NOTES FROM TURKISH MARITIME NEAR HISTORY

Mustafa Kemal, in the statement he gave to the German Press Attache at the Çanakkale Front in 1916, said; “We are trapped on land, although we can reach the foothills of the ocean to places like Suez, Gibraltar, we are not an ocean country. But we have to get out to the ocean.” he said.

The first ideas about an amphibious assault ship (LHD) of the size of TCG ANADOLU were put forward after the Cold War. Because at that time, NATO was on its way to accessing amphibious power. The cover was ready, humanitarian aid. Because after World War II there was no threat and there should have been a reliable reason to built such a giant war ships. However, the United States itself posed a threat, and these projects undertaken under the cover of humanitarian aid were brutally used in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

DOCTRINES

In Türkiye’s case, the projects for such a ship date goes back to the period when Vural Beyazıt Admiral was the Turkish Naval Forces Commander in 1992-95. When he was leaving his career in 1995, he approved the light aircraft carrier project of Admiral Mustafa Özbey, who was the Head of Plan and Principles (a department of Turkish Navy) at the time, as the Naval Forces Command and presented it to the General Staff in this form. It took 1997 for the General Staff to approve this project. Later, Güven Erkaya was appointed as the Commander of the Naval Forces. Admiral Güven Erkaya wrote the strategy document "Towards the High Seas" published by the Naval Forces Command. Turkish Naval Task Groups were introduced for the first time in this strategy document. In this document, it was written that Turkiye should show her strength in distant seas by moving away from the Mediterranean, Aegean Sea and Black Sea coasts in order to protect its rights and interests. This was the behavior that some imperialist countries do not like even though appropriate to the evolving and changing global conjuncture.

Likewise, when the Blue Homeland doctrine was first introduced in 2006, it was put forward to describe Türkiye’s maritime jurisdiction areas, but later it turned into Turkish maritime geopolitics sailing out of Suez and Gibraltar, reaching the open seas, to the oceans too. Türkiye represented the whole Turkic world with this doctrine. The doctrine, covering a geography stretching from the Adriatic to the Great Wall of China, which is never agreed with American views. In fact, the Turkish Naval Forces Strategy published in 1997 did not agree with the USA either.

That's why these admirals were brought to trial for conspiracy like Sledgehammer Case, and the Turkish Arms Forces was wanted to be divided. Despite all this confusion, the necessary budget was set for the construction of the ship, its construction was approved in 2015 and started by Sedef Shipyard in 2016 under the supervision of Turkish Lloyd. Launched in May 2019, the ship began sea acceptance tests in June 2022.

By the way I should state for those who don’t know what TCG stands for. TCG stands for Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Gemisi (Turkish Republic Ship) Unworded issue that is the code L400; People in Türkiye what that code of TCG ANADOLU is about and how derived… TCG ANADOLU is the expression L400 written on the hull of the ship. What does the L400 represent? When experts are asked, they state that the letter L comes from the English word Landing. Landing also means landing, which is also used for airplanes. It means that aircraft such as Killer Drone , helicopter, etc. can land on a flight deck. It should be noted that the ship was originally designed for the landing of F35B model aircraft, but later evolved into a different form after Turkey was excluded from the F35 war plane program. The number 400 is a number given by the Naval Forces Command, but is determined by NATO's availability.

TCG ANADOLU was handed over to the Turkish Naval Forces Command with a state ceremony on April 10, 2023. With the commissioning of the platform, which is the flagship of the Turkish Naval Forces and the largest warship in Türkiye, Türkiye has taken its deterrent power and power transmission capacity to a new level, and it has also become another important threshold that has been reached by the Turkish defense industry. In this respect, TCG ANADOLU is actually a prestige ship. Although it has disadvantages such as difficulty in use and being a target in times of war, it is obvious that in various critical moments it will increase the ability of the Republic of Turkey to transfer its military power, provide prestige and bring freedom of action.

Although it is not exactly an aircraft carrier, it resembles an aircraft carrier in several respects. Killer Drones standard Unmanned Air Crafts, helicopters can be transported and it is calculated that they will perform the operation and return. There will definitely be tests for the TB series unmanned aircraft, but there is still a long way to go on the KIZILELMA side. On the other hand, the ship's energy systems are not like the American aircraft carriers we know. In other words, it is disadvantageous in this respect as it is not operated by a nuclear reactor, but TCG ANADOLU has the capacity to be in navigation for 30 days without logistical support.

It is calculated that Türkiye’s amphibious attack power will increase by around 60% with TCG ANADOLU. Thus, the task of the forces that compete with us for regional maritime power will become more difficult. TCG Anadolu will provide deterrence against possible hostile attempts in ensuring the security of Cyprus and protecting Turkey's national interests. An important element has been brought in friendly and allied forces, primarily to provide humanitarian aid. This need had emerged during the military and EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) agreements with Libya in 2020.

The air defense systems to be integrated into the ship and the roaming unmanned suicide planes, the low radar trace and the ability to use long-range precision ammunition give TCG ANADOLU superior features than some of its peers.

On the other hand, TCG ANADOLU was en element that could have contributed greatly to the earthquake region in order to provide humanitarian aid in Kahramanmaraş, which we experienced on February 6, 2023.

It has the capacity to carry 10 helicopters or 11 Combat Drones on the flight deck and 19 helicopters or 30 Combat Drones in the hangar. Among these air platforms are Bayraktar TB3 SİHA with folding wings, which are pioneer platforms for the Turkish aviation industry, Bayraktar KIZILELMA combat unmanned aircraft system and HÜRJET light attack aircraft.

TCG ANADOLU has a fully equipped hospital with a capacity of 30 beds and 2 operating theaters. Therefore, it has gained a structure that can combat various health problems without going ashore.

In addition, while hosting a battalion-sized military unit, the TCG ANADOLU L400 ship has taken its place as a prestige ship that can be used effectively with mechanized landing vehicles, armored amphibious assault vehicles, attack helicopters, multi-purpose helicopters.

As it is known, with Turkey's removal from the F-35 Lightning II program, Turkey decided to equip TCG Anadolu with unmanned combat aircraft in March 2021. That's why the TB3 Project was developed. It is an aerodynamically designed UAV with a reinforced hull design and landing gear and even foldable wing that can land on the mobile deck. TCG ANADOLU's engineering adventure is a lesson when considering its approaches to national security and defense strategy. The project, which has a 70% of local rate approximately, is primarily weapon systems and war management system, electronic warfare systems, infrared search and tracking system, electro-optical search system, laser warning system, torpedo defense system, radars, communication systems, navigation systems and information distribution systems is being developed by our domestic and national industry. There are only 12 countries in the world with the TCG ANADOLU capacity, the technical specifications of which are given below.

TCG ANADOLU TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

231 meters long and 32 meters wide

27,436 tons displacement

Top speed of 20.5 knots and economic speed of 16 knots

At least 9,000 nautical miles at full load

Capacity of 4 LCM ships (Mechanized Landing Craft), each of which can carry 1 tank to the water-capable dock inside the ship

1165 m2 ship pool

1880 m2 light duty garage

6 landing pads and 1 flight ramp

On vehicle decks;

– 13 Tanks

– 27 Armored Amphibious Assault Vehicles-ZAHA

– 6 Armored Personnel Carrier-ZPT

– 33 Various Vehicles

– Including 15 trailers

– Carrying capacity of 94 vehicles in total

On the flight deck;

– A total of 10 helicopters or 11 Unmanned Armed Aerial Vehicle and 19 helicopters or 30 SİHAs in its hangar.