The specialized underwater search and rescue ships of the Turkish Navy have been very busy since 30 August 2026.
On 30 August 2026, the high-speed catamaran passenger ferry M/F Filo Jet, operated by Filo Denizcilik, capsized and sank in the Eastern Mediterranean shortly after departing the port of Kyrenia (Girne) bound for Taşucu in Mersin, Turkey.
The vessel was carrying 259 passengers and 8 crew members. Joint search-and-rescue efforts by Turkish Cypriot and Turkish authorities—supported by coast guard cutters, naval ships, helicopters, and local civilian boats—successfully rescued over 240 survivors. As of early September, 8 deaths have been confirmed, while 19 people remain missing.
The initial search and rescue operations began with 1 maritime patrol aircraft, 5 UAVs, 7 helicopters, 8 warships, and 9 coast guard boats. In the following days, two specialized naval vessels, TCG Alemdar and TCG Işın, took the lead.
TCG Alemdar was designed from the keel up as a submarine rescue ship. She is capable of providing life support to the stranded crew of a distressed submarine at depths of up to 600 meters. She carries ROVs, atmospheric diving suits, and other essential equipment, and is certified for both NATO NSRS and US SRDRS operations.
TCG Işın is a specialized rescue and salvage ship and was the first specialized vessel on the scene. She is equipped with dynamic positioning, side-scan sonar, and ROVs.
The wreck of the M/F Filo Jet is located at a depth of 554 meters (1,818 feet). TCG Alemdar and TCG Işın are conducting seabed scans to locate missing victims and working to recover the ferry’s voyage data recorder using their ROVs.
On 2 September 2026, the Turkish-flagged dry cargo vessel M/V Tuğberk İmamoğlu sank in the Sea of Marmara after colliding with the commercial tanker M/T Alsu, roughly 18 nautical miles south of Silivri, Istanbul. The 10-man crew of M/V Tuğberk İmamoğlu is missing and feared dead.
On 5 September 2026, the Turkish Navy’s salvage vessel TCG Akın—a sister ship to TCG Işın—located the wreck resting upright on the seabed at a depth of 720 meters (2,360 feet) using ROVs. Visual identification was confirmed after ROV camera feeds captured the ship’s name on the submerged hull.
TCG Alemdar, TCG Işın, and TCG Akın are exceptionally busy operational vessels. When not aiding in civilian search, rescue, and salvage operations, they regularly participate in specialised military exercises focused on submarine rescue. Because their deep-sea capabilities are unmatched by any civilian vessel or platform, their specialized assets remain unique and in high demand across the region.
If you would like to learn more about the submarine rescue operations of these ships, you can find it here: Kurtaran 2019 Submarine Rescue Exercise
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