Feth-i-Bulend

"Feth-i-Bulend" was an Ironclad warship launched in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. "Feth-i-Bulend" was one of the more advanced, compact, and heavily-armed ironclads of its era. It was armed with four 229 millimeter (9 in) guns. It was powered by a single-screw compound engine, but could also run on sail if the weather was right. It had a crew of 220 people and was launched in 1870.

"Feth-i-Bulend" was constructed as part of an attempt to modernize of the Ottoman Navy. In a bid to support the backward Ottoman Empire against Russian expansionist policies, Great Britain gave considerable aid to Turkey in their efforts to build a powerful and modern naval fleet. In the 1860s and 1870s, so many modern ironclad warships were build on behalf of Turkey by both France and Great Britain that the Ottoman Empire became the world's third largest naval fleet. Much of this development occurred under the administration of a British naval officer, Hobart Pasha.

Vessels of this era, including the "Feth-i-Bulend", were iron hulled, central battery ships built at Blackwall Yard in London in 1870 and sent to Turkey in 1872. "Feth-i-Bulend" was reconstructed and updated at the Ansaldo Italian Shipyards in Constantinople between 1903 and 1907. By the time of the First Balkan War of 1912, it was anchored at Salonica, and its guns had been removed for the defense of the city. On the night of 18 October 1912, "Feth-i-Bulend" was sunk by the Greek torpedo boat No.11.

External links

* [http://maviboncuk.blogspot.com/2006/03/ironclad-battleship-feth-i-bulend.html Ironclad Battleship "Feth-i Bulend"]
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