Page 335 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

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Navy was ensuring a balance of power with the Greeks with whom relations were very
tense. Both countries were attempting to enlarge their navies and Turkish orders includ-
ed two British made dreadnoughts which their names, respectively Sultan Reşadiye (Re-
sidaye) and Sultan Osman I, two scout cruisers and four destroyers, none of which were
delivered. Having been taken over two dreadnoughts by Royal Navy in August 1914 as
‘Erin’ and ‘Agincourt’ in turn paid for by Turkish public appeals, there was widespread
resentment at their requisition. The balance between Ottoman State and Greece in Ae-
gean Sea became unbalanced by being purchased 2 USA battleships which their names,
respectively Kilkis (ex-USS Mississippi) her name which was given a Greek-Bulgarian
rd
battle in Macedonia on July 22-23 , 1913 during the Balkan War II; her sister ship, Lem-
nos (ex-USS Idaho) her name which was given an island in the Aegean, captured from
Ottoman State in 1912 during the Balkan War II. It was great interesting, because both
of them were purchased by an American merchant, one month later two dreadnought
were sold to Greece by him. It was clear the reason why US Congress was not able to
get permission the procurement of two USS Dreadnought directly to Greece.
As for Ottoman State, the proportional combat power was spoilt terribly against
Greece; in fact the non-delivery of the two completed dreadnoughts did much to bring
Turkia into the war on Germany’s side in November 1914. By then the only modern
additions to the Turkish Navy were the German battle cruiser ‘Goeben’ and her sister
light cruiser ‘Breslau’, which having escaped from the British Navy in August 1914,
were nominally transferred to Turkia although largely retaining their German crews. The
entire Turkish fleet then came under the command of German Rear-Admiral Wilhelm
Souchon.
As for the defense plans of the Turkish Armed Forces(TAF); firstly the fortification
and defense plan was made by the Channakkale Fortification Regional Command which
consisted of Field Artillery and Coastal Guard Cannon and Mortars Batteries, Mine
Sweeper Ships and some aircrafts.
As concerns pre-dreadnought battleships, German Brandenburg class, Hayreddin
Barbarossa (ex-German ‘Kurfurst Friedrich Wilhelm’) (Commodore Mustafapasali Mu-
zaffer), Torgud Reiss (or ‘Turgut Reis’, ex-’Weissenburg’) commanded by Captain Sul-
tanselimli Namik Hasan - 10,500t, 4-28cm/6-10.5cm/8-8.8cm, completed 1894. Both
of them were sold to Ottoman Navy in 1910. As regards to the Coast Defense Ships, it
was a unique warship which name was Mesudiye (Commander Besiktasli Arif Nebi) -
9,250t, 16 knots, heavy guns not mounted/12-15.2cm/14-7.6cm, 600 crew, put to sea
in 1876. On December 13th 1914, in the Turkish waters, off Channakkale in the Dar-
danelles was torpedoed once by British submarine ‘B-11’. ‘Mesudiye’ was moored as
guard ship just south of the Dardanelles Narrows at Channakkale, in Sari Siglar Bay on
the Asian side. Her combat casualties were totaled 38, including 10 officers and 27 men.
‘B.11’ escaped safely back to sea and Lt Holbrook was awarded the Victoria Cross. It
was withdrawn to the sands and most of her machine guns on the deck were demounted
and salvaged for the shore defenses.
The Dardanelles were defended by a system of fortified and mobile artillery arranged
as the “Outer”, “Intermediate” and “Inner” defenses. While the outer defenses lay at