The Turkish or Ottoman navy as reported by major Grenville Temple in 1834

Ron van Maanen

In his account of his travels in the Mediterranean, major Grenville Temple paid quite a lot of attention to the navy of Greece. Fortunately, he gave also the next interesting information dealing with the Turkish navy, the opponent of Greece in their war for independence.

p. 149: “At Terskhanel, I saw all that part of the Turkish navy which was then in the harbour of the capital. With the exception of two frigates, one of which was the Raphael, captured from the Russians in the Black Sea during the late war, and three corvettes, kept in commission as schools of instruction for young officers and naval recruits : all the rest were in ordinary, and consisted of 9 ships of the line, 2 double-banked frigates, 9 frigates, 14 corvettes, 2 brigs,

p. 150: 1 cutter, 2 steam vessels.

I could not ascertain the number of ships in commission or laid up in other ports, but the following is a list of those on the stocks in different dock-yards:

1 of 84 guns, length in feet 137 at Sinope

1 of 80 guns, length in feet 135 at Ghemlek

1 of 88 guns, length in feet 134 at Bondroom

1 of 60 guns, length in feet 130½ at Erkli

1 of 48 guns, length in feet 114½ at Rhodes

1 of 48 guns, length in feet 113½ at Ghidros

1 of 46 guns, length in feet 118¾ at Fazza

1 of 46 guns, length in feet 106 at Samson

1 of 46 guns, length in feet 106 at Amaareh

1 of 46 guns, length in feet 106 at Bartin

1 of 50 guns, length in feet 111 at Lemnos

1 of 46 guns, length in feet 106 at Ismid

1 of 46 guns, length in feet 104 at Akeheh Shehr

1 of 48 guns, length in feet 104 at Mytelene

p. 151: Besides which, there were several corvettes, brigs, schooners, and smaller vessels. We visited the Mahmoodieh, a three-decker, measuring in extreme length, two hundred and fifty-six feet, and pierced for one hundred and thirty-two guns, six of which were brass threehundred pounders. She had only lately been launched, and the workmen were still employed in fitting up the cabin, which was to be inlaid with a great variety of beautiful woods, the growth of Turkey. On board, we became acquainted with Hassan Bey, the Capudana Bey (1), said to be the best sailor in the navy. Halil Pasha is the Capudan Pasha. This man, not many years ago, was a slave at the Dardanelles ; but, having obtained his freedom, and being pushed on by his former master,

p. 152: the serasker, his fortunes rose rapidly. At the conclusion of the last war with Russia, he was sent as ambassador to Petersburgh : he is now commander-in-chief of the navy, and is shortly to be married to one of the Sultan's daughters. Alongside of the Mahmoodieh was the Selim, an old three-decker, not much inferior in size, and possessing the invaluable qualification of being a good sailer under all circumstances, whether well navigated and trimmed, or the reverse, on or off a wind, in a gale, or in a calm. With the exception, I believe, of the Pennsylvania American line-of-battle ship, the Mahmoodieh is the largest in the world. The Pasha of Egypt is also building some very large ships; one of which, the Mehalet el Kebeer, measures, along her water-line, two hundred and twelve feet, is fifty-eight feet in the beam, and is to fight one hundred and thirty-six guns. Timber is very cheap in Turkey, selling for one English penny the cubic foot; and, some years back, the expense of building a first-rate in the Black Sea amounted only to about 9,000L. One of the doublebanked frigates had just come round from the Black Sea, where she had been launched. She was a very fine vessel, but looked, alongside of the Mahmoodieh, like a small boat. Another of the frigates had also arrived from Sizeboli, where she had been sunk during the war, but subsequently got up. The cutter had lately been launched, and was built on the exact model of the English cutter Hind. None of the ships are ever painted till they have been rigged. The largest of the steam vessels, formerly one of the English packets to Hamburgh, was com-

p. 154: manded by Captain Kelly, an Englishman who has entered the Turkish service. He was excessively civil to us, taking us over all the different departments of the arsenal, and on board the men-of-war. This steam vessel is fitted up as a yacht for the Sultan, who frequently makes excursions in her. The ships in commission seemed very neatly rigged, and were particularly light and clear aloft. I was especially struck with the Shereef Rezan, a beautiful new frigate. Captain Kelly, (who speaks Turkish remarkably well, and is a great favourite with the Capudan Pasha and his brother officers,) took us also over the dock-yard, where we visited the store-houses, forges, rope-walks, mast-sheds, &c. A great part of the workmen consisted of Albanians, lately taken prisoners by the vizir during the insurrection of their country. We

p. 155: also inspected two very fine dry docks for repairing the larger ships, one built by Selim III, the other by the present Sultan. Under one of the sheds, in which the Sultan's state barges are kept, we were shown one which belonged to Muhammed II, the conqueror of Constantinople.”

Source

major sir Bart. Grenville Temple. Travels in Greece and Turkey, being the second part of excursions in the Mediterranean. Vol II. London 1836. Digitized by Google

Note

1. Original footnote: “There are several officers called Sanjak-beys, whose rank answers to that of rear-admirals.”