Feth-i Bülend class ironclad (1869)

Central Battery Ironclads (1868-74): Feth-i Bülend, Mukaddeme-i Hayr

The Feth-i Bülend class were two armoured “corvettes” built for the Ottoman navy in the 1870s. The first was built in the United Kingdom and became a model to build the second, Mukaddeme-i Hayr, at Tersane-i Amire, Golden Horn. Their design was based on the earlier Avnillah class, also British-built as a central battery armoured corvette, armed with four 222 mm Armstrong muzzle-loading guns in casemates. Both ships took part in the Russo-Ottoman War of 1877–1878 and clashed with the Russian Navy in the Black Sea. Feth-i Bülend had an inconclusive engagement with a Russian ship but later both ships supported an amphibious assault at Sukhumi. Postwar they ended in reserve until 1897.

When mobilized for the Ottoman-Greek War they were in too poor condition to be usable for any attack role. Postwar she was rebuilt. Mukaddeme-i Hayr was in too bad a condition to be modernized. She served in Thessaloniki in the First Balkan War, then sunk by a Greek torpedo boat, in October 1912. Mukaddeme-i Hayr remained in service until 1923, as a training ship and then as barracks ship, sold for BU.

Development

The Imperial Arsenal, from Pera Pardoe, Julia, 1839

After ascending the throne in 1861, Abdülaziz initiated a large shipbuilding program in order to strengthen the Ottoman navy, suffered badly in the Crimean War of 1853-1856. However limited financial resources restricted this to a few armored vessels ordered abroad, either United Kingdom or France. In 1867, the Feth-i Bülend was ordeted from Thames Iron Works. The design was based on the Avnillah class built earlier, same shipyard. The second, Mukaddeme-i Hayr, was ordered from the Imperial Shipyard in 1868. They soon became obsolete when entering service due to the rapid advancements in armament technology, increased range gunnery, turrets, and modern types of armor capable of countering the latest guns of the 1880s.

Design of the class

Brasseys tech scheme

Hull and general design

Feth-i Bülend was 72.01 m long between perpendiculars for a beam of 11.99 m and average draft of 5.51 m. Their hull was constructed of iron (wrought iron for the armour). This was in Imperial measurements 236 ft 3 in long, 39 ft 4 in wide, 18 ft 1 in in draft. This was for a displacement of 2,762 metric tons, at normal load (2,718 long tons). The full load displacement was 1,601 t (1,576 long tons). Their crew comprised 16 officers and 153 sailors. In general appearance, they looked like very much small iron-hulled casemate ironclads. The main difference with the Avnillah class were the casemates. They were not cut away between guns, so that the forward guns could fire on forward bearings, aft on aft bearings.

They had a constant beam, progressive forward hull ending in a ram and an aft stern ending at an angle. The weather deck was protected by tall bulkheads above the battery deck, constant from stern to stem, but reduced due to the large cutouts for the forward and aft guns. The latter had sloped sides for high waves to escape. The original design showed three masts, but it was reduced to two at completion, reducing the reigging crew, which comprised overall 16 officers and 153 enlisted men. There were no superstructure, no conning tower, but a flying bridge close to the helmsman’s post.

Powerplant

Both would be powered by a horizontal compound steam engine made in Britain for a single propeller (likely 2-bladed). Steam was produced into six coal-fired box boilers. The exhausts were truncated into a single smokestack amidships. This powerplant produced 3,250 horsepower (2,420 kW), so that she was able to reach 13 knots (24 km/h). In 1877, after the lack of maintenance, both to the boilers and the hull (custed), Feth-i Bülend could only reach 10 knots. Poor maintenance was unfortunately part of most of their career postwar. So by 1892 top speed had fallen further down to 8 knots (15 km/h). Both could carry 600 tons of coal however. This was completed by a full rigging of a corvette, on two masts, and later schooner rigged. Their speed under sail is unknown. Feth-i Bülend received new boilers in 1807 at Ansaldo, of a modern cylindrical water tubes model buut top speed was lmited to 9 knots.

Protection

Casemate: Gun battery 222 mm (8.7 in) iron armor plating with a 150 mm (6 in) stray of armor on top of the casemates.
Full armor belt: 60 cm above (2 ft), 120 cm (4 ft) below the waterline, 222 mm (8.7 in) thick above the waterline, 150 mm (6 in) thick below.

Armament

The Feth-i Bülend and Mukaddeme-i Hayr had four muzzle-loading 229 mm (9 in) Armstrong guns in casemates, on either side admiship with position and cutouts allowing them to fire directly forward or either side, and same for the aft ones. These casemates were well protected. There were 76 mm or 3 inches ends. No data on these 229/14 Armstrong 12.5-ton MLR. Note that in some sources they were depicted as 220 mm guns. These heavy guns were placed on cradles running along crescent-shapes rails in front of the embrasures fore and aft.

Upgrades

1882: Mukaddeme-i Hayr was modernized, receiving a pair of 87 mm Krupp guns, two 63.5 mm Krupp guns, two 37 mm guns, two 25.4 mm Nordenfelt guns for defence against torpeod boats.
1890: Feth-i Bülend was modernized in turn, same armament except for one Nordenfelt gun instead of two.
1903: Feth-i Bülend was rebuilt until 1907 as Ansaldo shipyard, Genoa. She was refitted with two water-tube boilers from the Imperial Shipyard, for a top speed to 9 knots (17 km/h). She had rapid-firing guns installed, all from Krupp: Four 149mm SK L/40 (Or 149/37 SK L/40 C/06) in the casemates, six 75 mm (75mm/37 SK L/40) and six 57 mm (57/37 SK L/40 C/99) guns on the upper deck. She had aslo a conning tower with walls 125 mm or 6-inches thick. The crew increased to 220 officers and ratings.

Career of Feth-I Bulend

Naval battle between Vesta and Fetkh-i Bulend, Black Sea, July 11 1877

Feth-i Bülend (“Great Conquest”) was laid down at Thames Iron Works in May 1868, launched in 1869 and completed in 1870 when started her sea trials. She then entered service with the Ottoman navy and was soon sent to Crete, helping to stabilize the island after the Cretan Revolt of 1866-1869. The Ottoman fleet was then under Hobart Pasha, but remained passive, with limited training (reading translated British instruction manuals).

Feth-i Bülend was included in the Hasan Hüsnü Pasha fleet of Bozcaada, Black Sea, in the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War. She rendered important service from Batum, with a squadron comprising Muin-i Zafer, Necm-i Şevket, Feth-i Bülend, Mukaddeme-i Hayr, Avnillah and İclaliye. On May 14-16, 1877, she took part in the bombardment of Russian positions, capturing the Black Sea port of Sukhumi after a landing. On July 23, she spotted, caught up and engaged in an inconclusive skirmish, the Russian armed steamer Vesta. Poor visibility due to thick black smoke from her boilers complicated the gunner’s aiming and both vessels eventually withdrew after almost no hits, minor damage and few losses. On July 31, Feth-i Bülend and sister ship Mukaddeme-i Hayr, as well as the frigate Mubir-i Sürur and others left Sochi to land troops to Trabzon and defend against an expected Russian attack across the Danube, to Varna.

The Ottoman fleet then returned to Batum and remained largely passive. On August 25 in a patrol, Feth-i Bülend met the Russian yacht Livadia, but she was fast and managed escaped before coming within effective range. After the Ottoman defeat of 1878, she remained was docked in Istanbul, inactive like the rest of the fleet of the Golden Horn, for twenty years. Feth-i Bülend was however refitted at the Imperial Shipyard in 1890, notably fitted two 87 mm Krupp guns, two 63 mm guns, two 37 mm and several smaller 25.4 mm Nordenfelt guns to defend against torpedo boats. However when the Ottoman staff inspected the fleet as the Ottoman-Greek War broke up in February 1897, she was deemed completely unsuitable for any active role against the Greek navy due to poor (or complitely absent) maintenance.

After the end of the 1897 Ottoman-Greek War, a new naval plan was launched by the Sultan. This was a complete restructuration based on the age and condition of all ships, with contracts asorted by international tenders in order to modernized those deemed the most suitable. The first phase was to modernize ironclads, including Feth-i Bülend. After a tender was emitted, initially, Krupp, Germaniawerft shipyard was awarded the rebuilding and modernization of Feth-i Bülend, by August 11, 1900. But upon inspection by Krupp’s engineers, the contract was rescinded. The Turkish autorithies turned to the only shipyard that was willing to take it over, and by December 1902 reached an agreement with Armstrong-Ansaldo of Genoa. The overhaul and refit was done between 1903 and 1907. Her boilers were replaced by two water-tube boilers locally made in Turkey at the Imperial Shipyard, for a top speed of 9 knots (17 km/h). The armament was modernized with rapid-firing guns from Krupp, four 15 cm SK L/40 in casemates. On deck were six 75 mm and six 57 mm guns.

Feth i Bulend at Ansaldo, refit completed.

This was enough to have her listed in the reserve force when the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-1912 broke out. She had no further duties in that war and most of her armament, notably four 15 cm guns, four 75 mm guns, four 57 mm guns, were removed and moved to the Thessaloniki harbor. Crews were reduuced to 90 sailors. Then postwar she was converted into a barracks ship. And when the First Balkan War started on October 18, 1912, her commander was Major Aziz Mahmud Bey, also the naval garrison commander. On the night of October 31, 1912 the Greek torpedo boat No. 11 managed to evade batteries and searchlights, passed through minefields and at 22:20 came in range, firing three torpedoes at Feth-i Bülend at 23:30. One missed the port side but two hit their mark and she capsized and sink. Seven of her crew went under. She was stricken afterwards.

Post 1895 refit.

Mukaddeme-i Hayir was laid down at the Imperial Arsenal in 1870, launched on 28 October 1872 and completed in 1874. She had trials and a shakedown, being accepted later the same year. When the Russo-Turkish War started on April 24, 1877, after years of escalating tensions with the Russian Empire, there was an uprising in Ottoman-controlled Bosnia by mid-1875. Serbia’s declaration of war by July 1876 was her only moment of activity three years after its commission. mobilized by September she was prepared for war, and based in Sulina. The Ottoman fleet (Mukaddeme-i Hayr, Feth-i Bülend, Necm-i Şevket, Muin-i Zafer, Avnillah, and İclaliye) supported a 2-day bombardment followed by an infantry assault on Sukhumi on May 14, 1877.

On May 31, Mukaddeme-i Hayr and other ships transported troops from Batum to Trabzon in order to reinforce the defenses against an expected Russian attack on the Danube, towards Varna. In June, Mukaddeme-i Hayr was back to Sulina, mouth of the Danube, with a gunboat, armed tug, supporting the city’s defense. From November, a Russian fleet attempted to lay mines off Sulina, snking a gunboat on November 8. Mukaddeme-i Hayr spotted the minelayers and prepared an engagement, forcing the the Russians to withdraw before completing the minefield. The next day they returned with with mortars-armed gunboats leading to a clash, after which both sides withdrew without scoring a hit.

In 1878, Mukaddeme-i Hayir was anchored in the Golden Horn, remaining inactive for almost 20 years. During her inactivity, she had a modernization in 1882, with two 87 mm, two 63.5 mm Krupp, a 37 mm gun, a 25.4 mm Nordenfelt gun installed. In February 1897 the Greek uprising in Crete prompted an international naval force to intervene. Senior admirals formed a Council to manage affairs in Crete until the uprising ended. It abated by December 1898. But the events led to the Ottoman-Greek War of April-May 1897. An inspection of the Navy was performed by February 1897, revealing that almost no ship was suitable for combat. In April-May 1897, she took part in several sorties into the Aegean Sea to boost morale.

In 1898, her guns were removed, placed in fortifications, her boilers dismantled for other uses. After the end of the war in May 1897, the Ottoman government decided to initiate a modernization program, and Mukaddeme-i Hayir was considered for the first phase concerning ironclads. On August 11, 1900, Krupp (Germaniawerft shipyard) was awarded the contract to rebuild her, an agreement later cancelled upon discovering her true state. Unlike her sister, rebuilt in Italy, she was instead converted into a stationary training ship from 1911. She took no part in the following actions. After the outbreak of World War I in 1914, she was converted into a barracks ship. In 1920 she was transferred to İzmit and continued to serve as a barracks ship until decommissioned in September 1923, broke up at Izmit.

Read More/Src

Books

Gardiner, Robert, (Ed.) (1979). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships: 1860–1905.
Langensiepen, Bernd; Güleryüz, Ahmet (1995). The Ottoman Steam Navy 1828–1923. Conway Maritime Press.
Sondhaus, Lawrence (2001). Naval Warfare, 1815–1914. New York: Routledge.
Wilson, Herbert Wrigley (1896). Ironclads in Action: A Sketch of Naval Warfare from 1855 to 1895. Marston and Co

Links

kvko.ozal.edu.tr
isamveri.org
ataturkilkeleri.deu.edu.tr
navypedia.org
en.wiki.org
atamdergi.gov.tr
tr.wiki Feth-i Bülend sınıfı zırhlı korvet
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