Ertugrul Frigate

Potograph of the Ertugrul Frigate officers

In 1887 Prince Komatsu, the nephew of Japanese Emperor Meiji, visited Istanbul with his spouse and he was received by Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Later on, Sultan Abdul Hamid II instructed the Ertugrul Frigate to set sail for Japan with Rear Admiral Osman Pasha commanding and a total of 650 sailors in July, 1889. In June 1890, the mission arrived in Port Yokohama and Rear Admiral Osman Pasha presented the High Order of the Ottoman Empire to Emperor Meiji.

In September 1890, Ertugrul set sail from Yokohama for Istanbul, however, en route to Kobe, Ertugrul was caught in a typhoon off the Kishu , Wakayama Prefecture. While sailing towards the Kashinozaki Lighthouse with strong wind and violent waves, unfortunately Ertugrul hit the reefs and sank, 40 meters off the shore.

This big disaster claimed the lives of 587 sailors that were under the command of Osman Pasha. During the disaster, thanks to the self-denying efforts of the local people, 69 sailors were rescued and later, as part of the Japanese awareness, they were transported back to Istanbul aboard Japanese corvettes Kongo and Hiei that belonged to Japanese Navy. Besides, fund-raising activities were held nationwide for the victims and their left families.

Although the Ertugrul Frigate disaster is a very deplorable incident, the following close interest shown by the Japanese government and Japanese people made Turkish people contented. Today, Ertugrul's visit to Japan and the subsequent disaster are perceived as the reason for the beginning of the friendly relations between the two countries.

“Memorial for the Ertugrul Frigate Martyrs” was built in Kushimoto district in Wakayama Prefecture where the incident occurred and the event is being commemorated every year. Besides, the memorial for the martyrs of the Turkish ship “Refah” was built in the same form in Kushimoto and it was built in Mersin (Turkey) which is the sister city of Kushimoto.

In June 2008, Turkish president Abdullah Gül, visiting Japan officially, took part at the commemoration organized in Kushimoto.

Currently, a salvaging project is being implemented to find the wreckage of Ertugrul and completely float her to the surface.