SS Kurtuluş
SS Kurtuluş
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History | |
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Turkey | |
Name | SS Teşvikiye (1924–1930), SS Bülent (1930–1934), SS Kurtuluş (1934–1942), also see register below |
Builder | Caird & Purdie Shipyard in Cumbria, England |
Launched | 8 May 1883 |
In service | 1883 |
Out of service | 20 January 1942 |
Homeport | Istanbul |
Fate | Sank on 20 January 1942 off Marmara Island |
General characteristics | |
Length | 75.5 m (247 ft 8 in) |
Capacity | 2,735 |
SS Kurtuluş was a Turkish
History of the ship
Year | Name | Country |
---|---|---|
1883 | SS Euripides | Greece |
1896 | SS Razeto | Italy |
1897 | SS Bratia Paramonovi | Russia |
1901 | SS Cephalonia Vagiano | Greece |
1905 | SS Michael Archangel | Russia |
1915 | N41 | Russian Navy |
1918 | SS Michael Archangel | Serbia |
1924 | SS Teşvikiye | Turkey |
1930 | SS Bülent | |
1934–1942 | SS Kurtuluş |
The steamer Kurtuluş was built by Caird & Purdie Shipyard in
She served as freighter in Turkish waters as one of the first ships under the flag of the newly established Turkish Republic. She was re-sold in 1934 to another family active in the same field, Tavilzade brothers, who named her "SS Kurtuluş" ("SS Liberation") in 1934. In 1941, SS Kurtuluş was leased by the Turkish government for humanitarian relief to be provided during the food crisis in Greece.
Mission and aftermath
Greece experienced the Great Famine (Greek: Μεγάλος Λιμός) during the time the country was occupied by Nazi Germany starting April 1941, and blockaded by the Royal Navy. Today the famine is generally believed to have caused the deaths of around 300,000 people of all ages, according to historian and researcher Mark Mazower.[1]
The National Greek War Relief Association, an organization formed in October 1940 by the
Turkish president
After having received permission from London to cross the blockade zone, the ship left
Sinking & fate
During her fifth voyage, after having left Istanbul on 18 February, the old ship was caught in heavy weather and rough seas in the Sea of Marmara. During the stormy night of 20 February 1942, SS Kurtuluş was blown onto rocks off the coast near Saraylar village, north of Marmara Island. She sank the next morning at 9:15 after the accident. All 34 crew members reached Marmara Island. The place was later named Cape Kurtuluş in her memory.
Despite the loss of SS Kurtuluş, Turkey maintained her determination to help, and continued sending aid until 1946 with other ships like SS Dumlupınar, SS Tunç, SS Konya, SS Güneysu and SS Aksu. One ship, the SS Dumlupınar brought around 1,000 sick Greek children aged 13–16 to Istanbul to recuperate in a safe place.
The documentary film
Turkish writer-researcher & film director Erhan Cerrahoğlu undertook research work to produce a documentary on SS Kurtuluş and on the relief campaign the ship was part of. The wrecksite was identified in summer 2005, by diver Professor Erdoğan Okuş and his team. The shipwreck was found mostly demolished, and many of the wreckage parts were scattered across the sea-floor.
The documentary film Barışı Taşıyan Vapur: Kurtuluş (SS Kurtuluş: The Steamship That Carried Peace) features images seen for the first time. The documentary debuted on 1 June 2006, during the 3rd International Istanbul Bunker Conference.
Footnotes
- ISBN 0-300-08923-6.
- ISBN 9780230232518.
- ISBN 978-0-521-24342-1.
References
- "2006 documentary "The story of the steamer Kurtuluş" by Erhan Cerrahoğlu & Prof. Erdoğan Okuş". Sskurtulus.com. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
- "Barışı taşıyan vapur: Kurtuluş (Kurtuluş: The ship that carried peace)" (in Turkish). NTV Turkey News Channel. Archived from the originalon 26 January 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
- A History of Greece
Sources
- Dimitri Kitsikis, «La famine en Grèce, 1941 1942. Les conséquences politiques»,Revue d'Histoire de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale (Paris), 19th year, no. 74, April 1969.
- limited preview Maggie Black (1992). A Cause for Our Times: Oxfam the First 50 Years, pages 6–7. ISBN 0-85598-173-3.