Ottoman cruiser Peyk-i Şevket

Last updated

Berk-i Satvet class cruiser.png
One of the two Peyk-i Şevket-class cruisers in their original configuration
History
Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844-1922).svg Ottoman Empire
Ordered18 January 1903
Builder Germaniawerft, Kiel
Laid downFebruary 1906
Launched15 November 1906
Acquired13 November 1907
CommissionedNovember 1907
Stricken1944
FateBroken up for scrap, 1953–1954
General characteristics
Class and type Peyk-i Şevket-class cruiser
Displacement775 long tons (787  t)
Length80 m (262 ft 6 in)
Beam8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
Draft2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed21 knots (39  km/h; 24  mph)
Range3,240  nmi (6,000 km; 3,730 mi)
Complement105
Armament

Peyk-i Şevket was a torpedo cruiser of the Ottoman Navy, built in 1906–1907, the lead ship of her class, which included one other vessel. She was built by the Germaniawerft shipyard in Germany, and was delivered to the Ottoman Navy in November 1907. The ship's primary armament consisted of three 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes and a pair of 105 mm (4.1 in) guns, and she was capable of a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). A major reconstruction in the late 1930s revised her armament and rebuilt her bow and superstructure.

Contents

The ship was interned at British-controlled Suez at the start of the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, and as a result she saw no action during the conflict. During the First Balkan War in 1913, she bombarded Bulgarian troops threatening the Ottoman capital at Constantinople. Peyk-i Şevket was torpedoed by the British submarine HMS E11 in August 1915 during the Dardanelles Campaign of World War I. Repairs lasted until 1917, and in the final year of the war she served in the Black Sea, escorting troop ships to the Caucasus. Renamed Peyk in 1923, the ship continued in service with the Turkish Navy following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire until 1944, when she was decommissioned. She was broken up for scrap in 1953–1954.

Design

Peyk-i Şevket, classified as a torpedo cruiser by the Ottoman Navy, [1] was also sometimes referred to as a torpedo gunboat. She was 80 m (262 ft 6 in) long, with a beam of 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) and a draft of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). She displaced 775 long tons (787  t ) while on sea trials. The ship was powered by a pair of vertical triple-expansion steam engines each driving a screw propeller. Four coal-burning water-tube boilers provided steam for the engines, and they were vented through a pair of funnels. The engines were rated at 5,100 indicated horsepower (3,800 kW) for a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph); Peyk-i Şevket had a cruising radius of 3,240 nautical miles (6,000 km; 3,730 mi). Her crew numbered 105 officers and enlisted men. [2]

Peyk-i Şevket's primary offensive armament was her three 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. One was mounted in the bow, above water, and the other two were in deck-mounted swivel launchers amidships. She was armed with a pair of 105 mm (4.1 in) guns that were placed in shielded single mounts on the forecastle and quarterdeck. For close-range defense against torpedo boats, she also carried six 57 mm (2.2 in) guns, four of which were mounted in sponsons, and a pair of 37 mm (1.5 in) guns. She had no armor protection. [2]

Service history

Peyk-i Şevket was ordered on 18 January 1903 and laid down in February 1906 at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel, Germany. She was launched on 15 November of that year, and completed in 1907. After completing sea trials, she was transferred to the Ottoman Navy, arriving in Constantinople on 13 November, where she was formally commissioned into the Ottoman fleet. Rauf Orbay took command of the ship in 1908, and held the position until 1911. In 1909, she and her sister participated in the first fleet maneuver conducted by the Ottoman Navy in twenty years. [3]

At the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War in September 1911, Peyk-i Şevket was in the Red Sea; on 2 October, she encountered the Italian torpedo cruiser Aretusa and the gunboat Volturno off Al Hudaydah. The two Italian vessels forced Peyk-i Şevket to flee into the port, bombarded the dock facilities, and then withdrew. [4] Peyk-i Şevket was later interned for the duration of the war in British-controlled Suez. [5] In March 1913 during the First Balkan War, the ship was sent to the Black Sea to support the Çatalca garrison, which was under renewed attacks by the Bulgarian army during the Second Battle of Çatalca. After heavy bombardment from the Ottoman fleet, including Peyk-i Şevket, the Bulgarians were forced to retreat on 30 March. [6]

Silhouettes of the major warships of the Ottoman Navy in 1914; the Peyk-i Sevket-class is the fourth ship in the second row Ottoman Fleet 1914.png
Silhouettes of the major warships of the Ottoman Navy in 1914; the Peyk-i Şevket-class is the fourth ship in the second row

On 3 August 1914, Peyk-i Şevket steamed to Constantinople, where she was scheduled to begin a lengthy overhaul. But due to the growing tensions in the region due to the outbreak of World War I in Europe, the ship was only painted and loaded with ammunition, fuel, and stores. On 20 November, Peyk-i Şevket and the battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim, formerly the German Goeben, for a patrol off the Bosporus. In December, the ship joined Yavuz Sultan Selim, the ex-German light cruiser Midilli, and her sister Berk-i Satvet to escort a convoy of four troop transports to Rize. On 22 June 1915, Peyk-i Şevket was nearly torpedoed by the British submarine HMS E12 in the Sea of Marmara while she was transporting ammunition to the Ottoman garrison at Çanakkale. Two months later, HMS E11 successfully torpedoed the ship on 6 August, causing serious damage. [7]

The ship returned to service by 1917, and as of July 1918, the ship was back in service, being used as an escort for troopships between Constantinople and the Caucasus. She was decommissioned in the final weeks of the war, on 30 October 1918, and laid up in Constantinople. On 30 November, the Ottoman Empire signed the Armistice of Mudros with the Entente powers, which concluded the conflict. [8]

The ship was renamed Peyk in 1923 following the end of the Turkish War of Independence, which saw the Republic of Turkey replace the old Ottoman Empire. [2] At the time, the ship was one of a handful of major warships still in active service, after more than a decade of near continuous war for the Turkish fleet. From 1925 to 1927, she was modernized at the Gölcük Naval Shipyard and was recommissioned in 1927. [9] She was rebuilt in 1936–1938 and incorporated substantial improvements. Her stem was replaced and her superstructure was rebuilt. The old gun armament was replaced with a pair of 88 mm (3.5 in) 45-caliber guns and four 37 mm 40-caliber guns. The ship continued in service until 1944, when she was stricken from the naval register. [2] The ship was laid up in Izmit and broken up between 1953 and 1954 at the Gölcük shipyard. [10]

Notes

  1. Fleets of the World, p. 140.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lyon, p. 392.
  3. Langensiepen & Güleryüz, pp. 14, 25, 149.
  4. Stephenson, p. 62.
  5. Langensiepen & Güleryüz, p. 25.
  6. Erickson, pp. 288–289.
  7. Langensiepen & Güleryüz, pp. 28, 38–39, 46.
  8. Langensiepen & Güleryüz, pp. 54, 89, 149.
  9. Langensiepen & Güleryüz, pp. 59, 149.
  10. Langensiepen & Güleryüz, p. 149.

Related Research Articles

Ottoman ironclad <i>Mesudiye</i> Ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy

Mesudiye was a central-battery ironclad of the Ottoman Navy, one of the largest ships of that type ever built. She was built at the Thames Iron Works in Britain between 1871 and 1875. Mesudiye had one sister ship, though she was purchased by the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Superb. Her primary armament consisted of twelve 10-inch (250 mm) guns in a central armored battery.

Ottoman ironclad <i>Feth-i Bülend</i> Ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy

Feth-i Bülend was an Ottoman ironclad warship built in the late 1860s, the lead ship of her class. The Ottoman Navy ordered her from the British Thames Iron Works, and she was laid down in 1868, launched in 1869, and commissioned in 1870. She was armed with four 229 mm (9 in) guns, was powered by a single-screw compound steam engine with a top speed of 13 knots.

Ottoman cruiser <i>Berk-i Satvet</i> Torpedo cruiser of the Ottoman Navy

Berk-i Satvet was a torpedo cruiser of the Ottoman Navy, the second and final member of the Peyk-i Şevket class. She was built by the Germaniawerft shipyard in Germany in 1906–1907, and was delivered to the Ottoman Navy in November 1907. The ship's primary armament consisted of three 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes and a pair of 105 mm (4.1 in) guns, and she was capable of a top speed of 21 knots. The ship's early career was uneventful; the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912 passed without any action of the Ottoman fleet. Berk-i Satvet saw action during the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 in the Aegean and Black Seas, against Greek and Bulgarian opponents, respectively.

<i>Peyk-i Şevket</i>-class cruiser Torpedo cruiser class of the Ottoman Navy

The Peyk-i Şevket class was a pair of torpedo cruisers built for the Ottoman Navy by the German shipyard Germaniawerft in 1906–1907. The class comprised two ships: Peyk-i Şevket and Berk-i Satvet. They were ordered as part of a program to modernize the Ottoman fleet at the turn of the century. The ships were small vessels, at only 775 metric tons ; they were nevertheless heavily armed for their size, with three torpedo tubes and a pair of 105 mm (4.1 in) guns along with several smaller weapons.

Ottoman ironclad <i>Asar-i Tevfik</i> Ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy

Asar-i Tevfik was an ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy built in the 1860s, the only member of her class. She was built as part of a major expansion program for the Ottoman fleet in the 1860s following the Crimean War. Asar-i Tevfik was a 4,600-metric-ton barbette ship armed with a main battery of eight 220-millimeter (8.7 in) guns in a central battery. In 1903–1906, the ship was extensively rebuilt in Germany and a new battery of 150 mm (5.9 in) and 120 mm (4.7 in) quick-firing guns replaced the older weapons.

Ottoman ironclad <i>Hamidiye</i> Ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy

Hamidiye was a unique ironclad warship built for the Ottoman Navy in the 1870s, the last vessel of the type completed for the Ottomans. She was a central battery ship, mounting most of her armament in a central casemate. The ship, built by the Ottoman Imperial Arsenal took nearly twenty years to complete; she was laid down in December 1874, launched in 1885, and completed in 1894. Due to her lengthy construction period, she was already obsolete by the time she was launched. Her poor handling and low quality armor contributed to a short career, spent almost entirely as a stationary training ship. She was briefly activated in 1897 during the Greco-Turkish War, but she was already in bad condition just three years after she entered service, as was the rest of the ancient Ottoman fleet. The Ottomans embarked on a reconstruction program after the incident humiliated the government, but Hamidiye was in too poor a state by 1903 to warrant rebuilding, and she was accordingly decommissioned that year, placed for sale in 1909, and sold to ship breakers in 1913.

Italian cruiser <i>Aretusa</i> Torpedo cruiser of the Italian Royal Navy

Aretusa was a torpedo cruiser of the Partenope class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. Laid down in June 1889 at the Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando shipyard, she was launched in March 1891 and was commissioned in September 1892. Her main armament were her six torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns. Aretusa spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. At the start of the Italo-Turkish War in September 1911, she was assigned to the Red Sea Squadron in Italian Eritrea. She bombarded Ottoman positions in the Arabian Peninsula and took part in a blockade of the coast. Worn out by the end of the war in October 1912, Aretusa was sold for scrap that December and broken up.

Ottoman ironclad <i>Avnillah</i> Ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy

Avnillah was an ironclad warship built for the Ottoman Navy in the late 1860s. The lead ship of the Avnillah class, she was built by the Thames Iron Works in Britain. The ship was laid down in 1868, launched in 1869, and she was commissioned into the fleet the following year. A central battery ship, she was armed with a battery of four 228 mm (9 in) guns in a central casemate, and was capable of a top speed of 12 knots.

Ottoman ironclad <i>Muin-i Zafer</i> Ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy

Muin-i Zafer was the second of two Avnillah-class casemate ships built for the Ottoman Navy in the late 1860s. The ship was laid down in 1868, launched in 1869, and she was commissioned into the fleet the following year. A central battery ship, she was armed with a battery of four 228 mm (9 in) guns in a central casemate, and was capable of a top speed of 12 knots.

<i>Avnillah</i>-class ironclad Ironclad warship class of the Ottoman Navy

The Avnillah class was a group of two ironclad warships built for the Ottoman Navy in the 1860s. The class comprised two vessels, Avnillah and Muin-i Zafer. The two ships were built in Britain between 1868 and 1870. They were armed with a battery of four 228 mm (9 in) guns mounted in a central casemate, making them central battery ships.

Ottoman ironclad <i>Asar-i Şevket</i> Ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy

Asar-i Şevket was a central battery ship built for the Ottoman Navy in the 1860s. Originally ordered by the Eyalet of Egypt but confiscated by the Ottoman Empire while under construction, the vessel was initially named Kahira. The ship was laid down at the French Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde shipyard in 1867, was launched in 1868, and was commissioned into the Ottoman fleet in March 1870. Asar-i Şevket was armed with a battery of four 178 mm (7 in) Armstrong guns in a central casemate and one 229 mm (9 in) Armstrong gun in a revolving barbette.

Ottoman ironclad <i>Necm-i Şevket</i> Ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy

Necm-i Şevket was the second of two Asar-i Şevket-class central battery ships built for the Ottoman Navy in the 1860s. Originally ordered by the Khedivate of Egypt but confiscated by the Ottoman Empire while under construction, the vessel was initially named Muzaffer. The ship was laid down at the French Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde shipyard in 1867, was launched in 1868, and was commissioned into the Ottoman fleet in March 1870. Asar-i Şevket was armed with a battery of four 178 mm (7 in) Armstrong guns in a central casemate and one 229 mm (9 in) Armstrong gun in a revolving barbette.

<i>Asar-i Şevket</i>-class ironclad Ironclad warship class of the Ottoman Navy

The Asar-i Şevket class of ironclad warships consisted of two vessels, Asar-i Şevket and Necm-i Şevket, built for the Ottoman Navy in the 1860s. The ships were constructed in France and were based on the design of the earlier ironclad Asar-i Tevfik. The two vessels, built as central battery ships, carried an armament of four 178 mm (7 in) Armstrong guns in a central casemate and one 229 mm (9 in) Armstrong gun in a revolving barbette atop the casemate.

Ottoman ironclad <i>Iclaliye</i> Ironclad warship of the Ottoman Navy

Iclaliye ("Glorious") was a unique ironclad warship built for the Ottoman Navy in the late 1860s and early 1870s. She was ordered from the Austro-Hungarian shipyard Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino, was laid down in May 1868, and was completed in February 1871. The design for Iclaliye was based on the earlier Asar-i Şevket-class ironclads built in France, though she carried a slightly more powerful armament consisting of two 228 mm (9 in) Armstrong guns and three 178 mm (7 in) Armstrong guns. During the Russo-Turkish War she supported Ottoman forces fighting in the Caucasus. She spent most of the rest her career out of service, as the Ottoman Navy was allowed to languish. In 1912, the Navy activated the ancient Iclaliye to help provide artillery support to the forces defending Constantinople. She served in subsidiary roles, including as a training ship and a barracks ship, until 1928 when she was decommissioned and broken up.

Ottoman destroyer <i>Yadigar-i Millet</i> Ottoman destroyer

Yadigar-i Millet, originally built as SMS S166, was one of the four S138-class torpedo boats built for the German Imperial Navy, but was purchased by the Ottoman Navy National Support Association for the Ottoman Navy.

Gayret-i Vataniye originally built as SMS S168, was one of the four S138-class torpedo boats built for the German Imperial Navy, but was purchased for the Ottoman Navy during construction.

Yarhisar was one of the four Samsun-class destroyers, based on the Durandal class, purchased from France in 1907 by the Ottoman Navy Society. She joined the Ottoman Navy in 1907, but like the rest of the Ottoman fleet, she did not take part in any active engagement with the Italians during the Italo-Turkish war. During the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, she took part in all major engagements such as the battles of Kaliakra, Elli and Lemnos, as well as patrol missions. During World War I, she took part in escort and interception missions, especially in the Sea of Marmara. She engaged in many battles with Allied submarines entering the Sea of Marmara. On 3 December 1915, she was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine HMS E11 off the coast of Yalova. 7 officers and 33 enlisted men were killed in the sinking. The submarine picked up the remaining crew from the sea and delivered them to a nearby sailing ship.

Ottoman torpedo boat <i>Alpagot</i> Ottoman torpedo boat

Alpagot was one of the two Akhisar-class torpedo boats built in Italy for the Ottoman Navy in the early 20th century. The ship was launched on April 30, 1904 at the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa, and was commissioned in June 1904. She took part in the Italo-Turkish War, during which she was sunk in Preveza on September 30, 1911.

Ottoman torpedo boat <i>Akhisar</i> Ottoman torpedo boat

Akhisar was a torpedo boat built in Italy during the early 20th century, the lead ship of her class. The ship was launched on 25 April 1904 at the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa, and became part of the Ottoman Navy in June 1904. The torpedo boat took part in the First Balkan War and World War I, and after an overhaul in the 1920s served under the flag of the Republic of Turkey until 1930. The ship was scrapped in 1935.

References