Lest We Forget: TCG Dumlupınar

On 4 April 1953, two Turkish submarines, TCG Dumlupınar and TCG 1. İnönü, entered Dardanelles southbound. They were returning from the NATO naval exercise Blue Sea.

TCG Dumlupınar was leading the two ship formation. When the submarine reached Cape Nara, the narrowest point of the Strait, a Swedish flagged cargo ship M/V Naboland collided with the submarine. The accident happened at 02:15 in the morning.

M/V Naboland rammed TCG Dumlupınar from starboard forecastle just aft of the forward diving planes. The submarine rolled to port with force of the impact and sunk immediately. 5 submariners who were in the sail, at the time of the collision survived. Rest of the crew, 81 men, were trapped inside her hull. The boat sunk at the narrowest point of Dardanelles at 85 meters where the currents are also the strongest.

22 sailors trapped in the aft torpedo compartment, were able to release the submarine’s sunk buoy. There was a frantic effort to reach the submarine and is possible to rescue the trapped sailors for the next 72 hours.

Since that fateful day, on every 4th of April, we remember those, that have a watery grave, where no rose will grow.