Ottoman cruiser Hamidiye
Encyclopedia
HamidiyeThe name is also sometimes rendered as Hamidieh in English; see Gardiner and Gray, p. 389 and Halpern, p. 228. was an Ottoman
cruiser that saw extensive action during the Balkan Wars
and World War I
. Initially named Abdül Hamid, it was launched on 25 September 1903 in England, weighed 3,805 tons, had a draught of 4.8m, was 112m long and was named after the Ottoman
Sultan Abdül Hamid
.
It had two 150mm L/45 quick firing guns, six 120mm L/50 quick firing guns, two 46mm L/50 quick firing guns, two 36mm quick firing guns, and two 457mm torpedo tubes. Hamidiye was powered by two sets of 4-cylinder triple expansion steam engine
s providing a top speed of 22 knots and carried a nominal complement of 302.
It was named Hamidiye after the 1908 Young Turk Revolution
. Under the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres
, which ended the First World War between the Allies
and the Ottoman Empire, the ship was to be handed over to Great Britain
as war compensation. However, the ensuing Turkish War of Independence
culminated in the abrogation of the Treaty of Sèvres; it was replaced by the Treaty of Lausanne
, which permitted the new Turkish republic to retain its fleet, including Hamidiye, which became a training ship.
Secondary weapons consisted of six 3-pounder guns and six 1-pounder guns, each mounted in single emplacements. Hamidiye also carried a pair of 18 in (45.7 cm) torpedo tubes; these were emplaced in two aim-able mounts underneath the forebridge.
After the First World War, Hamidiye was rearmed; both types of primary guns were removed, and replaced with 5.9 in (15 cm) SK L/45 and 3 in (7.6 cm) SK L/50 Krupp guns.
in 1908. In 1909 it was attached to the army which, under Mahmud Şevket Pasha, marched on Istanbul to put down the counter-revolution (31 March Incident
), and anchored off Yeşilköy
, across from Sevket Pasha's headquarters.
under the command of Captain Rauf Orbay
, and was the only Ottoman ship to distinguish itself in the conflict. In November 1912, while shelling Bulgaria
n positions during the First Balkan War
, the Hamidiye was damaged
by the Bulgarian torpedo boat Drazki, though Orbay claimed to have sunk two other torpedo boats. The torpedo tore a 10 ft (3 m) hole in her bow on the starboard side, and killed eight men. Though the bow was mostly submerged, it was able to withdraw back to home port for repairs. On 14 January 1913, the Hamidiye slipped through the Greek
naval blockade of the Dardanelles
under cover of night, and proceeded to raid Greek shipping in the Aegean. The next day, at Syros
, it sunk the Greek armed merchantman Makedonia and shelled the town of Ermoupoli
. From there it set sail to Beirut
and Port Said
. The raids of the Hamidiye and its ability to roam around the Mediterranean and sow confusion, disrupt shipping and destroy various ships and facilities while avoiding its pursuers became a major morale booster for the Ottomans. The main aim of its sally however, to draw away the Greek cruiser Averof
so as to enable the Ottoman fleet to tackle the rest of the Greek navy in support of the Ottoman land forces, failed
.
Orbay then led his ship to shell Greek and Serbia
n positions on the coast of Albania
. At San Giovanni di Medua (Turkish: Şingin) on 12 March 1913, it sunk six Greek merchant ships and heavily damaged an Austrian ship, as well as shelling the Serbian military encampment there. Evading the Greek destroyers sent to find it, Hamidiye set sail for Egypt
. Another sortie south of Crete
led to the capture of another Greek merchantman, but reports of Greek warships near Rhodes
forced the Hamidiye, whose boilers were damaged and reduced her speed, to seek refuge in the Red Sea
, where it sat out the end of the war.
and joined Yavuz
and Midilli
in maintaining control over Black Sea lanes and ports. It engaged in numerous naval battles, was hit many times. Hamidiye conducted a series of operations in company with Yavuz and Midilli; on 23 September 1914, Hamidiye sailed with Yavuz to Trebizond to escort three transports. In November it bombarded military installations at Russian port Tuapse
. The ship sortied again in January 1915 along with Midilli; on 9 January the two ships accidentally encountered the Russian fleet off Yalta
. In the brief engagement, Midilli hit the Russian battleship Evstafi
once. On their return they were pursued by ships of the Russian fleet. The recently repaired Yavuz steamed out of the Bosporus
to cover the arrival of Hamidiye and Midilli and force off the pursuing Russians.
The war between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sèvres
on 10 August 1920; according to the terms of the treaty, Hamidiye, along with Yavuz and several other warships, was to be ceded to Great Britain as war reparations. However, the Turkish War of Independence, led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
, eventually created a new Turkish state; the treaty of Sèvres was discarded, and the Treaty of Lausanne
was signed in its place. Under the terms of this treaty, the new Turkish republic regained possession of much its fleet. It was the first Ottoman warship to be transferred to the Turkish Navy
in 1925.
was the Cruiser Hamidiye Medal 1913, which was given to each of the ship's 394 crew members.
The ship was decommissioned in 1947 after a service of training cadets since 1940. For a short while it was a museum ship. Hamidiye was then laid up in İstanbul in 1951 and then sold for scrap in 1964.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
cruiser that saw extensive action during the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Initially named Abdül Hamid, it was launched on 25 September 1903 in England, weighed 3,805 tons, had a draught of 4.8m, was 112m long and was named after the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultan Abdül Hamid
Abdul Hamid
Abdul Hamid is a Muslim male given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words Abd, al- and Ḥamid. The name means "servant of the All-laudable", al-Ḥamīd being one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names.The letter a of the al- is...
.
It had two 150mm L/45 quick firing guns, six 120mm L/50 quick firing guns, two 46mm L/50 quick firing guns, two 36mm quick firing guns, and two 457mm torpedo tubes. Hamidiye was powered by two sets of 4-cylinder triple expansion steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s providing a top speed of 22 knots and carried a nominal complement of 302.
It was named Hamidiye after the 1908 Young Turk Revolution
Young Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 reversed the suspension of the Ottoman parliament by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, marking the onset of the Second Constitutional Era...
. Under the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...
, which ended the First World War between the Allies
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
and the Ottoman Empire, the ship was to be handed over to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
as war compensation. However, the ensuing Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
culminated in the abrogation of the Treaty of Sèvres; it was replaced by the Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
, which permitted the new Turkish republic to retain its fleet, including Hamidiye, which became a training ship.
General characteristics
Hamidiye was 340 ft (103.63 m) long, and had a beam of 47 ft 6 in (14.48 m) and a draft of 16 ft (4.88 m). The ship displaced 3830 MT (3,769.5 LT) with a normal load. She was protected by Krupp armor. The armor system consisted of a main armored deck: the horizontal portions were 1.5 in (3.8 cm) thick, while the slopes on the sides of the ship were 4 in (10.2 cm) thick. Hamidiye was powered by 2-shaft vertical triple expansion engines, which were supplied with steam by cylindrical boilers. The power plant was rated at 12,500 indicated horsepower, which produced a top speed of 22 knots (12 m/s).Armament
Hamidiye was armed with a wide array of medium and smaller caliber guns. The largest of these were two 6 in (15.2 cm) /45 Armstrong quick-firing guns each mounted in its own turret, one forward and one aft. These guns fired 100 lb (45.4 kg) projectiles at a rate of 5 to 7 rounds per minute. The mounts allowed elevation to 20°, which provided a maximum range of 14,600 yards (13,350 m). Eight 4.7 in (11.9 cm) /50 Armstrong quick-firing guns rounded out the primary armament; these were placed in single mounts amidships, four on either side.Secondary weapons consisted of six 3-pounder guns and six 1-pounder guns, each mounted in single emplacements. Hamidiye also carried a pair of 18 in (45.7 cm) torpedo tubes; these were emplaced in two aim-able mounts underneath the forebridge.
After the First World War, Hamidiye was rearmed; both types of primary guns were removed, and replaced with 5.9 in (15 cm) SK L/45 and 3 in (7.6 cm) SK L/50 Krupp guns.
1908–1909
Hamidiye was involved in putting down a Greek uprising at Samos IslandSamos Island
Samos is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of Asia Minor, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate regional unit of the North Aegean region, and the only municipality of the regional...
in 1908. In 1909 it was attached to the army which, under Mahmud Şevket Pasha, marched on Istanbul to put down the counter-revolution (31 March Incident
31 March Incident
The 31 March Incident was a 1909 rebellion of reactionaries in İstanbul against the restoration of constitutional monarchy that had taken place in 1908. It took place on 13 April 1909...
), and anchored off Yeşilköy
Yesilköy
Yeşilköy is a neighborhood of the Bakırköy municipality of Istanbul, Turkey.It is located along the Marmara Sea about 11 kilometers west of Istanbul's historic city center...
, across from Sevket Pasha's headquarters.
Balkan Wars
The Hamidiye fought in the Balkan WarsBalkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
under the command of Captain Rauf Orbay
Rauf Orbay
Hüseyin Rauf Orbay was a Turkish naval officer and statesman, born in Istanbul.As an officer in the Ottoman Navy, he achieved fame for his actions as the captain of the cruiser Hamidiye during the First Balkan War...
, and was the only Ottoman ship to distinguish itself in the conflict. In November 1912, while shelling Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n positions during the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
, the Hamidiye was damaged
Naval Battle of Kaliakra
The Battle of Kaliakra, usually known as the Attack of the Drazki in Bulgaria, was a maritime action between four Bulgarian torpedo boats and the Ottoman cruiser Hamidiye in the Black Sea...
by the Bulgarian torpedo boat Drazki, though Orbay claimed to have sunk two other torpedo boats. The torpedo tore a 10 ft (3 m) hole in her bow on the starboard side, and killed eight men. Though the bow was mostly submerged, it was able to withdraw back to home port for repairs. On 14 January 1913, the Hamidiye slipped through the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
naval blockade of the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
under cover of night, and proceeded to raid Greek shipping in the Aegean. The next day, at Syros
Syros
Syros , or Siros or Syra is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is located south-east of Athens. The area of the island is . The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano Syros, and Vari. Ermoupoli is the capital of the island and the Cyclades...
, it sunk the Greek armed merchantman Makedonia and shelled the town of Ermoupoli
Ermoupoli
Ermoupoli , also known by the formal older name Ermoupolis or Hermoupolis , is a town and former municipality on the island of Syros, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Syros-Ermoupoli, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
. From there it set sail to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
. The raids of the Hamidiye and its ability to roam around the Mediterranean and sow confusion, disrupt shipping and destroy various ships and facilities while avoiding its pursuers became a major morale booster for the Ottomans. The main aim of its sally however, to draw away the Greek cruiser Averof
Greek cruiser Georgios Averof
Georgios Averof is a Greek warship which served as the flagship of the Royal Hellenic Navy during most of the first half of the 20th Century...
so as to enable the Ottoman fleet to tackle the rest of the Greek navy in support of the Ottoman land forces, failed
Naval Battle of Lemnos
The Battle of Lemnos , fought on , was a naval battle during the First Balkan War, which defeated the second and last attempt of the Ottoman Empire to break the Greek naval blockade of the Dardanelles and reclaim supremacy over the Aegean Sea from Greece....
.
Orbay then led his ship to shell Greek and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n positions on the coast of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. At San Giovanni di Medua (Turkish: Şingin) on 12 March 1913, it sunk six Greek merchant ships and heavily damaged an Austrian ship, as well as shelling the Serbian military encampment there. Evading the Greek destroyers sent to find it, Hamidiye set sail for Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Another sortie south of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
led to the capture of another Greek merchantman, but reports of Greek warships near Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
forced the Hamidiye, whose boilers were damaged and reduced her speed, to seek refuge in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, where it sat out the end of the war.
World War I
During World War I, it fought against the Russian Navy in Black SeaBlack Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and joined Yavuz
SMS Goeben
SMS Goeben was the second of two Moltke-class battlecruisers of the Imperial German Navy, launched in 1911 and named after the German Franco-Prussian War veteran General August Karl von Goeben...
and Midilli
SMS Breslau
SMS Breslau was a Magdeburg-class light cruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine , built in the early 1910s. Following her commissioning, Breslau and the battlecruiser were assigned to the Mittelmeerdivision in response to the Balkan Wars...
in maintaining control over Black Sea lanes and ports. It engaged in numerous naval battles, was hit many times. Hamidiye conducted a series of operations in company with Yavuz and Midilli; on 23 September 1914, Hamidiye sailed with Yavuz to Trebizond to escort three transports. In November it bombarded military installations at Russian port Tuapse
Tuapse
Tuapse is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. It serves as the administrative center of Tuapsinsky District, although administratively it is separate from it...
. The ship sortied again in January 1915 along with Midilli; on 9 January the two ships accidentally encountered the Russian fleet off Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
. In the brief engagement, Midilli hit the Russian battleship Evstafi
Russian battleship Evstafi
Evstafi was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. She was built before World War I and her completion was greatly delayed by changes made to reflect the lessons of the Russo-Japanese War of 1905...
once. On their return they were pursued by ships of the Russian fleet. The recently repaired Yavuz steamed out of the Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
to cover the arrival of Hamidiye and Midilli and force off the pursuing Russians.
The war between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...
on 10 August 1920; according to the terms of the treaty, Hamidiye, along with Yavuz and several other warships, was to be ceded to Great Britain as war reparations. However, the Turkish War of Independence, led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
, eventually created a new Turkish state; the treaty of Sèvres was discarded, and the Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
was signed in its place. Under the terms of this treaty, the new Turkish republic regained possession of much its fleet. It was the first Ottoman warship to be transferred to the Turkish Navy
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
in 1925.
Awards
The only commemorative military medal issued by the Ottomans for the Balkan WarsBalkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
was the Cruiser Hamidiye Medal 1913, which was given to each of the ship's 394 crew members.
The ship was decommissioned in 1947 after a service of training cadets since 1940. For a short while it was a museum ship. Hamidiye was then laid up in İstanbul in 1951 and then sold for scrap in 1964.
Books
- David NicolleDavid NicolleDavid C. Nicolle is a British historian specialising in the military history of the Middle Ages, with a particular in the Middle East....
and Raffaele Ruggeri, The Ottoman Army 1914-18, Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994.