University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 5-1998 The Ottoman Navy 1900-1918 : a study of the material personnel and professional development of the Ottoman Navy from 1900 through the Italian, Balkan, and first orldW Wars. Karl Wilhelm Augustus Darr University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Part of the Islamic World and Near East History Commons, and the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Darr, Karl Wilhelm Augustus, "The Ottoman Navy 1900-1918 : a study of the material personnel and professional development of the Ottoman Navy from 1900 through the Italian, Balkan, and first orldW Wars." (1998). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2822. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/2822 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE OTTOMAN NA VY 1900-1918 A STUDY OF TI-IE MATERI AL PERSONNEL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE OTTOMAN NA VY FROM 1900 THROUGH THE ITALIAN, BALKAN, AND FIRST WORLD WARS BY KARL WILHELM AUGUSTUS DARR B.A., UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, 1992 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREEOF MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE LOUISV[LLE, KENTUCKY MAY 1998 THE OTIOMAN NAVY 1900-1918 A STUDY OF THE MA TERI AL PERSONNEL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE OTIOMAN NAVY FROM 1900 THROUGH THE ITALIAN, BALKAN, AND FIRST WORLD WARS BY KARL WILHELM AUGUSTUS DARR B.A., UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, 1992 A THESIS APPROVED ON BY THE FOLLOWING READING COMMITIEE -1,/_::z~~ .r/\J_ ~ ;zstin M~Carthy, Ph.D., 11,esis Direftor II ABSTRACT As seafaring states evolve into nations and nations into empires, the power that protects such maturation is seapower. Geographic isolation via deserts or seas can obtain time for political and social evolution. However, only a formidable naval presence can ensure external security in order that internal reforms take root. No major modern power has survived without an adequate indigenous navy. This doctrine holds true especially in revie\ving the navy of the Ottoman Empire in the early twentieth century. In this thesis, l show that the absence of tangible fleet units cost the Ottoman Empire not only the peripheries of the state, but also the opportunity at political evolution. Covered in this thesis will be the Ottoman naval assets available at the turn of the twentieth century and how such assets were obtained. Also covered is the conduct of bordering states when Istanbul's political reformers realized that lacking naval power invited waterborne aggression, and how those efforts to correct deficiencies became a causation for war. Finally, this thesis reviews the military success and failure of the Ottoman navy and how the outcome affected the future of the Empire. Ill ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Professor Justin McCarthy for the loan of materials from his personal collections. Without such materials, this thesis would have been untenable. The author wishes to express his thanks to Dr. Leonard P. Curry for his ever-present advice and counsel. For Dr. Curry not only advised, but also encouraged the author to endeavor to write, to cite, and to believe that what I was doing had merit. The author also wishes to thank Dr. James R. Morrill for his critical reviev-,1 of this thesis. His unselfish experience made the completion of this paper possible. The author would also like to thank Mr. Mehmet Yale in of the Turkish Naval Museum, Istanbul, for providing resources not available in the United States. The author would like to thank Ms. Ann Hassinger of the United States Naval Institute for her patience and assistance. The author would also needs to thank Mr. David Williams for for his expertise. Finally, I would like to thank God for giving this old salt the children who encouraged their father to follov,1 his quest over the ridicule of those around him. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT ........................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ...................................................... vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................. x CHAPTER I. OTTOMAN NAVAL SITUATION, 1900-1912 .......................... I II. ITALO/OTTOMAN WAR, SEPTEMBER 1912 TO OCTOBER 1913 ....... 24 Ill. THE BALKAN WARS, OCTOBER 1912 TO OCTOBER 1913 ............ 68 IV. OTTOMAN BATTLESHIP ACQUISITION .......................... 117 V. NAVAL AVIATION AND SUBMARINES ........................... 162 VJ. MANNING AND SHIPPING ...................................... 187 Vil. THE DARDANELLES ........................................... 203 VIII. BLACK SEA ACTION, 1914-1918 ................................. 226 lX. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ................................. 283 BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX I. MAP OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, 1800 V APPENDIX 2. MAP OF THE CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN DURING THE ITALO/OTTOMAN WAR, 1911 APPENDIX 3. OTTOMAN FLEET ORGANIZATION, OCTOBER 1911 APPENDIX 4. OTTOMAN FLEET DISPOSITION, OCTOBER 1912 APPENDIX 5. MAP OF THE AGEAN REGION APPENDIX 6. ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN GREEK AND TURKISH FLEETS, DECEMBER 1912 APPENDIX 7. ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN GREEK AND OTTOMAN FLEET, JANUARY 1913 APPENDIX 8. OTTOMAN MINE LINES IN THE DARDANELLES, 1915 APPENDIX 9. MAP OF THE BLACK SEA APPENDIX 10. OTTOMAN FLEET DlSPOSITION, OCTOBER 1914 VITA LIST OF TABLES NAVAL FORCES CONFRONTING THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE PRIOR TO 1917 ................................................. 21 2 GROWTH OF THE ITALIAN FLEET, 1900-1910 ...................... 32 3 ITALIAN AND OTTOMAN NAVAL FORCES AT THE START OF THE ITALO-OTTOMAN WAR ..................................... 42 4 COMPOSITION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN ITALIAN FLEET ......... 43 5 OTTOMAN NA VAL ASSETS LOST DURING THE ITALIAN WAR ...... 64 6 ADDITION TO THE GREEK FLEET, 1900-1912 ...................... 74 7 GREEK WARSHIP ORDERS AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE BALKAN WAR .................................................. 76 8 GREEK SHIPS SEIZED BY THE OTTOMANS, OCTOBER 1912 ......... 81 9 OTTOMAN NA VAL ASSETS COMPARED TO TI-IE BALKAN ALLIES, OCTOBER 1912 ......................................... 83 10 OTTOMAN BLACK SEA TROOP TRANSPORTS, 1912 ................ 90 11 SEA OF MARMARA TROOP TR.i\NSPORTS, SEPTEMBER 1912 ........ 91 12 GREEK SEIZURES OF MAJOR OTTOMAN AEGEAN ISLANDS ........ 93 13 OTTOMAN FLEET ORGANIZATION, 20 DECEMBER 1912 ............ 95 vii 14 AMMUNITION CONSUMPTION DURING THE SARPOY LANDING ... 105 15 OTTOMAN NAVAL LOSSES - FIRST AND SECOND BALKAN WAR.S ........................................................ 111 16 REGlONALNAVALBUDGETSANDCHANGES, 1912-1914 .......... 116 17 CAPITAL SHIP ACQUISITION ................................... 159 18 AIR ASSETS IN THE OTTOMAN THEATER ........................ 167 19 ENTENTE SEAPLANE TENDERS IN THE DARDANELLES ........... 169 20 RUSSIAN BLACK SEA SEAPLANE TENDERS ...................... 172 21 RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE MINING FIGURES ......................... I 72 22 GERMAN AID TO OTTOMAN AIR ASSETS ........................ 177 RUSSIAN LOSSES TO GERMAN SUBMARINES IN THE BLACK SEA ................................................... 184 24 OTTOMAN SHIP BILLET REQUIREMENTS ........................ 191 25 OTTOMAN LOSSES TO RUSSIAN BLACK SEA MINES .............. 201 26 OTTOMAN MINEFIELDS AS OF 8 MARCH 1915 .................... 206 27 MINES LAID DURING WORLD WAR I ............................ 223 28 OTTOMAN GUN AND AMMUNITION AFTER 18 MARCH 1915 ....... 224 29 PROPOSED EXPANSION OF THE RUSSIAN BLACK SEA FLEET ..... 232 30 OTTOMAN-RUSSIAN NA VAL COMPARISON ...................... 234 31 RUSSIAN MINES USED IN THE BLACK SEA ...................... 247 32 OTTOMAN SHIP LOSSES IN THE BLACK SEA ..................... 279 33 OT'T'OMl\N COi\L, PI{ODUC'fION, 1913-1918 ....................... 279 VIII 34 RUSSIAN SHIP LOSSES IN THE BLACK SEA ...................... 281 35 OTTOMAN NAVAL MINISTERS, 1900-1919 ........................ 284 IX LlST OF ABBREVIATIONS C.U.P. .................................... Committee of Union and Progress E.M.R.O ........................ External Macedonian Revolutionary Organization H.M.l.R.S ................................. His Majesty's Imperial Russian Ship I-I.M.S ................................... His Majesty's Ship (United Kingdom) l.M.R.O ......................... Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization M.S .......................................................... Motor Ship 1\1.V ......................................................... Motor Vessel R.I.S. .................................................. Royal Italian Ship S.M.S. ................................ His Majesty's Ship (Imperial Germany) S.S .................................................... Steam Ship ( civilian) U.S.S. ................................................. United States Ship X CHAPTER I OTTOMAN NAVAL SITUATION, 1900-1912 The sea had been the lifeline of the Ottoman Empire since the fall of Constantinople on 29 May 1453. 1 The spread of Islam went