Turkey and Italy were between 29 September 1911 and 18 October 1912 mainly as results of the Italian claims considering Libya. The war was quite disastrous for the Ottoman empire loosing for instance a battle off Beirut on 24 February 1912 when the casemate ship Avnillah sunk.
The Dutch magazine De Prins dated 6 April 1912 page 160 published the photo below of the Avnillah.
The political correspondent at Vienna supplied some details concerning the Turkish fleet which returning safely from Beirut in the Dardanelles consisting of two squadrons. The first squadron was commanded by the Kapoedan Pasha consisting of the in 1910 from Germany bought battleships Hayreddin Barbarossa (former German (Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm) and the Turgut Reis (former German Weissenburg) both now aged, the Assar-i-Tewfik (from 1868) and the Messoedsje (the Messudieh of 1874?) with a total armament of 14 heavy, 22 medium and 44 small guns. The speed of this squadron was 17 knots. According to the news item were these ships the only ones of any value for defence purposes. Further more belonged to this squadron the protected cruisers Hamidiedsjé and Messoediedsjé armed with in total 20 medium and 24 small calibre guns and with a speed of 22-23 knots. There were also 6 fast destroyers available, delivered in 1910 by the German Schichau yard with a speed of 35 knots.
The second squadron consisted of the torpedo cruisers Berket-i-Satfet and Peik-I-Sjefket, 12 destroyers and 6 in 1906 in Italy built torpedo boats.
There was or better said had been a third so-called squadron consisting of a number of torpedo boats divided over the harbours Prevesa and Durazno (both Albanian coast) and Salonika. The boats of the first two ports were collected in Prevesa and there destroyed by Italian forces. Also at Durazzo attacked Italian forces with success some Turkish torpedo boats.
For troop transports and so on were 12 suitable steamships available. The Turkish warship stationed in the waters around Crete (in the Soeda-bay) returned to the Dardanelles.
The Dutch magazine De Prins dated 6 April 1912 page 160 published the photo below of the Avnillah.
The political correspondent at Vienna supplied some details concerning the Turkish fleet which returning safely from Beirut in the Dardanelles consisting of two squadrons. The first squadron was commanded by the Kapoedan Pasha consisting of the in 1910 from Germany bought battleships Hayreddin Barbarossa (former German (Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm) and the Turgut Reis (former German Weissenburg) both now aged, the Assar-i-Tewfik (from 1868) and the Messoedsje (the Messudieh of 1874?) with a total armament of 14 heavy, 22 medium and 44 small guns. The speed of this squadron was 17 knots. According to the news item were these ships the only ones of any value for defence purposes. Further more belonged to this squadron the protected cruisers Hamidiedsjé and Messoediedsjé armed with in total 20 medium and 24 small calibre guns and with a speed of 22-23 knots. There were also 6 fast destroyers available, delivered in 1910 by the German Schichau yard with a speed of 35 knots.
The Weissenburg
The second squadron consisted of the torpedo cruisers Berket-i-Satfet and Peik-I-Sjefket, 12 destroyers and 6 in 1906 in Italy built torpedo boats.
There was or better said had been a third so-called squadron consisting of a number of torpedo boats divided over the harbours Prevesa and Durazno (both Albanian coast) and Salonika. The boats of the first two ports were collected in Prevesa and there destroyed by Italian forces. Also at Durazzo attacked Italian forces with success some Turkish torpedo boats.
For troop transports and so on were 12 suitable steamships available. The Turkish warship stationed in the waters around Crete (in the Soeda-bay) returned to the Dardanelles.
