ANKARA

The Turkish corvette TCG Kınalıada is scheduled to return home on August 21, marking the end of a four-and-a-half-month expedition with numerous ports in 19 countries in the Far East.

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The mission, organized by the Turkish Naval Command, was carried out to mark the centenary of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Japan and the 134th anniversary of the voyage of the ill-fated Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul, which sank en route from Japan in 1890.

The corvette Kınalıada began its carefully planned mission on April 8, departing from the Foça naval base in the west of the country. The return was originally scheduled for August 19, but was extended to August 21 to allow for an additional port visit to Alexandria, Egypt.

Following the route of the frigate Ertuğrul, the corvette Kınalıada embarked on an extensive tour with stops in ports from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia and from South Korea to Sri Lanka.

Throughout the voyage, diplomatic courtesies were extended at the highest level in all countries visited. The corvette’s crew paid official visits to 41 dignitaries, including ministers, chiefs of general staff, troop commanders, governors and unit commanders.

In addition, the ship hosted numerous high-ranking guests. The corvette’s last port of call before returning to Foça was Alexandria in Egypt – a visit that was added to the itinerary at a later date.

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Turkish Rear Admiral Dr. Refik Levent Tezcan, Deputy Director General for Defense Security at the Ministry of Defense, traveled to Alexandria as part of the ship’s visit.

During this stop, Tezcan paid a courtesy call together with the Turkish Ambassador to Cairo, Salih Mutlu, and the ship’s captain, Commander Serkan Doğan, the Governor of Alexandria, Admiral Ahmed Khalid, and the Navy Commander, Admiral Ashraf Ibrahim Attoa.

The Ambassador also hosted a reception on board the TCG Kınalıada. What was particularly notable was that the planned visit to Mumbai, India, was cancelled from the itinerary.

The TCG Kınalıada, a warship approximately 100 metres long, 14.4 metres wide and weighing 2,465 tons, was named after an island in the Sea of ​​Marmara.

The ship was built at the Istanbul Shipyard in 2016 and entered service in 2019. It is capable of missions ranging from surface warfare to reconnaissance and surveillance.

The TCG Kınalıada is the latest addition to the Turkish naval arsenal under the national warship initiative, the MİLGEM project, and features, among others, the domestically developed Atmaca missile system from Roketsan.