Yesterday, after the command handover ceremony in Gölcük Naval Base, the 5 ships participating to this activation of the BlackSeaFor sailed away to their next port of call Trabzon, Istanbul. In order to this they had to pass through Bosphorus, where I was expecting them, as you can see from the photos above.
USS Fort McHenry Passed Through The Bosphorus
The third ship of the Whidbey Island Class dock landing ships, LSD-43 USS Fort McHenry passed through Bosporus and entered into the Black Sea on 8th August 2012. Her destination in Black Sea and the duration of her stay were not disclosed. Note the covered load on the flight deck. My educated guess is that she is going to... Continue Reading →
Chinese Puzzle Solved
All warships of the 11th Chinese naval escort task force of the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are all present and accounted for. The activities of the destroyer Quingdao 113 and the frigate Yantai 538 were easier to follow and to report. But the replenishment tanker Weishan Hu 877 was unaccounted for since... Continue Reading →
The Russians Are Coming
This is going to be fun to watch. This is from Russian naval website rusnavy.com. Thanks for my faithful reader Tom for the tip. Turkish authorities were informed through diplomatic channels that Russian warships would pass Black Sea straits in Aug 11-12. Passage of straits Dardanelles and Bosporus by Russian Navy's Northern Fleet (NF) task... Continue Reading →
A Dream Day For A Ship Spotter
Although Istanbul is on a very busy maritime city, we seldom witness so many naval action in one day and see so many different warships from different countries at the same time. There were three frigates of NATO's SNMG-2, five coast guard vessels from five Black Sea nations, one Japanese coast guard training ship plus various Turkish naval and coast guard vessels. It... Continue Reading →
Russian Destroyer Smetlivy Returned Home
On 30th May 2012, the Russian Kashin class destroyer Smetlivy returned from her deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean. She was send to the region to show Russian support to the Syrian regime and to show flag. As this photo shows there was less smoke on the water this time.
A Busy Day At The Bosphorus
Saturday, 7th April 2012 was a busy day at Bosphorus. First the Rhein class tender A-579 TCG Cezayirli Hasan Paşa and two mine hunters plus one veteran mine sweeper made northbound passage through the Strait for their deployment to the Deniz Yıldızı 2012 naval exercise. M-269 TCG Anamur was build in Turkey. She is one of... Continue Reading →
HSV-2 Swift Passed Through The Turkish Straits
The Russian Kashin class destroyer Smetlivy was not the only interesting warship passing through the Turkish Straits these days. The HSV-2 Swift made a quick dash to Constanta, Romania over the weekend and she is now in the vicinity of Bari, Italy. According to Wikipedia, High Speed Vessel, HSV-2 Swift is a non-commissioned, hybrid catamaran originally leased by the United States Navy as... Continue Reading →
Russian Destroyer Smetlivy Passed Through Bosphorus
The Kashin class Russian destroyer Smetlivy passed through Bosphorus this morning. According to news on Turkish media she is on her way to Syrian port Tartus. The large anti-submarine ship (I guess this means destroyer in Russian) Smetlivy was laid in 1966 and commissioned in 1969. She is the sole remaining Kashin class destroyer and... Continue Reading →
Turkish And Turkmen Presidents Take A Ride On A Coast Guard Vessel
The President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow made an official visit to Turkey between 28th February and 1st March. His host, Turkish President Abdullah Gül, took him for a ride on board of the Turkish Coast Guard vessel TCSG-303, after attending the Turkish-Turkmen Business Forum. The forum organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey... Continue Reading →
