Turkey – My Blog

The second LST Ship has been delivered to Turkish Navy

The Turkish Navy took delivery of its second tank landing ship (LST) from ADİK Shipyard with a ceremony in İstanbul on April 07.

The ship has been named before as TCG SANCAKTAR with a pennant number L-403.

TCG Bayraktar Class Landing Ship Tank (LST), TCG BAYRAKTAR and TCG SANCAKTAR are two identical amphibious vessels built for the Turkish Navy by Anadolu Deniz İnşaat Kızakları Sanayi ve Ticaret (ANADOLU Shipyard). The LSTs will satisfy the current and future operational requirements of the Turkish Naval Forces Command. Both ships has been built under a contract which was signed between the shipyard and The Turkish Government in 2012. The first ship of the project, TCG BAYRAKTAR, was delivered to Turkish Navy in 2017.

The LSTs are primarily intended for amphibious missions and transportation of troops and equipment, while their secondary missions include humanitarian aid, disaster relief, medical assistance, and transportation.

Each vessel has an overall length of 139 m, a beam of 19,60 m, and a draught of less than 2m at forward and less than 5m at aft when fully loaded. The displacement of the vessel is 7,125t and the load carrying capacity is 1,180t, including a mix of vehicles or cargo on open decks.

The ship has also a platform that can accept a 15-tonne general-purpose helicopter and can accommodate four landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVPs) that can travel at 20+ kt and each carry an 8-tonne payload or 40 personnel.

The LST can complement a ship company of 12 officers, 51 petty officers, and 66 ratings, as well as 17 officers and 350 marines from the Joint Group Headquarters.

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Sources:

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Turkish defence company STM to modernize Pakistan Navy’s second Agosta 90B submarine

Turkish defence company STM made an announcement on 28 February and stated that they have signed a contract with Pakistan Government to upgrade the Pakistan Navy’s second (of three) Agosta 90B submarine.

Accordingly, the project for the modernization of Agosta 90B class submarines was expanded by the addition of the modernization of the second submarine ship. Various additional systems, including the first submarine vessel, were added to the configuration, while all systems in the main contract were equally in the configuration of the second submarine vessel. In addition, the third submarine vessel and various additional systems with the contract amendment were also taken as options.

Pakistan signed for the three Agosta 90Bs in 1994 with the French company Naval Group (former DCNS). The lead-ship , PNS Khalid, was delivered to Pakistan in 1999, with the PNS Saad and PNS Hamza arriving in 2003 and 2006, respectively. These will be joined by eight new Hangor-class submarines (potentially S26) acquired from China by 2028.

The first submarine will be delivered in 2020. The modernization activities will be carried out on Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) owned by the Pakistan Navy.

Pakistan is near to get MILGEM Corvette from Turkey

Pakistan’s Minister of Defence Production (MoDP) informed Turkey’s state-owned news agency Anadolu Agency that Pakistan’s potential purchase of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T129 ATAK attack helicopters and four MILGEM (Milli Gemi: National Warship) naval vessels were major subjects of discussion between two countries.

The Turkish defence contractor STM is the prime contractor managing the 17,000-ton Pakistan Navy Fleet Tanker (PNFT) program at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works. STM is now hoping to extend its work with Pakistan to long-term programs, most notably the MILGEM.

Based on the MoDP’s recent statements, the next marquee project involving STM will be the procurement of four MILGEM ships for the Pakistan Navy (PN). In May 2017, STM CEO Davut Yilmaz had told Anadolu Agency that the ships would be a variant of the Ada corvette incorporating subsystems from Pakistan. The overall value of the program would be roughly $1 billion U.S. Pakistan signed a letter-of-intent to procure the vessels in May during the 2017 International Defence Exhibition and Fair in Istanbul.

According to the news; the process is completed and construction of the ship will start in the near future. Two of the four ships will be constructed at Turkey and other two in Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW).

The keel of the future LHD of Turkish Navy has been laid at Sedef Shipyard in İstanbul

The keel of the future Turkish Navy Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) has been laid at the Turkish shipyard of SEDEF (a member of TAIS Shipyards) in Tuzla, Istanbul on 8th February 2018.

The vessel named as TCG ANADOLU (Anatolia) by Turkish Navy.

It is designed by Navantia and based on the Spanish LHD Juan Carlos I and Australian Canberra-class landing helicopter docks.

Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) announced in December 2013 that it selected Sedef shipyard as winner of its LPD tender and that final contract negotiations with this shipyard could begin. The contract has been signed in 2015 and construction of the vessel has been started in 2016.

Maximum speed: 21 knots
Range: 9,000 miles @ economical speed
Length overall: 231 meters
Maximum beam: 32 meters
Draught: 6.8 meters
Height: 58 meters

She will have a 5,440m² flight deck and a 990m² aviation hangar which can accommodate either 12 medium size helicopters or 8 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. (When the aviation hangar and the light cargo garage are unified, the ship can carry up to 25 medium size helicopters. Alternatively, the ship can carry up to 12 F-35B and 12 helicopters. Six more helicopters can be hosted on the flight deck of the ship) Additionally, the ship will have a 1,880m² light cargo garage for TEU containers and 27 Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV); a 1,165m² dock which can host four Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) or two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), or two Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP); and a 1,410m² garage for heavy loads, which can host 29 Main Battle Tanks (MBT), Amphibious Assault Vehicles and TEU containers. The ship’s crew will consist of 261 personnel: 30 officers, 49 NCOs, 59 leading seamen and 123 ratings.

Is Turkey a potential buyer for HMS Ocean, the Flagship of Royal Navy?

According to rumors on the web;

A written question in UK Parliament was asked about the Turkish Goverment interest to HMS Ocean.

The question is answered by Mr Tobias Ellwood on Nov 13, revealed that “The Ministry of Defence has received an expression of interest from the Government of Turkey about the potential sale of HMS OCEAN soon-to-be-decommissioned “

The helicopter carrier was constructed in the mid-1990s and commissioned in September 1998.

In November 2015, the MoD confirmed that HMS Ocean is to be decommissioned in 2018.

For a final deployment the vessel is now serving as flagship to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) in the Mediterranean.

The ship is designed to deliver troops to the centre of the action by helicopter or by landing craft. The ship has six helicopter operating spots on her flight deck with space in the hangar to hold many more. HMS Ocean’s crew of 400 personnel includes Marines who operate four landing craft to take forces ashore. The 21,500 tonne amphibious assault ship has a top speed of 16 knots and a range in excess 8,000 miles.

Turkey is already building a landing helicopter dock which is based on the Spanish Navy’s (LHD) Juan Carlos I and designed by Navantia. The Turkish version of the ship will be named TCG Anadolu and planned to be delivered in 2021.

First steel on the ship, which will be registered as a light aircraft carrier by the Turkish Lloyd, was cut in May 2016, while delivery is scheduled for 2021.

Turkey is hosting Dynamic Monarch 2017, NATO submarine rescue exercise…

DYNAMIC MONARCH 2017 (DYMH17) is a Submarine Search, Escape and Rescue exercise.

The exercise is designed to demonstrate multi-national submarine rescue co-operation and to share related knowledge amongst worldwide partners.

Participants are from Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, representatives from Bangladesh, Chile, Israel and Sweden is participating the exeercise as observers.

The sea phase has been run for 10 days and consisted of numerous rescue and intervention exercises utilising rescue vehicles and chambers, remote operated vehicles, atmospheric diving suits and divers.

A Submarine Parachute Assistance Group (SPAG) rescued sailors during an escape scenario for exercise. After being rescued, the sailors simulated receiving medical care aboard Turkish rescue ship TCG Alemdar (A-582).

In the rescue phase; NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) evacuated simulated casulities from Turkish submarine. During the exercise Italian, NSRS, Turkish rescue ships has worked with Spanish and Turkish submarines.

Turkish rescue ship TCG Alemdar (A-582) has conducted training with Spanish submarine Tramontana. After the bottomed distress submarine dedected and identified by Turkish Mine Hunter TCG Alanya (M-265), Turkish ADS (Atmospheric Diving Suit) has been launched from TCG Alemdar. ADS connected the SEVDS (Submarine Emergency Ventilation and Decompression System) hoses to Spanish submarine ESPS Tramontana for ventilating the ship with fresh air which was produced by high pressure breathing air compressors onboard of TCG Alemdar.

In another phase; Italian rescue ship ITS Anteo has deployed national SRV (submarine rescue vehicle) to be able to mate with bottomed submarine ESPS Tramontana.

Participants also executed a PHOTEX in the first day of exercise 🇨🇦🇫🇷🇮🇹🇧🇻🇵🇱🇪🇦🇹🇷🇬🇧🇺🇲

(All photos from NATO Maritime Command official facebook page)

Turkey; 1st ship of RATSHIP project, TCG IŞIN (A-583) commisioned to Navy on 22 July

TCG IŞIN (A-583) was designed by Turkish company SEFT and was built by Istanbul Shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey. She is a dedicated submarine rescue intervention ship to perform subsea and surface rescue operations and fire fighting capabilities in various sea conditions.

She is equipped with a twin controlled pitch propeller (CPP) system, aft and bow tunnel thrusters and a recractable thruster which allows high manouverability and position keeping capability.

She has 2X3500 kw main engines and two shafts with cpp as main propulsion system. And she is capable of max. 18 knots with full load at 2400 tonnes.

The ship has a wide range of equipments for rescue and towing operations. She has the ability of intervention on a damaged submarine in 600 m with Submarine Emergency Ventilation and Decompression (SEVDS) System. There is also a diving stage, a decompression chamber for 6 people, towed side-scan sonar system and Remote Operation Vehicle (ROV) with their LARS.

TCG IŞIN (A-583) is also a diving support ship with high pressure breathing air compressors and HeO2 mixed gas system installed onboard the ship.

TCG AKIN (A-584), the second ship of the project is now conducting sea trials and according to navy authorities it is planned to deliver the ship at the end of Semptember 2017.

tcg ışın-2 — TCG IŞIN (A-583) commissioning ceremony at İstanbul Shipyard

tcg ışın-3 — TCG IŞIN (A-583) commissioning ceremony at İstanbul Shipyard

Please follow the below links for more information about the projects and the ship details:

İstanbul Shipyard Official WebSite…

Data Sheet for RATSHIP Project…

4th Ship of Turkish MİLGEM Project has been launched

Future TCG Kınalıada (F-514) has been launched on 3rd of July with a ceremony in Istanbul Naval Shipyard.

The first ship of the indigenous project TCG Heybeliada (F-511) has been in the service for six years. And the Turkish Navy is planning to get 4 more of this class with some differences. The new class is named as Istanbul Class Frigate. In the ceremony the first welding has been done of the first ship of this new class.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at a ceremony held to mark the launch of the Kınalıada. President Erdoğan said: “We will continue to increase the number of projects that are of critical importance in terms of our national security. We have ten more projects the contracts of which will be signed in the upcoming years. All these developments reflect the importance we attach to finding maritime solutions to the threats emerging in the region our country is located in. We are determined to build our aircraft carrier, too.”

Stressing that the advantages of living in an age when information spreads very quickly and access to information gets easier and easier with every passing second should be used very well, President Erdoğan stated major responsibilities fall to every organization on this issue, including state institutions, private sector, system suppliers, SMEs, etc.

President Erdoğan also underlined that Turkey should now upgrade to an upper level in defence industry and thus “become a country that doesn’t follow but is followed, doesn’t consume but produces, and leads the innovation.”

TCG ALEMDAR (A-582) Helo Landing & HIFR operation videos

Please click the title to see the video…

For the other videos about all sea trials please visit Istanbul Shipyard official youtube channel

Turkey set sail for energy in the EEZ (exclusive economic zone)

Turkish 1st Seismic Research Ship MTA ORUÇ REİS has been delivered to Minister of Energy and National Resources. With 100 million euro cost, MTA ORUÇ REİS is capable of 2D/3D seismic research in deep waters for oil and natural gas resources.

She can sail 35 days continously without any logistic support with 55 person onboard including 28 researcher and 27 ship crew. The ship has also a wide range of hydrography and oceanography features and a heli-pad for helicopter operations.

Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak announced that Turkey aims at increasing its exploration efforts, both in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

MTA ORUÇ REİS has been built by İstanbul Shipyard which has delivered TCG ALEMDAR (A-582) Submarine Rescue Mother Ship earlier in this year.