Turkish Navy Parades 15 Warships Through Istanbul Strait To Mark 488th Anniversary Of Preveza Victory

Thirteen Turkish Navy ships and two submarines sailed through the Istanbul Strait on Sept. 27 as Türkiye marked the 488th anniversary of the Battle of Preveza and Navy Day.

The Defence Ministry organised the parade. It included TCG Istanbul, Türkiye’s first frigate designed and built in the country.

The ships passed the Barbaros Monument in Beşiktaş. Sailors on TCG Istanbul saluted the nearby tomb of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, the Ottoman admiral who led the fleet at the Battle of Preveza in 1538.

People gathered along the waterfront to watch the ships and take photographs.

The parade came two days after the Turkish Navy ended its Denizkurdu-I, or Sea Wolf-I, exercise. The exercise involved 100 naval vessels, 50 aircraft and 14,000 personnel across the Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean.

The Turkish Defence Ministry said on X that the anniversary was being used to remember Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, Türkiye’s ancestors, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the country’s martyrs and veterans.

Defence Minister Yaşar Güler also spoke at a reception held for Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu and naval personnel.

Güler said the Turkish Navy had developed its capabilities through national effort, engineering work and years of sacrifice.

He said Türkiye was producing warships, submarines, frigates, unmanned naval vessels and other advanced systems using its own defence industry.

Güler said these systems had helped increase the Navy’s operational capabilities.

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar also marked the anniversary. In a post on X, he said the 1538 victory continued to inspire Türkiye’s efforts to become more independent in energy at sea.

Bayraktar said Türkiye would continue working towards “full energy independence” using its own ships, engineers and equipment.

Battle of Preveza

The Battle of Preveza took place on Sept. 27, 1538.

It followed several Ottoman naval victories in the Mediterranean. Venice, Spain and the Papal States were among the European powers that later formed a fleet under Genoese admiral Andrea Doria.

Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha led 122 Ottoman ships against 262 ships in the allied European fleet, according to figures cited by Anadolu Agency.

The Ottoman fleet defeated the allied force.

Historians widely regard the victory as an important event in the Ottoman Empire’s naval power in the Mediterranean.

The anniversary is now marked every year as Turkish Naval Forces Day.

References: trtworld, hurriyetdailynews