Ertuğrul Frigate

Ertuğrul Frigate is a wooden-hulled, sail-steam hybrid (screw-propelled) warship of the Ottoman Navy. During its voyage from 1889 to 1890, it established direct diplomatic contact between the Ottoman State and Japan, and its sinking after striking rocks during a typhoon off the coast of Wakayama/Kushimoto on 16 September 1890 became a defining moment in Turkish-Japanese relations.

Construction, Armament, and Service History

The Ertuğrul was ordered from the Tersane-i Âmire in 1854 and laid down in 1855; it was launched in 1863 and entered service in 1864 after undergoing sea trials. That same year, it was sent to London for installation of its machinery and boilers; upon return, it resumed active duty. In 1885, it underwent extensive modernization and was reclassified as a “training ship” in 1888. Before its Japan voyage, it was rearmed and departed Istanbul on 14 July 1889; it sank during a typhoon on its return journey on 16 September 1890. This service trajectory reflects the typical transition of Ottoman naval forces from oar-and-sail traditions to steam-sail hybrid propulsion.

Background of Ottoman-Japanese Relations (1870s–1889)

Following the Meiji Restoration, modernizing Japan established both indirect and direct contacts with the Ottoman Empire from the 1870s onward. The Iwakura Mission, which surveyed the West in 1871, included stops at Ottoman exhibitions. In 1878, the Japanese warship Seiki visited Istanbul. Sultan Abdülhamid II expressed his desire during this period to send an official naval delegation to reciprocate imperial greetings. In 1880, a Japanese delegation led by Foreign Affairs Adviser Yoshida Masaharu was received in Istanbul; political and commercial frameworks were discussed. The 1887 autumn visit of Prince Komatsu generated expectations in the Ottoman Empire for an official reciprocal response.

Planning and Command of the Voyage

The voyage was designed to combine diplomatic objectives with practical training for graduates of the Naval Academy. Under the command of Miralay (later Pasha) Osman Bey, the frigate departed the Haliç on 14 July 1889 with over 600 personnel. On the day of departure, large crowds gathered along the Istanbul shores; military bands played marches during the ceremony, and state officials were present.

Route and Ports of Call

The Ertuğrul followed the route: Suez–Aden–Bombay–Colombo–Singapore–Saigon–Hong Kong–Nagasaki–Kobe. A prolonged repair period was required after damage sustained in Suez. In Bombay, a massive influx of visitors turned the ship into a “voyage fair”; the extended stay in Singapore was decisive both due to the hospitality of the local Muslim community and logistical resupply needs. During Ramadan in Hong Kong, religious services were conducted aboard with the local congregation. Observations on Japanese urban fabric and commercial life were recorded during the stops in Nagasaki and Kobe.

Arrival in Yokohama and Imperial Audience

The frigate arrived in Yokohama on 7 June 1890. Head of the delegation, Osman Paşa, presented Emperor Meiji with a letter from Sultan Abdülhamid II along with medals and gifts. The banquet hosted under court protocol served as an example of “state hospitality,” showcasing traditional Japanese table arrangements and serving customs.

Warnings on Return and Seasonal Conditions

The Japanese government advised extending the stay to allow for maintenance and repairs, citing the ship’s wooden hull and the imminent typhoon season in September. Concerned that a delay might be interpreted as a political weakness, the delegation departed Yokohama on 15 September 1890 as originally planned.

Disaster: Off Kushimoto/Kii Ōshima (16 September 1890)

One day after departure, the ship was caught in a violent typhoon near Cape Shiōnomiseki and Kii Ōshima, driven onto the Kashinozaki rocks, and shattered. Over 500 Ottoman sailors lost their lives; 69 survived. Some survivors climbed the steep cliffs guided by the light of the Kashinozaki Lighthouse to seek help.

Rescue, First Aid, and Medical Intervention

Residents of Kii Ōshima island risked their lives in storm conditions to rescue survivors from the rocks and provided them with food and shelter despite scarce supplies. Injured survivors were transported to Kobe for treatment; Emperor Meiji assigned imperial physicians and empress-appointed nurses to assist. Letters from local physicians stating “we will not charge fees” stand as documentary evidence of humanitarian aid.

Repatriation of Survivors: Hiei and Kongō

On 10 October 1890, the Japanese government dispatched the warships Hiei and Kongō to repatriate the survivors. Due to the Bosporus regime, these ships could not enter Istanbul directly; the survivors were transferred to the Ottoman warship Talia at Çanakkale. The Japanese vessels, granted special permission, entered Istanbul in January 1891 and were hosted for approximately a month before departing in February.

Burial, Monument, and Museumization

A common grave was established on a hill overlooking the disaster site for the fallen crew, and a monument was erected in 1891. Türkiye restored the monument in 1937; a Turkish Museum opened in the region in 1974. Today, commemorative ceremonies are held every five years in Kushimoto. The Kashinozaki Lighthouse, operational since 1870, is among Japan’s earliest stone-built rotating lantern lighthouses; its design bears the signature of Richard Brunton.

Underwater Research and Discoveries

As part of archaeological investigations launched in 2007, over a thousand artifacts were recovered from the seabed in 2008. In the same year, the President of the Republic of Türkiye made the first official visit to the Kushimoto monument; commemorative and scientific activities were jointly conducted with institutions from both countries.

Testimonies and Voyage Notes

Chief Gunner Captain Mehmed Ali (Balkır), a survivor of the disaster, meticulously documented the voyage from Istanbul to Yokohama, the imperial audience, the moment of the disaster, and the days spent on Kii Ōshima and in Kobe. His memoirs include social and cultural observations such as the prolonged stop in Singapore, the dry dock repairs in Suez, the massive crowds in Bombay and Singapore, and Ramadan observances in Hong Kong. It is noted that Mehmed Ali Bey had a stove machine he saw in Japan during quarantine manufactured in Istanbul and tested before the palace in 1892, illustrating the voyage’s technical and technological impact.

Symbolic Impact on Ottoman-Japanese Relations

The Ertuğrul incident, as the first organized diplomatic mission from the Islamic world to Japan, created a lasting memory of solidarity between the two societies. A modern link in this chain of remembrance occurred during the Iran-Iraq War in 1985, when Japanese citizens stranded in Tehran were evacuated by Turkish Airlines—an act interpreted as a “95-year repayment” of the humanitarian aid offered in Kushimoto.

Cultural Productions and Popular Memory

The story of the Ertuğrul has been adapted into novels, documentaries, and films. The 2015 co-produced film “Ertuğrul 1890/Kaian 1890” links the 1890 tragedy and the 1985 Tehran evacuation in two episodes, narratively connecting mutual assistance in the collective memory of both nations. Museum exhibitions, models, photographs, and rituals around the monument form the spatial foundations of popular memory.

Military Visits and Contemporary Reflections (1990s–2025)

Port visits recalling the Ertuğrul voyage continued with TCG Turgutreis in 1990 and 2000, TCG Gemlik in 2011, and TCG Gediz in 2015. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Turkish-Japanese diplomatic relations, TCG Kınalıada undertook commemorative and friendship missions along the Kushimoto–Tokyo–Hiroshima route in 2024. In August 2024, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force training vessels Kashima and Shimakaze anchored at Istanbul’s Sarayburnu. Commemorative events in 2025, marking the 135th anniversary, received public attention in both Türkiye and Japan; in the same year, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Turkish-Japanese Foundation and the Wakayama Prefecture on a youth exchange program focused on disaster awareness.