Avnillah-class ironclad

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Avnillah, c. 1885
Class overview
Operators Ottoman Empire
Preceded byLütf-ü Celil-class ironclad
Succeeded byFeth-i Bülend-class ironclad
Built1868–1870
In commission1870–1932
Completed2
Lost1
Scrapped1
General characteristics
TypeCentral battery ship
Displacement2,362 metric tons (2,325 long tons)
Length68.9 m (226 ft 1 in) (lpp)
Beam10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
Draft5 m (16 ft 5 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement
  • 15 officers
  • 130 enlisted men
Armament4 × 228 mm (9 in) guns
Armor

The Avnillah class was a group of two ironclad warships built for the Ottoman Navy in the 1860s. The class comprised two vessels, Avnillah and Muin-i Zafer. The two ships were built in Britain between 1868 and 1870. They were armed with a battery of four 228 mm (9 in) guns mounted in a central casemate, making them central battery ships.

Both ships served during the

Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, where they operated against Russian forces in the Black Sea. They were primarily tasked with supporting Ottoman forces ashore, though Muin-i Zafer also helped to defend the port of Sulina. After the war, both vessels were placed in reserve, and saw no further activity until 1897, when they were mobilized at the start of the Greco-Turkish War
. Like the rest of the Ottoman fleet, both ships were in poor condition and were unable to be used offensively.

After the war ended, both vessels were rebuilt as part of a large reconstruction program aimed at modernizing the ancient Ottoman fleet. They returned to service with a new battery of four 150 mm (5.9 in) Krupp quick-firing guns as guard ships, and in this capacity Avnillah was sunk in the Battle of Beirut during the Italo-Turkish War in January 1912. Muin-i Zafer served on as a training ship from 1913, a barracks ship from 1920, and a depot ship for submarines from 1928. She was finally broken up for scrap in 1932.

Design

In 1861,

Abdülaziz became sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and thereafter began a construction program to strengthen the Ottoman Navy, which had incurred heavy losses during the Crimean War of 1853–1856. The Navy ordered several ironclad warships from shipyards in Britain and France, though the program was limited by the Ottoman Empire's restricted finances.[1]

Characteristics

Line-drawing of Avnillah

Avnillah and Muin-i Zafer were 68.9 m (226 ft 1 in)

BOM. They had a crew of 15 officers and 130 enlisted men as built.[2][3]

The ships of the Avnillah class were powered by a single horizontal

brigantine rig with two masts was also fitted.[2][3]

The ships were armed with a battery of four 228 mm (9 in)

muzzle-loading guns that weighed 12.5 t (12.3 long tons; 13.8 short tons) apiece, mounted in a central, armored casemate, two guns per side. The guns were positioned so as to allow any two to fire directly ahead, astern, or to either broadside. Both vessels were protected with wrought iron armor plate. The ships' armored belt was 130 to 150 mm (5 to 6 in) thick, with the thicker portion above the waterline and the thinner below. It extended 0.91 m (3 ft) above the waterline and 1.14 m (3 ft 9 in) below. The belt was capped with 76 mm (3 in) thick transverse bulkheads at either end. The casemate had heavy armor protection, with the gun battery protected by 150 mm of iron plating.[2][3]

Modifications

Illustration of Avnillah as originally configured

Both ships received a pair of 87 mm (3.4 in)

Hotchkiss revolver cannon, two 25.4 mm (1 in) guns, also manufactured by Hotchkiss, and a 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tube, but the plan came to nothing.[2][3]

In 1903–1906, both ships were heavily modernized, which included the installation of a conning tower, along with a complete replacement of their armament. Their old muzzle-loading guns were replaced with new 150 mm (5.9 in) Krupp 40-caliber guns, and a new light battery consisting of six 75 mm (3 in) quick-firing (QF) Krupp guns, ten 57 mm (2.2 in) QF Krupp guns, and two 47 mm (1.9 in) QF Krupp guns. During their reconstruction, both vessels had their box boilers replaced with Scotch marine boilers, though they retained the original engine. Their sailing masts were removed and were replaced with heavy fighting masts. The ships' crew increased to 220 officers and enlisted.[2][3]

Ships

Ship Builder[4] Laid down[4] Launched[4] Completed[4]
Avnillah
Thames Iron Works
, London
1868
 21 April 1869
1870
Muin-i Zafer Samuda Brothers, London
June 1869

Service history

Muin-i Zafer in Constantinople, sometime before 1894

Both ships of the class were stationed in

Constantinople, and they received a minor refit in 1882.[3]

At the start of the

Greek Navy. Following the end of the war with Greece, the government decided to begin a naval reconstruction program. The two ships were rebuilt by Gio. Ansaldo & C. between 1903 and 1906 at the Ottoman Imperial Arsenal, which was in part leased to Ansaldo.[8] After returning to service, both ships were reduced to guard ships in 1910. At the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War in September 1911, Avnillah was stationed in Beirut, where on 24 February 1912, two Italian armored cruisers—Giuseppe Garibaldi and Francesco Ferruccio—attacked the port in the Battle of Beirut. During the action, the Italians hit Avnillah with multiple shells and then torpedoed her, sinking her in the harbor.[9][10] Muin-i Zafer was meanwhile disarmed at Port Said so her guns could be used to strengthen the defenses of the city.[11] In 1913, she became a torpedo training ship, and in 1920 she was converted into a barracks ship, before becoming a depot ship for submarines in 1928. Decommissioned in 1932, she was broken up thereafter.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ Lyon, pp. 388–389.
  2. ^ a b c d e Lyon, p. 390.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Langensiepen & Güleryüz, p. 137.
  4. ^ a b c d Langensiepen & Güleryüz, pp. 137–138.
  5. ^ Langensiepen & Güleryüz, p. 3, 5.
  6. ^ Langensiepen & Güleryüz, p. 6.
  7. ^ Wilson, p. 289.
  8. ^ Langensiepen & Güleryüz, pp. 8–11.
  9. ^ Langensiepen & Güleryüz, p. 16.
  10. ^ Beehler, pp. 56–58.
  11. ^ Beehler, pp. 25–26.
  12. ^ Langensiepen & Güleryüz, p. 138.

References

  • Beehler, William Henry (1913). The History of the Italian-Turkish War: September 29, 1911, to October 18, 1912. Annapolis: United States Naval Institute.
    OCLC 1408563
    .
  • Langensiepen, Bernd & Güleryüz, Ahmet (1995). The Ottoman Steam Navy 1828–1923. London: Conway Maritime Press.
    ISBN 978-0-85177-610-1
    .
  • Lyon, Hugh (1979). "Turkey". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 388–394.
    ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5
    .
  • Sturton, Ian. "Through British Eyes: Constantinople Dockyard, the Ottoman Navy, and the Last Ironclad, 1876–1909". Warship International. 57 (2). Toledo: International Naval Research Organization.
    ISSN 0043-0374
    .
  • OCLC 1111061
    .
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