Navy Ministry Period 1922-1928
The Turkish Navy received a fairly small number of ships from the Ottoman Government, which were limited in mobility. Most of those ships were kept immobilized at the Golden Horn throughout the Turkish War of Independence. The Yavuz Battle Cruiser, which was taken to Izmit on the formal request of the Control Commission on the grounds that it was adversely affecting maritime traffic, was towed to Tuzla from Izmit during the Turkish War of Independence by the British.
With the signing of the Mudanya Armistice on 11 October 1922, the Navy Ministry building in Kasimpasa became the headquarters for the Istanbul Navy Command on 14 November 1922. Preparations were made to carry out the maintenance and overhaul of small-tonnage warships (Burakreis, Sakiz, Isareis and Kemalreis Gunboats and 3 "Tasoz" Class destroyers.) and to make them combat-ready. Thus, the Hamidiye Cruiser, which was planned to be employed as a Cadet Training Ship, was overhauled.
Due to the fact that the Lausanne Treaty required the control of the Straits Region by a Special Committee; a Naval Base was to be constructed in the Sea of Marmara and various feasibility studies were conducted to determine the most suitable location in the Gulf of Izmit. In 1923, the Marmara Naval Base and Kocaeli Fortified Area Command was founded in Izmit.
A French school building, which had previously served as a church, was bought and used as the headquarters building for this command. The Izmit Navy Command was annexed to Marmara Naval Base and the Kocaeli Fortified Area Command.The Izmir Navy Command HQ was founded at a building at Konak in Izmir, following the Turkish War of Independence. This Command dealt with the security and defense of the Gulf of Izmir. The Mine Detachment, Fortified Area Naval Troops, Uzunada Signal Station, Repair Facilities as well as the Naval Air Company, were all assigned to the Izmir Navy Command.
The Fleet Command conducted its activities in a small section in the Istanbul Navy Command building. This Command dealt particularly with the maintenance, repair and overhaul of the ships that were all almost out of service.
After the foundation of the modern Turkish Republic, Atatürk embarked on his Black Sea Voyage from 11 to 21 September 1924 with the first ship of the Republican Fleet to sail: the Hamidiye Cruiser. On 20 September 1924, he wrote the following in the ship's Book of Honor:
"The Hamidiye Cruiser was the first ship from the old Navy at the service of the modern Turkish Republic. It is this ship that has given me the opportunity to experience the life at sea that I have been longing for 5 years. I have had the chance of getting to know the high level officers and the staff of the Turkish Fleet on this ship and aboard the escorting Peyk-I Sevket Torpedo Cruiser.
The young spirited Commanders and Officers with whom I made contact, with their young ideals, have inspired strong hopes in me for the Navy. We should not be content with leaving this valuable, strongly eager crew with this old ship whose memory has become a part of the past. To encourage them to reach the level of today's modern fleets, which they deserve, all contemporary systems and methods must be put to use.
As the sea is an important and vital part of the borders of the Turkish Republic, the Navy of the Turkish Republic must also be important and great. Only then, will the Turkish Republic be confident and secure. To possess an excellent and powerful Turkish Fleet is our goal. Rather than acquiring warships at this stage, our starting point for such a Fleet should be to train commanders, officers and specialists who can successfully command, lead and control these warships. The comrades I have met onboard the Hamidiye and Peyk-I Sevket are valuable living evidence that we can accomplish this goal.
For the time being, this elite, distinguished group will be preserved with great care. Of our ships, only those that can be utilized should be restored. I have the impression from the naval officers in the fleet that it is possible to form a modest but balanced Fleet from both the active and inactive but equally useful elements of the Navy.
Therefore, to realize this, I will personally be involved with the measures and efforts of the Republican Government regarding the subject. It will most certainly be possible to strive for and accomplish that magnificent goal, once a fundamental and valuable starting point is reached."
Following his Black Sea Voyage, on 1 November 1924, ATATÜRK expressed the utmost importance he attached on the Republican Fleet during the Inauguration Session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly ; "Gentlemen! Reconstructing and improving the Navy must be seriously considered. The starting point should be educating and training the distinguished navy personnel in a manner in which they deserve. They must be employed to meet the pressing needs of the country and not to spend time on dreams and the unrealistic objectives that are beyond the current power of the country." Great Leader ATATÜRK onboard HAMIDIYE (20 September 1924)
A genius like ATATÜRK was fully aware of the fact that a Naval Force which required an extremely substantial investment in time and money could not be created in a short period. For this reason, he believed that a Special Organization should be formed to improve the existing Republican Fleet and plan its future in the best possible fashion. Following ATATÜRK's clear and unstinting support, the Navy Ministry Law was passed by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 30 December 1924 following Kastamonu Deputy Ali Riza Bey's proposal. The Navy Ministry functioned as an entity, separate from the National Defense Ministry, and was affiliated to the Turkish General Staff in the fields of education, inspection as well as training and exercises.
The priority of the Navy Ministry was to form the core of the Turkish Republican Fleet, while giving due attention to the economic condition of the country. Within this context, the Navy Ministry took determined and purposeful steps in basing the development of the Turkish Naval Forces on a long-term program. In the beginning, instead of procuring new ships from abroad, the complete overhaul of the existing units was addressed. To start with, an agreement was signed with a French company for the overhaul of the Yavuz Battle Cruiser. However, due to the lack of a floating dock large enough for the purpose, the decision was made to have a German company build an appropriate facility, prior to the overhaul of the Yavuz by the French company. Indeed, it was in meeting Yavuz's docking needs that the Turkish Naval Forces' close association with Gölcük began. In cooperation with the German Flender Co, who constructed the floating dock in Gölcük, various repair workshops, shelters, battery and mine factories were built and activated.
Without doubt, as the first repair facilities of the Turkish Navy in Gölcük, these facilities possessed historical value. More new facilities were built in the following years. With the modernization projects, the area which had previously consisted of large swampland, a lake and hazelnut fields was turned into the splendid and magnificent establishment that houses the Poyraz Pier and Gölcük Shipyard today.Since the Laussane Treaty required disarming of the Straits Region, the infrastructures belonging to the Naval Forces in Istinye on the coast of the Istanbul Strait and at the Golden Horn, were transferred to Gölcük. In this period, Gölcük was designated as the main Naval Base.
In parallel with these efforts, special importance was given to the education and training of the Navy's Personnel. Technical manuals in various subjects were prepared, and the first steps towards institutionalization were taken. Furthermore, the Turkish Navy kept in constant touch with the Navies of modern foreign countries in order to keep abreast of advances in the field. Subsequently, a contract prescribing the construction of 2 submarines was signed with the Netherlands.
Although the Navy Ministry was disbanded on 27 December 1927, its important role in turning the ideal of a powerful and contemporary Turkish Navy into a reality, is even more evident today. This period also helps to demonstrate the fact that, the Turkish Navy's capabilities can only advance with the help of administrators who have an in-depth knowledge of maritime affairs and who "know and understand" the sea. The development and evolution of the Turkish Naval Forces had therefore progressed steadily and confidently after the formation of Navy Ministry.
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