Published: 03.06.2025 10:29 Updated: 05.06.2025 10:41 Read: 187 Osman ÖNDEŞ Columnist [email protected] The Ladin (sometimes written as Lâdil) steamer, which reached İnebolu with a cargo of 40,000 boxes of ammunition from Istanbul (originally La Dyle - Kartal steamer). After unloading the ammunition in İnebolu, it is anchored at anchor. (Source: Ömer Faruk Şerifoğlu - “The Ebüzziya Family in Our Cultural and Artistic Life - Zeytinburnu Municipality Culture and Arts Affairs Directorate.) The War of Independence is the struggle of this noble nation under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his friends to free itself from captivity. There was a need for supplies of weapons, ammunition, clothing, and food for the army units established in Anatolia to be supplied from Istanbul via the Black Sea. Muhlise Yıldız Güvendiren states in her thesis titled “Maritime Transportation in Turkish Territorial Waters (1923-1939),” that “.. Both the efforts of the Mim Mim Group and the measures taken by the parliament transported military goods, ammunition, and medical supplies to the ports of İnebolu, Zonguldak, Samsun, and Mersin with ships named Ararat, Lâdil, Mersin, Adana, Lankır, and Lelet between November 5, 1921, and August 26, 1922. Additionally, 20 field guns were smuggled from Istanbul to İnebolu and Ereğli ports by the Mustafa Bey Group, along with 70 rifles and 7 mountain guns.” The primary source on this subject is Alptekin Müderrisoğlu's work titled “Financial Resources of the War of Independence,” published in 1990 by the Ankara-Atatürk Culture, Language and History Institution. This work was also published in later years by Bilgi Publishing House. The names of the ships are found on the pages of this work. Another source is Mustafa Hergüner’s work titled “Our Maritime Activities in the War of Independence,” which contains the same information on pages 80-84. The two articles and the master's thesis I selected are based on these and other source works. The names of the ships of the War of Independence have continued to be repeated. As I mentioned, there is no ship by that name! The reality stems from the misreading of the names of the actual ships at the time. I would like to learn from Alptekin Müderrisoğlu what the archival document is for these ships mentioned in his 1990 work “Financial Resources of the War of Independence.” If I am not mistaken, Mr. Alptekin Müderrisoğlu has passed away. If my observation is correct, may God have mercy on him. If I am wrong, may they have long lives. (1923-1930) The Ottoman Empire lost World War I, and the last piece of land remaining, Anatolia, was divided by the Allied Powers (Entente States). The geography deemed suitable for the Turks, which had a short coastline on the Black Sea, was opened to occupation using Article 7 of the Mondros Armistice. The organization of naval power in the War of Independence against Greece's occupation of Western Anatolia was formed with support groups, just like the land battles. The naval force of the Mim Mim Group, the Muavenet-i Bahriye, was established at the beginning of 1921 by Captain Colonel Mehmet Nazmi Bey, the commander of the Golden Horn. This group, which undertook significant tasks in transferring human and material resources to Anatolia by utilizing the ships of Italian and French shipowners, is one of the reliable organizations in Ankara. Another group working as the naval force of the National Struggle, the Bahriye Scout Group, operated in the Fethiye region, attacking warehouses belonging to the Allied Powers (Entente States) to obtain some of the weapons and ammunition used in the War of Independence. The Mim Mim Group is also one of the organizations that organized these actions and is defined as “Millici.” The ships and warehouses of the shipowners Manizadeler, Hüseyin Avni (Sohtorik) Bey, Hüsnü (Himmetoğlu) Bey, Şükrü (Reisoğlu) Bey, and Reşat Bey were used for the National Struggle. Apart from the ships provided by the mentioned shipowners, especially the Ereğli Port Authority confiscated maritime vehicles owned by Greeks, Armenians, or under Greek flags. Among the confiscated vessels were a trailer from the Ottoman Maritime Administration and a motor from the Customs Administration. In the National Struggle, where rights and legitimacy were observed at all stages, measures such as the confiscation of private property were carried out through legislation. (Source: Şerafettin Turan, a.g.e., pp. 151-153. Also, for the law dated April 20, 1922, numbered 224 - “Law on the Management of Movable and Immovable Properties of the Population that Fled and Went Missing from the Territories of the State,” see Düstur 3. Tertip C. 3, Istanbul: Milliyet Matbaası, 1929, pp. 63-64.) On April 26, 1919, military ships sent to the Black Sea for security purposes, apart from the Aydınreis and Preveze gunboats, included commercial vessels that supported the National Struggle; the Şahin barge, Rüsumat 4, Mebruke, Arslan, Fulya, Ayyıldız, Ereğli, Amasra, Selamet, Sinop, İkdam, Hüdaverdi, Derya, and Keşşaf motors, Tecrübe and Gazal tugs, Dana and Şile sailing boats, and the Kahraman barge. (Mustafa Hergüner, Our Maritime Activities in the War of Independence, pp. 80-84.) In the following period, weapons and ammunition began to be transported in large batches and large ships. For this, foreign-flagged ships were utilized, and the “La Fraissinet” company’s ships were used to smuggle weapons and ammunition to İnebolu (Şahin and Yılmaz, 2016, pp. 137, 138), and between November 5, 1921, and August 26, 1922, ammunition, various goods, and medical supplies were mostly shipped to Zonguldak, Samsun, and Mersin, particularly to the İnegöl pier with the ships Ararat, Adana, Ladil, Mersin, Lankır, and Lalet (Müderrisoğlu, 2018, p. 431). Similar or comparable narratives also exist in other works or articles. Since most of the citations originate from Alptekin Müderrisoğlu's aforementioned work, the names of the ships Ararat, Adana, Ladil, Mersin, Lankır, and Lalet are also found in these works, university theses, and articles. Undoubtedly, these ships existed numerically, but the ships attributed to the names Ladil, Lankır, and Lalet did not exist. There was no ship by that name! The contradiction here arises from the misreading of the names of the ships. I conducted an extensive study to determine the correct names, photographs, and registry records of these ships for our academics. I also recorded ships that carried ammunition, weapons, and other materials and people from Istanbul during the War of Independence, like other ships. I hope that when documenting this ammunition of the War of Independence, a more accurate narrative can be made from now on. However, within the limits of this article, I left part of it for another article. The correct name of Ladil is “Lyudmila,” “La Dyle,” and later “Kartal.” The registry record of the Kartal steamer in the Lloyd’s Register of Shipping 1924 yearbook states that the Kartal (Greta) steamer was built on August 9, 1873, at the shipyard of John Softley & Co. in South Shields with Slip No. 95. It was 635 grt, 398 nrt, and its overall length was 180.4 ft, width 28.1 ft, and depth 14.3 ft. The main steam engine was made by Blair & Co Ltd, Stockton on Tees; CI2cyl (23 & 46 x 30 ins), producing 80 nhp. The first shipowner company was JWS Manners & Co. based in West Hartlepool. In 1877, it was purchased by Edward H Capper & Co. from West Hartlepool. In 1880, Capper bought Alexander & Co. from West Hartlepool. In 1885, it was purchased by Henry G Harper & Co. from West Hartlepool. In 1893, it was bought from Odessa by P Gourjy and renamed Lyudmila. In 1898, it was purchased from Odessa by SL Karapatnitsky. In 1910, it was bought by LN & BN Karapatnitsky based in Odessa. In 1912, it was registered under the name of S & E Karapatnitsky based in Odessa. In 1922, it was purchased by SA de Transports "La Francaise" based in Oran and renamed “La Dyle.” There was no ship named Ladil that carried aid from Istanbul to the Black Sea during the War of Independence. The ship referred to as “Ladil” was originally named “Greta.” Its name during the aid missions was “La Dyle,” and it belonged to the Oran-based Société de Transports La Française company. This ship was purchased in 1923 by Abdulkerim Bey and renamed “Kartal.” On the night of January 18, 1926, while on a voyage to load coal from Istanbul to Zonguldak, it ran aground and was wrecked near Zonguldak. The record belonging to Mr. Ahmet Salim in the 1926 yearbook of “Turkish Maritime Trade.” (Source: Osman Öndeş - History of Turkish Shipowners Vol. III) The name “La Dyle” has been misread as “Lâdil” by the first esteemed researcher or historian who worked on historical studies, and this misreading has been repeated ever since. If the information found in the section attributed to Mr. Ahmet Salim in the “Turkish Maritime Trade 1926 Yearbook” had been seen, such a distortion of information would not have occurred, and this mistake would not have been repeated without pause! Ömer Faruk Şerifoğlu has conducted a magnificent study based entirely on the Velid Ebüzziya family archive under the title “The Ebüzziya Family in Our Cultural and Artistic Life,” and this work has been published by the Zeytinburnu Municipality Culture and Arts Affairs Directorate. This work is an unparalleled catalog and was printed in 1,000 copies for the exhibition “The Ebüzziya Family in Our Cultural and Artistic Life,” which opened on October 16, 2020, at Kazlıçeşme Sanat. On pages 134-139 of this work, evaluations of initiatives and movements that would strengthen the national organization in Anatolia in connection with the War of Independence are discussed. In a meeting held to smuggle weapons and ammunition to Anatolia, Velid Ebüzziya, Ahmet Cevdet, owner of the İkdam newspaper, Ali Şükrü, the deputy from Trabzon, the son of Hacı Zekeriya Efendi from Rize, and Captain İbrahim Kalkavanza participated. Captain İbrahim Kalkavanza stated that he would voluntarily transport officers, soldiers, and all kinds of military supplies that needed to be sent from Istanbul to Anatolia with the ship Kırım, without expecting any material compensation. Ali Şükrü and Captain Osman Bey, on the other hand, departed from Istanbul for Trabzon on May 30, 1335/1919, with the Kırım ship to establish a national organization in Trabzon. During these days, all maritime vehicles making voyages to Anatolia were under strict control, as the occupying Entente States had confiscated the arms and ammunition depots in Istanbul. Transporting ammunition and weapons, which posed great dangers at every stage, was not an easy task. In the mentioned memoir, when the ship referred to as “Lâdil-Ladin” was planned to depart loaded with weapons to İnebolu, Velid and Bilal Beyler of Ebüzziya received the order to take the Lâdil steamer to İnebolu in the evening. “Lâdil” is a small steamer, and it could only give the impression that it was carrying passengers. (It is under the Russian flag - Öndeş) However, it had to be loaded with as much cargo as possible. When passing through the bridges, the ship appeared to be almost submerged. It would also take passengers. There was no chance to release any ballast. It approached Sirkeci in this condition. From here, it set sail towards the Black Sea... The activities of the ships on surveillance duty were being reported. There was danger until İnebolu. Early in the morning, two officials were on board the ship. The most severe winter storm was in effect. The captains said that it was impossible for the ship to continue on its course. However, staying in Sirkeci was much more dangerous. Velid had been involved in maritime activities since childhood. At first glance, he said that the ship was overloaded beyond its capacity. But nothing could be done. The friends were not very cautious and prudent in smuggling ammunition, they said and laughed. Those who made this observation (Comment) thought that those who shed their noble blood to save the groaning lands would be left without ammunition if the ship sank in the rough sea. As soon as the inspection was completed, the ship began to head towards the Bosphorus. It carried a sign indicating that it had undergone inspection. It left the patrol ship behind. Not far away, in the open waters of Kuzguncuk, it would pass through “Kılkış” (Kılkış is a district name... It is possible that this term was used in the sense of Heavy road or Very Heavy road - Öndeş). Another patrol ship was visible, but it did not concern the steamer. Now, the captain would go up to the bridge. Occasionally, communication would take place. Bilal suggested taking off their fezzes to avoid drawing attention, and Velid said they would do that after passing the enemy ship, reminding that the enemy was not worthy of respect. In the evening, they reached Kavaklar. There was also a patrol ship here. However, it was not deemed necessary to inspect. These places are suspicious (Not safe - Öndeş), going out to sea is the safest solution. But the weather was very bad; the ships that had come before were waiting for the weather to allow them to sail. The captain insisted that the heavily loaded ship could not go out to sea. On the ship, among other items, there were 40,000 [boxes] of bullets. The ship was submerged up to its bulwarks; a careful eye could understand that the ship was loaded unnaturally. The captain occasionally narrated this situation. Therefore, it was said that whatever happened to the captain, going out to sea was the right move. The unfortunate Russian captain listened to the officials who intervened in the command of this ship, and they left the Bosphorus... The storm made a little fuss. İnebolu was approached. But this is the Black Sea! It should be asked of those who sailed in winter. Many times, life-threatening dangers were faced until İnebolu, and on the sixth day, they arrived in İnebolu with the evening darkness. (Source: Ömer Faruk Şerifoğlu - “The Ebüzziya Family in Our Cultural and Artistic Life - Zeytinburnu Municipality Culture and Arts Affairs Directorate - Retired General Kemal Koçer, The Secret Activities of the M.M. Group in the Years of Occupation in Istanbul, Istanbul 1946, pp. 44-57, 115. Samih Nafiz Tansu (Narrated by: M.M. Group President Colonel Hüsamettin Ertürk, Behind the Scenes of Two Eras, Istanbul 1964, pp. 482, 512.)” There is a very valuable piece of information in this memoir (Catalog). The photograph of the Kartal steamer, referred to as Lâdil in this memoir, was first revealed during Ömer Faruk Şerifoğlu's aforementioned study. Not to mention, there was no photograph in the record in the archives of England (South Shields - North Shields - Tyne Built Ships & Shipbuilding). Again, in the works, articles, or master's theses I mentioned, the ship referred to as “Lankır” appears as “Leopold,” and at that time it was under the French flag. This ship was renamed “Anadolu” in 1930. The record belonging to Yelkencizade and his son in the 1926 yearbook of “Turkish Maritime Trade.” In this table, the Anadolu ship is written at the bottom and its former name is “Leopold.” (Source: Osman Öndeş - History of Turkish Shipowners Vol. III) The story of the Anadolu ship with the Aldıkçatı family is as follows: Brothers Mustafa, Ahmet, and Vehbi Aldıkçatı became partners in 1930 with the Yelkencizade and Sürekası company owned by Lütfü Yelkenci, with a barge built in 1896, and the ship was named “Anadolu.” In 1933, Lütfü Yelkenci withdrew from the partnership with his company, and the “Anadolu” ship remained solely with the Aldıkçatı group. This ship was taken out of service in 1935 due to the Aldıkçatı company's cessation of shipping activities and lay in the Golden Horn until 1954. However, Vehbi Aldıkçatı continued his maritime trade activities outside of shipping. In 1948, he returned to shipping and purchased a ship named “İleri.” The company continued until 1970, withdrawing from the shipping scene after selling its last ship. The Anadolu steamer, originally named “Clio,” has the following registry excerpt in the Tyne Built Ships & Shipbuilding archives: • General cargo ship (HBCN e after 1934 TCAJ) • Built in 1896 by J. Laing, Sunderland with Slip Number 545. • It was 631 grt,
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