Turkish government bought German merchant ships to be used as troop transports according to the Dutch newspaper Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad dated 28 January 1911

This newspaper reported that the German Norddeutscher Lloyd sold her steam ships Oldenburg (1) and Darmstadt (2) to Turkey to be used as troop transports. The transport Sabah left with 1,200 soldiers on board Port Said towards Hodeida.

Notes

1. http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=olden mentioned a Oldenburg with a measurement of 5,006 gross burden, dimensions 415 x 48 feet and built in 1890 at the yard of Fairfield Shipbuilding & Eng. Co. Ltd. At Glasgow.

http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/nglloyd.html renamed in Turkish service as Ak Deniz.

http://www.schiffe-maxim.de/oldenburg_ndl.htm Sister ships were the Gera, Weimar, München and Dresden. Possessed one funnel, 2 masts and with a speed of 13 knots. Accommodation for 49 passengers 1st class, 38 passengers 2nd class and 1,901 3rd class passengers. (’between decks’). Launched on 13 December 1890. Sold to the Turkish government and renamed Akdeniz. Seized in Bombay in August 1911 when the First World war broke out and not earlier as in 1919 returned to the Turkish owned company. In 1930 broken up at Savona.

2. http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=darms mentioned a Darmstadt with a measurement of 5,012 gross burden, dimensions 415 x 48 feet and built in 1890 at the yard of Fairfield Shipbuilding & Eng. Co. Ltd. At Glasgow.

http://www.fortunecity.com/littleitaly/amalfi/13/shipdf.htm supplied further more that she had one funnel, two masts, a singe crew, a speed of 13 knots and of steel construction and able to transport 49 passengers of the 1st class, 38 of the 2nd class and 1,904 of the 3rd class. According to this site she was in 1911 sold to a Turkish company and renamed Kara Deniz. In 1914 seized and laid up at Bombay was she finally broken up in 1923.

http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=539 launched on Saturday 27 September 1890 with yard building number 352.