SS ''Bandırma'' was an Ottoman mixed-freight ship, which became famous for her historical role in taking

Mustafa Kemal Pasha Mustafa () is one of the names of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic language, Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in t ...

(Atatürk) from

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

(today-

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

) to

Samsun Samsun is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and a major Black Sea port. The urban area recorded a population of 738,692 in 2022. The city is the capital of Samsun Province which has a population of ...

in May 1919 that marked the establishment of the

Turkish national movement The Turkish National Movement (), also known as the Anatolian Movement (), the Nationalist Movement (), and the Kemalists (, ''Kemalciler'' or ''Kemalistler''), included political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries that resu ...

The ship

The steamer ''Bandırma'', built 1878 in Paisley,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, was a cargo ship with 192 gross register tons capacity. It was christened ''Trocadero'', and under this name, it sailed five years long as a freighter for Dansey and Robinson. In 1883, it was purchased by

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

ship-owner H. Psicha Preaus, and renamed SS ''Kymi''. 7 years later, it was sold to another Greek ship-owner, Cap. Andreadis, sailing under the same name. In 1891, it went down following an accident but could be floated again. The Ottoman Maritime Co. purchased the ship in 1894, renamed it SS ''Panderma''. It served in the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

as a passenger-cargo vessel. On 28 October 1910, the company's status was changed, and it was renamed Ottoman Transportation Authority. The ship's name was also changed to SS ''Bandırma'',

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

for Panderma, and it served then as a mail ship in the coastal waters of Ottoman Empire. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, SS ''Bandırma'' collided with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

, and survived a torpedo attack from the same vessel. ''Bandırma'' was taken out of duty in 1924. It was sold 1925, and demolished in a shipyard in

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...

within four months.

The mission

It went into the history of

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, when

, who was appointed shortly before Inspector of the Ninth Army Troops Inspectorate of the Ottoman Empire in eastern

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, left Constantinople with SS ''Bandırma'' on 16 May 1919 for

. He was sent to Anatolia by

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

's decree to oversee the process of disbanding the Ottoman Army that was ordered by the

Entente powers The Allies or the Entente (, ) was an international military coalition of countries led by the French Republic, the United Kingdom, the Russian Empire, the United States, the Kingdom of Italy, and the Empire of Japan against the Central Powers ...

occupying the capital and controlling the Ottoman government. Mustafa Kemal Pasha, accompanied with 22 officers, 25 soldiers, and 8 administrative staff sailed in heavy weather on the old steamer with a not functioning compass needed to navigate in the wavy

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

, and set foot on land in Samsun on 19 May 1919. Upon landing, Mustafa Kemal Pasha started the

contrary to the orders given to him by the Ottoman government in İstanbul that resulted in the declaration of the Republic of Turkey after the

Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...

almost four years later.

The replica

In view of its important historical role in the birth of the Republic of Turkey, the governor and the mayor of

Samsun Province Samsun Province () is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its area is 9,725 km2, and its population is 1,368,488 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are Sinop on the northwest, Çorum on the west, Amasy ...

both initiated the rebuilding of ''Bandırma'' in original dimensions and outlook. The building of the replica by Taşkınlar Shipbuilding Co. started on 9 May 2000, and was completed on 15 April 2001. The new ''Bandırma'' was opened as a museum ship by Prime Minister

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

on 19 May 2003 at Doğu Park (East Park) in Samsun. Wax figures of Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his followers on the ship are on display along with historical items in the museum ship today.

Ship's register

* 1878 SS ''Trocadero'', Great Britain, Dansey and Robinson * 1883 SS ''Kymi'',

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, H. Psicha Preus * 1890 SS ''Kymi'', Greece, Cap. Andreadis * 1894 SS ''Panderma'', Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Maritime Co. * 1910 SS ''Bandırma'', Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Transportation Co. * 1924 taken out of service * 1925 demolished * 2001 replica built * 2003 replica put in service as museum ship in Samsun

References

Municipality of Samsun website

Samsun

SS Bandırma

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandirma Ships built on the River Clyde Cargo ships of the United Kingdom Cargo ships of the Ottoman Empire Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Replica ships 1878 ships Museum ships in Turkey Tourist attractions in Samsun