Yokohama Yok !

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar...tay&link=151388

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Ertuğrul frigate: Grea-*test*-('") Turkish naval disaster in Japan

The rocks on the shores of Kushimoto in Japan witnessed the grea-*test*-('") disaster in Turkish naval history.
This site has an important place in Turkish-Japanese relations because it is a city that hosts the martyrs of the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul. We arrive in this city after traveling thousands of miles to pay a visit to the martyrdom graveyard here.

The Ertuğrul, which departed from İstanbul on July 14, 1889, upon the decree of Abdülhamid II, continued its travel by visiting the ports along the route. The vessel was welcomed by the Muslims living in the visited places. Large groups head to the frigate to see what is inside. Eleven months after departure the frigate arrives in Japan. The date is June 7, 1890, when the vessel arrives in Yokohama port in Japan. This was also a sign of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Ottoman state.

In response to a visit of friendship paid by the uncle of the Japanese emperor to İstanbul in 1887, Sultan Abdülhamid II ordered a reciprocal visit. The Ertuğrul, constructed at the İstanbul shipyards, was able to move both by sail and by steam engine. The primary means of movement was, however, the sail. The engine was supplemental. It was a wooden vessel with a weight of 2,400 tons and was 25 years old. One year prior to its final journey, its wooden parts were repaired, but its machinery and boilers remained untouched. The delegation leader was Col. Osman Bey and the vessel’s commander was Lt. Col. Ali Bey. The vessel had a crew of 607, including 56 military officers. That year young lieutenants who graduated from the naval college were assigned to duty on the vessel. The frigate was charged with carrying valuable gifts from Abdülhamid II for the Japanese emperor while young graduates would also have the opportunity to further their experience on the open seas. At the same time, the power and strength of the Ottoman Empire would be displayed. It would also be stressed that Muslims living in different parts of the world were not alone. The caliph and sultan’s determination and will to protect Muslims throughout the world would be demonstrated. During the journey of the frigate, Col. Osman was promoted to the rank of admiral.

The Japanese emperor welcomed the Turkish admiral and the delegation in a glorious ceremony when the Ertuğrul arrived in Tokyo. The local people joyously and admiringly watched the Turkish admiral and the delegation during their tour on the royal vessel. The delegation was received by the queen after briefly meeting with the Japanese emperor.

After a three-month visit to Japan, the Ertuğrul departed from the port of Yokohama on Sept. 16, 1890. It left the city, but none of the crew had any idea of what was coming. The vessel was overcome by a strong storm near Kushimoto. It was dashed into the rocks. Nearly 600 crew members, including Adm. Osman, died in this tragic incident.

The local people took good care of the survivors. A donation campaign was launched by Torajiro Yamada for the martyrs’ relatives and the victims. The money that was raised was give to the sultan by this young man.

Even though the fate of the Ertuğrul was truly sad, it represented the start of Turkish-Japanese relations. Kushimoto is a town on the island of Honshu. Today Kushimoto is a sister city to the Turkish cities of Mersin and Yakakent.

Despite all the time that has passed since the wreck of the Ertuğrul, the people of the island never forgot the sad event; they still deeply love Turkey. The ship’s role is quite visible.

A memorial was built in the region for those who died in the wreck. The first part of the memorial was built by the Japanese in 1891 and it was further expanded in 1929. The Japanese emperor visited the memorial on June 3, 1929, and it was restored in 1937 -- this time by Turkey. The military attaches of the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo hold an annual ceremony at the memorial.

There is also a museum that was built to commemorate the incident. It was built in 1974 and contains a miniature version of the Ertuğrul, as well as photos and statues of the commanders and naval officers. Many tourists from Turkey, as well as Japanese citizens, visit this museum.

The Ertuğrul still has not been forgotten in the Japanese Navy. During our visit to the navy, the vessel commander warmly welcomed us. We were given an exclusive briefing. Following a discussion of the details of the vessel, there were talks on the importance of Turkish-Japanese relations. After all these years, we were on a Japanese vessel because of the Ertuğrul. These were all fruits of the seeds planted by our ancestors.

The Ertuğrul is still underwater. But a three-year project will pull what remains of the vessel out of the ocean. The recovery of the Ertuğrul will be a joint Turkish-Japanese project and it will be broadcast live on Japanese TV stations and the Internet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ertogrul

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The accident

On September 15, 1890 at noon, Ertuğrul set sail from Yokohama for Istanbul. The very good weather conditions at the departure changed the next day in the morning. A reverse wind began to blow, getting stronger towards evening. By nightfall, the wind came from below the bow so that the sails had to be folded. At the same time, violent waves in the rabid sea began beating against the ship, which, under severe trial, could hardly make headway. The 40 m (130 ft) high mizzen mast collapsed and caused severe damage by shaking from side to side and banging into the other (rigging) sails. While the storm continued gaining power, waves coming from the bow separated the deck boards from the front. Water broke through into the coal depots in the boiler room. In the next four days, the crew tried to repair the damage by remedying the sails and tightening the shrouds. They also continuously tried to empty the water with buckets out of the coal containers, which was the most serious danger, since the pumps were insufficient.

Despite all the efforts, the ship's disintegration was imminent and the only option was seeking sanctuary in a nearby port. They headed to Kobe, within 10 miles (16 km) of the ship, in the gulf beyond the Kashinozaki Cape with Oshima Lighthouse. Seawater breaking through finally extinguished one of the furnaces in the engine room. Almost immobile without main sails and sufficient propulsion, and having only the wind and the waves behind, Ertuğrul drifted towards the dangerous rocks at the eastern coast of Oshima Island. As the crew tried just to stop the ship before the rocks by emergency anchoring, the ship hit the reefs and fell apart at the first impact around midnight on September 18, 1890.

At the site of the accident, around 533 sailors, of whom fifty were officers including the commander Admiral Ali Osman Pasha, lost their lives. Only six officers and sixty-three sailors survived. Six of the survivors were uninjured, nine severely wounded and the others with only lightly injuries. After the rescue operation, two survivors were taken to Kobe by Japanese ships, another two by a Japanese battleship and sixty-five by German gunboats. All the sixty-nine survivors were transported back to Istanbul aboard Japanese corvettes Kongō and Hiei, leaving Shinagawa, Tokyo in October 1890. The sultan accepted the officers of the Japanese battleships on January 5, 1891 and expressed his appreciation for the relief operation by decorating them with medals[4]

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