The Sea Trials Of TCSG Dost Continues

23 Feb 2012 2 Comments

A Turkish Coast Guard AB-412 EP helicopter on board of SG-701 TCSG Dost. Official Turkish Coast Guard photo.

According to the official webpage of Turkish General Staff, the sea trials of the coast guard vessel SG-701 TCSG Dost is continuing. She was launched on 9th July 2010. The Turkish General Staff reported that on 7th February 2012 a Turkish Coast Guard AB-412 EP helicopter performed  take off and landing tests on board of TCSG Dost at day and night

TCSG Dost is the first ship of a batch of 4 ships at RMK Marine Shipyard. The second ship SG-702 TCSG Güven was launched in December 2010.

With the commissioning of these ships, Turkish Coast Guard will be able to perform search and rescue in sea state 5 and higher. These ships are the first Turkish Coast Guard vessels, that can support helicopter operations.

Based on Italian Commandante-Siro class, the ships have a displacement of 1,700 tons. Main features of the vessels: length 88.40 metres, breadth 12.20 metres, maximum speed 22 knots, range 3,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.

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Photos from 238th Anniversary Celebrations Of Turkish Naval Academy

19 Nov 2011

Turkish Naval Academy was founded in 18 November 1773. To celebrate the 238th anniversary of this occasion a small armada of Turkish warships visited Heybeliada were today the Turkish Naval High School still educates the futures cadres of Turkish Navy. Among the visitors were the first of Milgem class, TCG Heybeliada, the first of New Type Patrol Boat class, TCG Tuzla, the second ship of Aydın Class mine hunters, TCG Amasra, one unidentified Type 209 submarine and various Coast Guard vessels. Enjoy the photos

F-511 TCG Heybeliada

F-511 TCG Heybeliada

P-1200 TCG Tuzla

M-266 TCG Amasra

Type 209 / 1400 class submarine

SG-12

SG-94

SG-312

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Romanian Coast Guard Vessel Stefan Cel Mare

5 Sep 2011 1 Comment

The Romanian Coast Guard vessel MAI 1105 Stefan Cel Mare arrived in the morning of 5th August for a port visit in Istanbul. This is not the first time, that the Damen OPV 900 class vessel is in Istanbul.

She was funded by the European Union in order to strengthen the Border Police force of Romania. She has a length of 66 meters and is capable of making 21 knots.

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The Turkish Coast Guard Will Lose A Boat And Gain A Ship

28 May 2011 1 Comment

TCG-113 a sister of the Coast guard boat to be sunk

The Turkish Coast Guard has donated one of the older patrol boats for an artificial reef. The boat will be sunk of the coast of Kas, Antalya to create a diving attraction and an artificial reef.

Kaş is not only one of the most beautiful touristic spots in Turkey is also a good place for scuba diving. A few years ago one C-47 Skytrain aircraft was sunk to create a diving spot. But not all wrecks around Kaş are modern. The Uluburun Shipwreck is a Late Bronze Age shipwreck dated to the late 14th century BCE, was discovered off Uluburun situated about 6 miles southeast of Kaş.

On the other hand the third ship of the large search and rescue ship, SG-703 TCSG Yasam will be launched at RMK Shipyard on 31 May 2011.

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TCSG Dost Continues Her Sea Trials

4 May 2011

SG-701 TCSG Dost leaving the dock for a sea trial.

The first ship of the new search and rescue ship class, SG-701 TCSG Dost continues her builder trials. She was launched in June 2010.

TCSG Dost is the first ship of a batch of 4 ships at RMK Marine Shipyard. The second ship SG-702 TCSG Güven was launched in December 2010.

With the commissioning of these ships Coast Guard will be able to perform its duties mainly search and rescue in sea state 5 and higher. These ships will be the first Turkish Coast Guard vessels can support helicopter operations.

Based on Italian Commandante-Siro class, the ships will have a displacement of 1,700 tons. Main features of the vessels: length 88.40 metres, breadth 12.20 metres, maximum speed 22 knots, range 3,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.

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>Fire On TCSG-301

9 Feb 2011 1 Comment

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TCSG – 301 in her better days

Undersecretariat For Maritime Affairs announced that a fire broke out in the engine room of Coast guard vessel TCSG-301 on 4 February 2010 2011.

The fire started while the boat was onsea off the coast of Zonguldak. Another coast guard vessel TCSG-128help extinguishing the fire. The extend of the damage and the causeof the fire is unknown.

TCSG-301,  is a Kaan 33 class patrolcraft built at Yonca Onuk shipyard in Istanbul. Turkish Coast Guardoperates 13 of these vessels and ordered 9 more. They are build ofadvanced composite material. Thus the damage the fire has causedcould be serious.

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>New Photo Of TCSG Dost

28 Dec 2010

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The new patrol ship of Turkish Coast Guard, SG-701 TCSG Dost is being fitted at the pier of the RMK Shipyard, where she was build.

It is reported that she will start her sea trials in a few days may be even before the new year. The second ship of this class, SG-702 TCSG Güven was launched on 17th December 2010.

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>A Busy Day For Coast Guard

18 Dec 2010

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M/V Sea Bright aground in Antalya.

Yesterady, the continuing storms in Mediterranean Sea casued two ships to run aground in Antalya.

The first was Bolivian flagged M/V Sea Bright en route from Tarsus port in Adana to Egypt. She had 18 people on board when she was driven into the rocks by the sea in Antalya town. 17 were rescued but the cook is still missing.

This is the video of the rescue operations for M/V Sea Bright, from The Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/template/utils/ooyala/telegraph_player.swf

The second ship that run aground was Bolivian flagged M/V Rand. She was driven into the rocks in Adrasan Bay, Kemer, Antalya. The crew of 9 was rescued by Coast Guard helicopter.

This is the official Turkish Coast Guard video

Hürriyet Video’larını izlemek için Flash 7 veya daha yüksek eklenti yüklenmeniz gerekmektedir. Yüklemek için tıklayınız!!!

var hm = new FlashObject(“http://webtv.hurriyet.com.tr/adplayer_new.swf”, “Hürriyet_Video”, “580”, “370”, “1”);hm.addParam(‘wmode’,’transparent’);hm.addVariable(‘FlashVars’, “&videoid=12064&vimage=http://webvideohaber.hurriyet.com.tr/Haber/kurtarma_gemi_17122010_0427_flv.jpg”);hm.write(“videoHolder”);

And this a map showing the approximate locations of the two shipwrecks.

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>TCG Güven Launched

18 Dec 2010 2 Comments

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SG-702 TCSG Güven  
Photo: http://www.denizhaber.com.tr

Yesterday, the second search and rescue ship for the Turkish Coast Guard Command SG-702 TCSG Güven was launched at RMK Marine Shipyard, Istanbul.

The first ship of the class, TCSG Dost, was launched in June 2010. She is currently being fitted aout at the same shipyard. She will begin with her HAT and SAT tests next week.

TCSG Güven is the second ship of the four ship programme that will supply Turkish Coast Guard with vessels, that can operate in sea state 5 and higher

These will be the first vessels operated by Turkish Coast Guard that can support helicopter operations.

SG-702 TCSG Güven  
Photo: http://www.denizhaber.com.tr

The backbone of Turkish Coast Guard is made of MRTP class fast interceptors and patrol craft. These boat have excellent speed and maneuverability but they do not have the range or helicopter support facilities required for mission with long range or long duration.

Based on Italian Commandante-Siro class, the ships have a displacement of 1,700 tons. Main features of the vessels: length 88.40 metres, breadth 12.20 metres, maximum speed 22 knots, range 3,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.

These ships are the largest vessel Turkish Coast Guard, the future Border Police will operate.

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>The End Of The Turkish Coast Guard

7 Nov 2010

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Last week it was reported that there was a notion to abolish the Turkish Coast Guard. Instead of the coast guard a General Directorate of Border Guard will be established.

The law about this new structure has not been opened to discussion in the parliament but news about it already leaked out.

Before we shall go into the details of this new notion we shall examine the current status first. Currently the Coast Guard just like the Gendarmerie is under dual control. As an organization, Coast Guard Command is subordinated, into the staff and organization of the Turkish Armed Forces. But during the peace time Turkish Coast Command is responsible to Ministry of Internal Affairs in terms of assigned duties and operations along the Turkish coastline, and all maritime areas that are under Turkish sovereignty and control in accordance with the national and international laws.

In simpler terms, Turkish Coast Guard is a military organization that almost duplicates the structure of the Turkish Navy but acts as a law enforcement agency during peace times.

The biography of the current Commander shows the Navy connection clearly: Rear Admiral (UH) İzzet Artunç, 13th Commandant of the Turkish Coast Guard Command, was graduated from the Turkish Naval Academy in 1973 with the rank of Ensign. Later he attended the Submarine Officer Specialization Course become a submariner. His last assignment before being the Commander of Coast Guard was as Chief of Logistics in Turkish Naval Forces Command.

The proposal will change the structure of the Coast Guard from a military force to a policing force. The new Border Guard will only be subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs just like the civilian police force. The existing personnel and infrastructure of the CG will be transferred to the new BG organization. The border outposts and frontier troop’s currently under the command of Turkish Army or Gendarmerie will be transferred to this new General Directorate of Border Guard too.

The personnel of the future Border Guard will be educated in police academies instead of the military schools. The names of ranks and the whole promotions and appointments structure will change to reflect to emphasize the civilian side of the new organization.

The new organization will have some powers that Coast Guard does not currently have. The Border Guard will have the right to monitor the communication of suspected without an approval of a judge. The new police force will have the right to obtain, bear and use heavy weapons that are not normally used as standard police weapons such as the 40mm guns on board of the most coast guard vessels.

The proposed a General Directorate of Border Guard will affect the Coast Guard fundamentally. Gendarmerie Command protects the land borders and ensures their security but forther more it is also responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police forces. These areas cover the most of the rural Turkey. So when the new Border Guard comes into existence the Gendarmerie will give up only a part of its duties. On the other hand the whole 7200 km long sea border of Turkey and is only policed by the Turkish Coast Guard. The General Directorate of Border Guard will cease the existence of the Turkish Coast Guard as we know it.

So why is this change seemed to be necessary?

The main reason is to create a police rather than military force to protect the borders in accordance with the Schengen and EU acquis. The proposed structure of the Border Guard resembles the organisations already existing in Europe.

One other reason is to free the Land Force from border protection duties and focus it on more essential military missions.

It is not clear when the new law notion will be discussed and voted in the parliament. But a timeline for the change of responsibility on the borders has already been made. According to this scheduled the first change of duty will be in 2015 and the last one in 2018. The change of infrastructure and the facilities is planned for 2014. Thus Turkish Coast Guard has four more years left, as we know it.

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