Discover captivating memoirs by Turkish authors sharing their maritime experiences as sailors and passengers, showcasing the evolution of seafaring.
**SECTION 1**
In this article, I will share a list of maritime books in the memoir/biography genre, where Turkish authors recount their experiences and observations as sailors or passengers on ships. Within the books featuring memories from the sea, you can find striking examples of life aboard vessels from different perspectives and compare them with contemporary examples, allowing you to experience the changes in the profession, particularly regarding the human factor in maritime activities.
The books I will share comprise only a portion of the ones I have read, and they are arranged alphabetically by title. Readers who are book and maritime enthusiasts may have valid complaints such as, 'This book was included' or 'Why didn’t you include that book?' Please share such publications in the comments section so that I can list other works that book and maritime lovers can discover, and I can also include the books you mention in the subsequent sections of this article.
**“OCEANS I MUST CROSS”**
(Gülin BOZKURT. Destek Publishing, 2019)
Author Gülin Bozkurt begins to question her existing life as she reaches her 40s and makes a radical decision to leave her life on land behind, embarking on a sea journey with her friend Ekber aboard a sailing boat named 'TZİGANE' that will last for 13 months. Throughout the journey, the author shares her memories and also sincerely discusses her inner struggles and reflections on life while being alone with nature. In this respect, I can also evaluate the book as a personal development genre.
**“THEY LEFT ME ALL ALONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA”**
(Chief Engineer Süleyman SAVAŞ. Karina Publishing, 2015)
This is the first book composed of the memories of Chief Engineer Süleyman Savaş, a graduate of the Marine Engineering Department of the Maritime Academy in 1975. The book's title and cover photo will draw you in at first glance. It promises a beautiful journey within true stories that include amusing events, written in a narrative/essay style. The book consists of three parts, containing a total of 20 different stories. In the first part, the author recounts his memories from his maritime life, while the second part features striking stories that objectively approach the lives of shipyard workers during the author's time working on the land side of maritime in the Tuzla shipyards. In the third and final part of the book, the author discusses his family, reflects on himself, and concludes the book by referencing the beloved book 'Living is a Beautiful Thing, My Brother' by poet Nazım Hikmet.
Among the stories, the one that made me smile the most was 'Pilot,' which features a humorous tale involving Zabit Yılmaz from Çorum and an American pilot captain regarding a story about beans.
The language used by the author is not bothersome and flows quite well. For this reason, I would recommend this book to all maritime enthusiasts. The author has also published books in the narrative/essay genre titled 'I Threw My Life into the Water' in 2017, 'Why Are You Crying?' in 2019, and 'Those Who Share Hope, My Land is the Sea' in 2023.
**“DECK DIARY - A PASSENGER ON A FREIGHTER”**
(Prof. Dr. Ömer BOZKURT. Kırmızı Kedi Publishing, 2017)
The title 'Deck Diary' provides a nice introduction to the content of the book. The author, Prof. Dr. Ömer Bozkurt, shares his journey aboard the commercial vessel IRMA, which started from the port of Ijmuiden in the Netherlands in 2006 and lasted 26 days, including a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean and ending at the port of Duluth in America, almost as if he were writing his own diary. The author, who refers to himself as a passenger in the book, conveys his familiarity with maritime operations and the details of operations occurring on the ship from the perspective of someone outside the profession, making it easy to read even for those who are not sailors. While reading the book, you can easily immerse yourself in the feeling of being a passenger aboard the IRMA. A detailed review of the book can be found in my article published on 03.10.2024. For those interested, here is the access link: https://www.denizhaber.com/yazarlar/mustafa-sokukcu/guverte-guncesi-silepte-bir-yolcu/123514.
**“THOSE WHO LOOK AT LIFE THROUGH A LUMBER”**
(Nurullah ÇELENK. Kitapyurdu Direct Publishing, 2020)
I first saw the book on the bridge of a small Turkish ship where I was providing pilotage services at Nemrut Port. While examining the book, the ship's captain mentioned that the author was steering the helm on the bridge. I took a photo of the book in the limited time I had and stated that I would buy and read it at the first opportunity, congratulating our young friend, the watch officer Nurullah Çelenk. The book is a compilation of events that the author experienced, particularly appealing to students who are just starting their careers and new officers. It is a 79-page book that can be read in a short period, accompanied by a nice coffee, sharing the author's experiences on interesting events that new officer friends in the Turkish coaster fleet may encounter.
**“THE GATE OF SORROW”**
(Capt. Mehmet Emin ÖNAL. Kitapyurdu Direct Publishing, 2024)
This is the first novel by Captain Mehmet Emin Önal, based on a true story. I ordered it after seeing it in a post by Captain Mekan Erdil on social media, and I finished it in one sitting; it is an easy read filled with adrenaline. The book narrates the suspicious story of a bulk carrier that sank off the coast of Oman in 2013. The reason I included this book in my writing is that the story is inspired by a real event.
The section where Captain Cahit, who was the last to leave his ship as it sank, reflects on his life and loneliness during the 15 minutes he spent alone on the ship is quite striking. Additionally, the following sentences I highlighted are genuinely impactful: '..at that moment, he realized that as the competencies of sailors increased, their names were equally lost on the ship. When he was an intern, almost everyone addressed him by name. When he became an officer, everyone except the captain, the first officer, the chief engineer, the second engineer, and the officers called him 'Captain Sir,' meaning there would be eight or nine people addressing him by name. When he became the first officer, he was addressed by the captain or the chief engineer's name. The captain was addressed by everyone as 'Captain Bey.' The captain never heard his own name from anyone on the ship' (page 58). At the end of the book, the author refers to our late professor Güven Tuncer while discussing the process of turning the true story into a novel.
**“JAMBO - WHY DID YOU TAKE OFF MY EVIL EYE BEAD, MOM?”**
(Capt. Mesut Azmi GÖKSOY. Cinius Publishing, 2015)
This book contains the memories of the late Captain Mesut Azmi Göksoy, a graduate of the Deck Department of the Maritime Academy in 1979. The author narrates the recent history of maritime with fluent and detailed language, and the events he experienced are truly of a kind that is rarely encountered today. The author stated that he could produce at least ten volumes from the interesting events he lived through, and that this book is just the first part. In fact, at the end of the book, he uses the phrase 'the end of the first book..' to conclude his story. Unfortunately, the author’s memoirs are limited to this book.
As he puts it, the author has experienced countless mishaps, misfortunes, and events that far exceed the dimensions of danger, and he has faced death numerous times. The book 'JAMBO' consists of four different stories that took place on various ships where the author worked. The origin of the book's title is understood in the section where the last story is narrated. The expression 'Jambo,' which the author learned while working with a crew mostly composed of Kenyans, is a word used in the Swahili language, common in East African countries, meaning 'hello.' In all the stories within the book, the author has encountered events that are now rarely seen or considered impossible. The story of abandoning the ship in the Bay of Biscay, where they awaited a miraculous rescue for days in a lifeboat to the point of losing consciousness, and finally being rescued was truly captivating. I must say that the author's philosophical approach and the detailed descriptions throughout the book allow you to experience the story firsthand. The book, published in 2015, unfortunately does not have new print sales, but you can obtain it through second-hand online book platforms.
**“OLHA”**
(Capt. R. Erhan ŞENGÜL. Ritim Plus Publishing, 2021)
Captain R. Erhan Şengül, also known as the 'sea wolf,' shares his memories from the 1990s at sea, his time working on land, and his adventures upon returning to the ship in the 2020s in the book titled 'OLHA.' He shares his family life, including his childhood, with great sincerity. The book consists of different sections containing small memories, and the last part includes a photo album. While reading the book, you will easily notice the changes in the maritime profession and the life of sailors over the past 30 years.
My favorite section in the book is the one where Third Officer Yunus experiences a stressful process of possibly missing his planned wedding, and how the author, as the ship's captain, takes the initiative to ensure he makes it to his wedding at the last minute. I smiled while reading the story of the Syrian captain who was supposed to join the author’s ship but ended up going to Mount Nemrut in Adıyaman instead of Nemrut Port in Aliağa.
Some of the highlighted lines in the book are as follows: 'Until the early 2000s, all sailors, from the steward to the captain, from the boy to the chief engineer, were respected and valued everywhere in the world' (page 147). '..every sailor's wife is half a widow, and she is both a mother and a father to her children. They are worthy of respect, just like all ladies…' (page 220).
**“THOSE NOT WRITTEN IN THE LOGBOOK”**
(Capt. Çetin AKIN. İletişim Publishing, 2003)
In the summer morning of 2003, when I was about to enroll at ITU Maritime Faculty, I saw an interview with Captain Çetin Akın regarding his book in the weekend supplement of a well-known newspaper. At that time, online shopping or ordering books was not very common; in fact, the internet was just beginning to become widespread. When I arrived in Istanbul, I went to the Denizciler Bookstore on Istiklal Street to obtain this book, which sparked a great curiosity about the profession in me. My first impressions of the profiles and lives of people on the ship began with reading this book, and the stories within made me smile and think in some places. After reading the book, I lent it to a friend who was curious, and it was passed around and read by many young maritime candidates of the time. I don’t know who had the book last; it never returned to me.
After the idea of preparing this article began to form in my mind, I found the book by searching an online second-hand bookstore and ordered it, reminiscing about my old days as I read it again. This time, the author’s analyses of people caught my attention even more. Although the living and working conditions on ships have changed significantly over the years, I interestingly noticed that the similar character types the author analyzed can still be easily found on every ship or in every shipping company.
In the book, which features an interesting cartoon on the cover, the author shares interesting real-life stories that happened to him and his close friends during his maritime career.
**“A PASSENGER ON A FREIGHTER - 50 DAYS IN SOUTH AMERICA”**
(Nur DOLAY. Cinius Publishing)
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
