Article by Prof. Dr. Erhan Afyoncu, published on September 6, 2026 in the Sabah newspaper.
One of the greatest maritime disasters in Ottoman history occurred in November 1785. The ship of Uzun Hasan Reis, an Albanian from Ulqin, with 650 crew members, was caught in a storm in the Sea of Islands (Aegean Sea), and sank. Only 6 people from the ship miraculously escaped.
Despite the developed technology, ship accidents continue to occur even today. When we hear that a ship has sunk, the first thing that comes to mind are search and rescue teams, coast guards, divers and wreck removal works. Even during the Ottoman period, research was carried out on the accidents that occurred and the subsequent events. Regarding maritime accidents, we can refer to the studies of Halil Sahillioğlu, İdris Bostan, Mustafa Çırpan, Şenay Özdemir, Burak Kocaoğlu and Gökay Karaduman – Dorukan Selçuk.
MARINE ACCIDENTS OFF ISTANBUL
In Ottoman documents, the term “kazazede” (damaged by accident) was mainly used for ship accidents, while the expression “gark olmak” (to drown) was prominent for ships sunk in battles, and “ihrak olmak” (to burn) for those burned. One of the most important causes of accidents were strong storms.
The severe storms of the Mediterranean and Black Seas sometimes sank wooden ships both at sea and in the ports where they were sheltered. In addition, the limitations of navigational technology, running aground, taking on water, and false lighthouse lights lit by those who wanted to rob merchant ships on the coast, invited accidents. In a study conducted using the Istanbul Decision Registers (İstanbul Ahkâm Defterleri) from 1742-1779, 138 different accidents were identified, concentrated in the months of November and December.
It turned out that 43 percent of the accidents occurred at the entrance to the Black Sea from the European side; namely, in the İğneada, Midye and Terkos line. While the Şile, Kefken and Kandıra line on the Anatolian side came in second place with a rate of 29 percent. These records show that ships attempting to enter the Strait from the Black Sea faced a serious risk of sinking due to the inadequate navigational technology of the period and unexpected storms.
THE GREAT MARITIME TRAGEDY
One of the greatest maritime accidents in Ottoman history occurred in November 1785, during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid I. According to the historical chronicles of Vasıf and Taylesanizâde, the event occurred as follows: The ship called Mürg-i Bahri set sail in the Mediterranean Sea in the spring of 1785. The ship, under the command of the Albanian captain from Ulqin, Uzun Hasan Kaptan (Captain Hasani i Gjata), one of the captains of the Royal Naval Dockyard (Tersane-i Âmire), and Second Helmsman Mehmed, had 650 crew members.
The ship was built in Rhodes in 1772 and was 13 years old. It was about 30 meters long. The ship had passed to the state from the estate (muhallefat) of Cafer Pasha, who died in 1784. While sailing in the Mediterranean, the Mürg-i Bahri left the royal fleet. She was caught in a storm in the Sea of Islands (Aegean Sea), opposite the island of Amargos. The successive waves tore off the wooden lion figure that was located on the bow (nose) of the ship. The lion statue, falling under the ship, collided with her body by the force of the waves, causing the body to explode, take on water and sink the ship. Only 6 people managed to escape from the ship.
The captain’s cabin on the ship’s deck was torn from its place, fell into the sea and was pushed towards the shore by the sea along with the people inside. In this way, 6 people miraculously escaped. The state provided assistance to the families of the drowned ship’s personnel.
A short time later, in 1799, a ship carrying soldiers from Izmir was caught in a violent storm while at anchor. Although the crew cut the mooring lines to save the ship, they were unable to do so. The ship was wrecked. Some of the soldiers were taken ashore in boats.
REMOVING FOUNDED RUINS
When news of a shipwreck reached Istanbul, information was requested from the administrators of the region where the accident had occurred and a search for the location of the sunken ship was ordered. For this purpose, most of the time, captains from the naval fleet were assigned. Local administrators were expected to provide assistance to these people. It was necessary to determine what was found on the sunken ship. For this, an observation was made, the materials that could be extracted were determined and they were recorded in the register. The most important figures in this process were the divers.
Divers called sömbeki were used to remove wrecks from the sea. The sömbeki would dive into the wrecks at the bottom of the sea, determine the materials that could be removed and facilitate their lifting to the surface. They also took with them the necessary diving equipment and various equipment.
An event that occurred in 1794 clearly shows how this system worked: A ship carrying 14 large cannons to be sent to the Anapa Fortress sank near Samsun. Upon this, two divers were sent from the Royal Naval Dockyard. The divers who completed their work here were then tasked with removing anchors from other wrecks located opposite Sinop. While 20 divers were tasked with the wreck in Çeşme in 1771. Some of them were brought from Sömbeki Island, and some from Filyos.
One of the problems the state faced when a ship sank was the looting of the wreck. The cannons, anchors, and iron materials inside the ship that sank to the bottom of the sea were quite valuable. There were cases when several people intervened in the wreck before state officials arrived at the scene. The unauthorized removal of cannons in particular was a serious problem.
For this reason, the state tried to prevent the unauthorized removal and sale of materials belonging to the wreck. Even though years had passed since the event, if it was learned that materials from a sunken ship were being taken or sold, an investigation could be initiated. Those who removed the materials without permission could be required to be sent to Istanbul and compensated for the damage caused. Likewise, people who removed and stored the sunken materials and handed them over to state officials were also rewarded.
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