establishment of factories and schools within the shipyard and the reclamation of the Fav Strait and the setting of the lighthouse in the Bosphorus were also carried out in this period. On the other hand, the competition with England, which increased the influence of these activities in the region with each passing day, also had an effect. After the opening of the Suez Canal at the end of 1869, it became easier to send ships to the Persian Gulf and the area became a field of international competition.


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APA

Korkmaz, M. (0001). THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866). Turkish Journal of History, 0(69), 87-112. https://doi.org/10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014


AMA

Korkmaz M. THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866). Turkish Journal of History. 0001;0(69):87-112. https://doi.org/10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014


ABNT

Korkmaz, M. THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866). Turkish Journal of History, [Publisher Location], v. 0, n. 69, p. 87-112, 0001.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

Korkmaz, Mehmet,. 0001. “THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866).” Turkish Journal of History 0, no. 69: 87-112. https://doi.org/10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014


Chicago: Humanities Style

Korkmaz, Mehmet,. THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866).” Turkish Journal of History 0, no. 69 (Dec. 2024): 87-112. https://doi.org/10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014


Harvard: Australian Style

Korkmaz, M 0001, 'THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866)', Turkish Journal of History, vol. 0, no. 69, pp. 87-112, viewed 23 Dec. 2024, https://doi.org/10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014


Harvard: Author-Date Style

Korkmaz, M. (0001) ‘THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866)’, Turkish Journal of History, 0(69), pp. 87-112. https://doi.org/10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014 (23 Dec. 2024).


MLA

Korkmaz, Mehmet,. THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866).” Turkish Journal of History, vol. 0, no. 69, 0001, pp. 87-112. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014


Vancouver

Korkmaz M. THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866). Turkish Journal of History [Internet]. 23 Dec. 2024 [cited 23 Dec. 2024];0(69):87-112. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014 doi: 10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014


ISNAD

Korkmaz, Mehmet. THE FIRST OTTOMAN WARSHIPS FROM ISTABUL TO BASRA: THE JOURNALS OF THE BURSA AND İZMİR CORVETTES (SEPTEMBER 24, 1865-DECEMBER 3, 1866)”. Turkish Journal of History 0/69 (Dec. 2024): 87-112. https://doi.org/10.26650/TurkJHist.2019.19014



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Submitted09.03.2019
Accepted11.06.2019

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