HMS Defender and HNLMS Eversten In Istanbul

11 Jun 2021

The Dutch frigate HNLMS Eversten (left) and HMS Defender at Sarayburnu quay.

Two warships attached to the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group (UK CSG) has arrived in Istanbul on 8th June for a 5-day port visit. HMS Defender a Type 45 class destroyer and HNLMS Eversten a De Zeven Provinciën class frigate are conducting a visit in Istanbul before proceeding to the Black Sea as advertised by each nation’s Ministries of Defence before the UK CSG set sail.

On 10th June a UK Industry Day was hosted onboard HMS Defender. This event provided an opportunity to discuss trends and possible areas of cooperation on defense and security sectors between the UK and Turkey.

Agusta-Westland AW-159 Wildcat HMA2 on board HMS Defender. Photo: Özgür Ekşi, used with permission.

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Back From Vacation

17 Aug 2017 1 Comment

I have been silent for the last couple weeks. I was on vacation. And returned with the following photos:

Fast tanker RFA Wave Ruler

Cable laying ship USS Zeus.

Type 23 class frigate, HMS Montrose

Survey vessel HMS Scott. Ship’s emblem on her funnel, tells us where she spends most of her time.

Type-23 frigate HMS Somerset.

Trafalgar class submarine Ex- HMS Torbay being decommissioned, while HMS Bulwark in the background being deactivated.

HMS Albion being re-activated to replace HMS Bulwark.

Another Trafalgar class submarine ex- HMS Triumph being deactivated.

Type-23 class frigate HMS Argyll.

The former flagship of Royal Navy HMS Ocean.

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Bulgarian Naval Exercise Breeze 2017 Has Started

15 Jul 2017 2 Comments

Super Vita class fast attack craft, HS Anthypoploiarchos Ritsos passed through Turkish Straits to participate in Breeze 2017 naval exercise.

Naming of military operations and exercises has always been a controversial topic. So it does not help much when Bulgaria names the naval exercise as Breeze when there is Ukrainian – USA joint exercise called Sea Breeze. It is not easy to distinguish between them two. The timing of these exercises makes it even more difficult.

Breeze 2017 is the Bulgarian exercise. The warships participating to this exercise have gathered in Varna.The exercise started on 14 July 2017 and will end on 23 July.

The purpose of the exercise is to develop cooperation and interoperability by performing actual maritime training among the multinational forces in the Black Sea. Besides the host, Turkey, USA, England, Italy, Poland, Romania and Greece are participating After Bulgaria, Turkey has the second largest number of units taking part in the exercise.

Here is the list of the participants as far as I could find:

Number Name Type Nationality
S-343 TCG Preveze Submarine Turkey
P-330 TCG Kılıç Fast attack craft Turkey
P-1214 TCG Karadeniz Ereğli Patrol boat Turkey
F-241 TCG Yıldırım Frigate Turkey
D-37 HMS Duncan Destroyer UK
P-71 HS Anthypoploiarchos Ritsos Fast attack craft Greece

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From The Archive (13)

12 May 2016 1 Comment

HMS Illustrious in Istanbul. 16 May 2008

HMS Illustrious in Istanbul on 16 May 2008. Note the near loss of one Merlin HM Mk2 as the brakes malfunctioned. She was the host of Queen Elisabeth’s reception. HMS Illustrious was decommissioned in 2014 and currently is for sale.

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From The Archive (10)

21 Apr 2016

HMS Cardiff during her visit to Istanbul on 23rd November 1998. Note the added Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS systems installed after The Falkland War. Ironically her final destination was a scrapyard in Turkey in 2005.

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HMS Duncan Ended Her Black Sea Visit

15 Nov 2015

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HMS Duncan heads to the Mediterranean Sea. TCSG-312 passes by.

Royal Navy warship HMS Duncan made an official visit to Romania between 8 and 11 November 2015.

HMS Duncan entered the Black Sea on 7 November and exited on 15 November.

The visit of HMS Duncan to Constanta, Romania was not just a cordial visit. The Embassy of the United Kingdom and Great Britain and Northern Ireland in collaboration with the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organization organized 9 November on Board of HMS Duncan an exhibition promoting British defence industry technologies.

During the event UK Ambassador Paul Brummell thanked the 13 UK companies participating the event and emphasised that UK companies can provide technology and products that may help Romania to fulfil its ambitious plan to modernise its navy.

Romanian Navy currently operates two Royal Navy Type 22 frigates ROS Regina Maria (ex London) and ROS Regele Ferdinand (ex Coventry). These ships were overhauled in UK before their delivery to Romania in 2003 -2004 period. But further upgrade is needed. Armed with only guns and torpedoes these ships lack long-range offensive weapons and adequate air defence systems.

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Rehearsal For The Commemoration Parade

26 Apr 2015 1 Comment

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On 23 April 2015, 11 warships from 5 different nations gathered in Çanakkale to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Çanakkale Wars.

Two of them F-77 HMNZS Te Kaha and 150 HMAS Anzac arrived after a very long journey. The New Zealand frigate Te Kaha left her home port in 16 February and The Australian Frigate Anzac on 15 March 2015.
In addition to Australian and New Zealand frigates the British assault ship HMS Bulwark and the french destroyer FS Cassard ware also present. From Turkish Navy TCG Salihreis, TCG Yavuz, TCG Turgutreis, TCG Fatih TCG Heybeliada took part in the commemorations. And Turkish Coast Guard participated with the offshore patrol vessels TCSG Güven and TCSG Umut.

The above photos are taken on 23 April 2015 as the ship sailed southbound on Dardanelles for a rehearsal.

For the photos from the international sail past click here.

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HMS Duncan In Çanakkale

22 Mar 2015 2 Comments

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The last of the Type 45 class destroyers, HMS Duncan made a port visit in Çanakkale during the 18 March Naval Victory Commemorations. I do not know her exact arrival and departure dates but she was there on 17, 18 and 19 March.

She was commissioned in 2013 and left UK for her  maiden deployment to the Mediterranean and Middle East on 2 March 2015.

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Foreign Warships On Bosphorus – Nostalgia Edition

26 Oct 2014 3 Comments

HMS M1

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TCG Yavuz

On Saturday I have found these old 4 photos in an antique shop in Istanbul and bought them. I have removed the photos from their old and deteriorated frames.

The first photo shows the British submarine HMS M-1 in Istanbul. Though I have no date on the back of the photo or on the frame I can see snow on the roof of the submarine and on the roofs of the buildings in the back ground. A quick search on the internet provided me with a couple of photos from the same submarine in Istanbul in February 1919. Thus I believe my photo was taken around that time. It can be pretty cold in Istanbul in February.

The second photo shows either an Admiralty Modified R class or a S class Royal Navy destroyer. The next photo was taken on board of this ship with her crew and the mascot dog posing. Again this photo has to be taken during the Allied occupation of Istanbul between 1918 and 1923

The last photo is the only one that had a note on the back: “German battleship ‘Goeben’ at Ismid Nr Constantinople 1918” . I do not need any notes to identify this beautiful ship, which shaped the history of this nation it was nice to know that the photo was not taken in Istanbul. Some ships of the Ottoman Navy were interned in the Golden Horn in Istanbul while the Goeben / Yavuz was interned in a place near Izmit. This place is know today as the Gölcük Naval Base and is the main base of Turkish Navy.

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RFA Lyme Bay In Bodrum

19 Sep 2014 2 Comments

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L-3007 RFA Lyme Bay in Bodrum. Photo: memuruz.net

Royal Fleet Auxiliary Lyme Bay has docked in Bodrum for a port visit. Her sister, RFA Mounts Bay, made also a port visit in Bodrum during last year’s deployment.

L-3007 RFA Lyme Bay is currently on a 4 month-long deployment in the Mediterranean called Cougar 2014 with other Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary  units.

According to Royal Navy the Cougar is a four-month deployment, 14, includes a series of demanding amphibious and maritime-based exercises with partner nations throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East region and ensures that the task group is ready to respond to any contingency the UK Government directs upon it.

The Royal Navy’s Response Force Task Group (RFTG) in Cougar 2014 has already conducted exercise with Greek and Albanian armed forces.

RFA Lyme Bay will leave Bodrum on 21 September 2014.

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