Photo essay: Turkish warship tracing 19th-century journey docks in Abu Dhabi

The TCG Kinaliada is en route to Japan to commemorate a historic trip first undertaken in 1889 that ended in tragedy

The TCG Kinaliada, a Turkish warship, has docked at Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi en route to Japan as it retraces the historic route of the Ertugrul 134 years ago. Antonie Robertson / The National

On July 14, 1889, a warship of the Ottoman Imperial Navy called Ertugrul set sail on a goodwill voyage to Japan. The journey's purpose was to reciprocate a previous visit of the Japanese Navy to Istanbul and to deliver gifts from Sultan Abdulhamid II to the Emperor of Japan.

But tragedy struck the Ertugrul on September 19, 1890, when the frigate encountered a typhoon off the coast of Japan and sank. More than 500 sailors, including 50 officers, drowned that day, and only 69 crew members survived.

The incident, however, led to the cementing of a friendship between Japan and Turkey. A memorial for the sailors lost was built in the coastal town of Kushimoto in southern Japan. A Turkish Museum was also opened in 1974, which included a scale model of the ship, as well as photographs and statues of the sailors who perished. A memorial ceremony is held every five years in Kushimoto, attended by Japanese and Turkish officials.

In April, a Turkish warship called TCG Kinaliada set sail for its longest journey yet, from Izmir, to retrace the Ertugrul's historic route. The landmark trip was to commemorate 100 years of diplomatic relationship between Japan and Turkey and mark the 134th anniversary of the Ertugrul tragedy.

Along the way, it will visit 24 ports in 20 countries, spreading its message of friendship and collaboration, from Jeddah to Djibouti and Chittagong to Colombo.

The TCG Kinaliada arrived at Abu Dhabi's Mina Zayed port on Friday for a two-day stop.

The National's Antonie Robertson was there to witness the historic arrival.

Brig Hamid Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Naval Forces, along with Tugay Tuncer, Turkish ambassador to the UAE, toured the ship on its arrival. They were joined by a number of officials from both countries, including Vice Admiral Kadir Yildiz, Turkey's Navy Commander.

The TCG Kinaliada, a corvette or small warship, is the fourth vessel designed by Milgem, Turkey's national warship programme. Named after Kinaliada Island near Istanbul, construction of the ship began in 2015 and it entered into service in 2019.

A multipurpose corvette it is capable of anti-submarine as well as anti-surface warfare.

Featuring a host of defence capabilities, the most visually apparent is the OTO Melara 76mm gun, marketed as the OTO 76/62 Gun Mount, a naval autocannon built and designed by the Italian defence company OTO Melara. Compact enough to be installed on relatively small warships, it can be used as for anti-missile, anti-aircraft, anti-surface and ground-support purposes.

"The arrival of the Turkish TCG Kinaliada corvette symbolises the deep enduring ties between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates rooted in common values, shared aspirations and a steadfast commitment to peace, security and mutual prosperity in the wider Mena region," the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in the UAE said in a statement.

"Our collaboration in the defence industries stands as a shining example of this enduring partnership. The UAE has become the biggest defence industry partner of Turkey in the Mena region and second globally."

Turkish officials will hold receptions on board the TCG Kinaliada, organise meetings with top officials of each country and conduct exercises with their naval forces.