CHAPTER 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 that contain memories from the sea, you can find striking examples of life aboard a ship from different perspectives and experience the changes in the profession, particularly regarding the human factor, by comparing them with contemporary examples.
The books I will share comprise only a portion of the ones I have read, and they are organized alphabetically by title. Readers who are fond of books and the sea may have rightful grievances such as, "This book was included" or "How did you not include that book?" Please share such publications in the comments section, and you will also list other works that book and sea enthusiasts can discover, and I can include the books you mention in the subsequent sections of this article.
“I HAVE OCEANS TO 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 land-based life behind, embarking on a sea journey that will last 13 months with her friend named Ekber aboard a sailing vessel called “TZİGANE.” Throughout the journey, the author shares her memories while also sincerely expressing her inner struggles and her contemplation of life by being alone with nature. In this respect, I can also assess 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 Maritime Academy, Department of Machinery, class of 1975. The book's title and cover photo will draw you in at first glance. It promises a beautiful journey within true stories, where amusing events are also recounted, categorized as story/essay. The book consists of three parts and contains a total of 20 different stories. In the first part, the author narrates his memories from his maritime life, while the second part features striking stories that provide an objective approach to the lives of shipyard workers during the author's time working in the Tuzla shipyard area, focusing on the land side of maritime. In the third and final part of his book, the author discusses his family, makes his own self-criticism, and concludes the book by referencing the beloved work “Living is a Beautiful Thing, My Brother” by poet Nazım Hikmet.
Among the stories, the one that made me smile the most is “Pilot,” which features a humorous story about a dry bean between Zabit Yılmaz from Çorum and an American Pilot Captain.
The language used by the author is not bothersome and is quite fluent. In this regard, it is a book I can recommend to all sea lovers. The author has published story/essay type books 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 BARGE”
(Prof. Dr. Ömer BOZKURT. Red Cat Publishing, 2017)
The title “Deck Diary” also presents a nice overview of the book's content. The author, Prof. Dr. Ömer Bozkurt, shares his journey aboard the commercial vessel IRMA, which began in 2006 from the port of Ijmuiden in the Netherlands, lasted 26 days, and included a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, covering the Canadian Great Lakes region and ending at the port of Duluth in America, almost as if he is writing in his own diary. The author, who refers to himself as a passenger in the book, conveys his familiarity with maritime operations and details of the operations occurring on board from the perspective of someone outside the profession, making the book easy to read even for non-maritime readers. While reading the book, you can easily immerse yourself in the feeling of being a passenger aboard the IRMA. You can find a detailed review of the book 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 for which I provided pilotage services at the port of Nemrut. While examining the book, the ship's captain mentioned that the author was at the helm on the bridge. I took a photo of the book in the limited time I had, stating that I would buy and read it at the first opportunity, and congratulated our young friend, the watch officer Nurullah Çelenk, before leaving the ship. The book is a compilation of events experienced by the author, particularly appealing to students who are just starting their careers and new officers. Accompanied by a nice coffee, this 79-page book can be read in a short period and shares 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 a novel that Captain Mehmet Emin Önal crafted based on a true story. It is an easily readable book that I ordered after seeing a post by Captain Mekan Erdil on social media, and I finished it in one sitting, filled with adrenaline. The reason I included this book in my writing is that it fictionalizes the suspicious story of a bulk carrier that sank off the coast of Oman in 2013, inspired by a real event.
The section where Captain Cahit, the last to abandon his ship "İTİMAT 1," reflects on his life and solitude during the 15 minutes he spent alone on the vessel is quite striking. Additionally, the sentences I have highlighted are truly impactful: “...at that moment, he realized that as the sailors' competencies increased, their names were equally lost aboard the ship. When he was an intern, almost everyone addressed him by his 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 were only eight or nine people who addressed him by name. When he became the first officer, he was addressed by the captain or chief engineer's name. However, everyone addressed the captain as ‘Master.’ The captain never heard his name from anyone aboard the ship” (page 58). At the end of the book, the author also mentions our late Professor Güven Tuncer while discussing the process of fictionalizing the true story.
“MOM, WHY DID YOU TAKE OFF MY JAMBO-NAZAR BEAD?”
(Capt. Mesut Azmi GÖKSOY. Cinius Publications, 2015)
This book contains the memories of the late Captain Mesut Azmi Göksoy, a graduate of the Deck Department of the Maritime High School in 1979. The author narrates the recent history of maritime affairs in a fluent and detailed manner, and the events he experienced are indeed of a kind rarely encountered in today's world. The author has stated that he could produce at least ten volumes from the interesting events he has lived through, and this book is merely 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, our author's memoirs have been limited to this book alone.
In his own words, the author has experienced countless mishaps, misfortunes, and events that have exceeded the dimensions of danger, facing death time and again throughout his maritime life. The book titled “JAMBO” consists of four separate stories that take place on different ships where the author worked. The origin of the book's title becomes clear in the section where the last story is narrated. The expression “Jambo,” which he learned while working with a crew predominantly composed of Kenyans, is a greeting used in the Swahili language, common in Eastern African countries. In all the stories included in the book, the author has encountered events that are rare or even considered impossible today. The story of them abandoning the ship in the Bay of Biscay and waiting for days in the lifeboat to be rescued, nearly losing consciousness, was particularly striking. I must say that the author's philosophical approach and the detailed descriptions provided throughout the book allow you to experience the story firsthand. The book, published in 2015 and unfortunately not available in new print sales, can be obtained through second-hand online book platforms.
“OLHA”
(Capt. R.Erhan ŞENGÜL. Ritim Plus Publications, 2021)
In the book “OLHA,” Captain R. Erhan Şengül shares his memories from the 1990s spent at sea, his time working on land, and his adventures upon returning to the ship in the 2020s, referring to himself as the “sea wolf.” He shares his family life, including his childhood, with great sincerity. The book consists of different sections featuring 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 sailor's life over the past 30 years.
My favorite part of the book was the section describing the stressful process experienced by Third Officer Yunus, who was at risk of missing his planned wedding, and how the author, as the captain of the ship, took the initiative to ensure he made it to his wedding at the last moment. I smiled while reading the story of the Syrian Captain who was supposed to join the ship but instead went to Mount Nemrut in Adıyaman instead of Nemrut Port, Aliağa, during a period when the author was managing the ship on land. .
Some of the highlighted lines in the book are as follows: “Until the early 2000s, sailors from the steward to the ordinary seaman, from the captain to the chief engineer were universally respected and valued everywhere in the world” (page 147). “..every sailor's spouse is both a half-widow and a parent to their children. They are worthy of respect; they are self-sacrificing, just like all ladies…” (page 220).
“THOSE THAT CANNOT BE WRITTEN IN THE LOGBOOK”
(Capt. Çetin AKIN. İletişim Publications, 2003)
On a summer morning in 2003, when I would register at the Maritime Faculty of İ.T.Ü., I saw an interview with Capt. 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 İstiklal Street and obtained this book, which sparked a great curiosity about the profession in me. My first impressions of the profiles and lives of people on board began with reading this book, and the stories within made me smile and ponder in some places. After reading the book, I lent it to a curious classmate, and it circulated among many young aspiring sailors of that period. I do not know who had the book last; it had not been returned to me. .
After the idea of preparing this article began to form in my mind, I found the book through an online second-hand bookstore, ordered it, and read it again while reminiscing about my old days. In this reading, 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 found it interesting that similar character types analyzed by the author can still be easily observed on every ship or in every maritime company.
In the book, which features an intriguing cartoon on the cover, the author shares interesting stories that happened to him and his close friends during his maritime career aboard the ships he worked on.
“A PASSENGER ON A CARGO SHIP - 50 DAYS TO SOUTH AMERICA”
(Nur DOLAY. Cinius Publications, 2024)
This is a book in which journalist, writer, and documentary producer Nur Dolay chronicles his memories during a journey from Europe to South America aboard a container ship. Throughout the 50-day journey on the cargo ship, the author interprets the events he experienced chronologically from his perspective under 48 different titles and sections, while also addressing topics such as the capitalist system, colonialism, and the climate crisis, delivering beautiful messages. The book offers the opportunity to examine the profiles of people on a trading vessel from the perspective of a sociologist, and you can access the detailed review published on 26.03.2025 through the following link: https://www.denizhaber.com/yazarlar/mustafa-sokukcu/yuk-gemisinde-bir-yolcu/124232.
Dr. Capt. Mustafa Sökükcü
Pilot Captain
Source: www.denizhaber.com